Beowulf and Grettirs Saga Essay - 3715 Words

Beowulf and Grettirs Saga IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT, someone or something, is murdering the local townsfolk. As fate provides, a stranger marches into the local bar announcing his intention to kill the menacing outlaw. The fiend returns to the scene of his crimes, and, as predicted, the outsider fights and mortally wounds the brute, which limps off to a hidden lair. The hero and his comrade(s) track the wounded villain to an underwater cave and the ensuing fray results in the death of the criminals sidekick. The stranger/hero explores the cave, discovering the carcass of the original fugitive, treasure and booty. Meanwhile, the strangers posse thinks the hero is dead and abandons him. The heros surprising return marks the end of†¦show more content†¦There is historical evidence that the Anglo Saxon Beowulf was composed, or more exactly transcribed, 900 years earlier than Grettirs Saga. According to Howell Chickering, Jr. there is only one piece of verifiable historical data in Beowulf, Hygelacs death in 521 during a raid on the Frisians (247). It is believed Grettirs Saga was originally written in Icelandic, sometime in the early 14th century (Killings 1). Beowulfs scop describes the fluctuation of oral composition by saying he, found new words, bound them up truly, / began to recite Beowulfs praise / a well-made lay of glorious deed, / skillfully varied his matter and style (871a-874b). The time gap between the two works can be narrowed to 400 years if one considers Beowulfs transcription point in the 10th century, and Grettirs Saga in the 14th century. Chickering asserts Grettirs Saga and Beowulf, go back independently to a common original (254), and are not evolutionary partners. The plot outlined above illustrates the many close parallels of books 64 to 67 of Grettirs Saga and the first book of Beowulf. However, the underlying religious tenor shifts significantly from work to work. Grettirs Saga immediately identifies itself as a Christian tale through the introduction of a priest who, after becoming the strangers sidekick, banishes the hero. Grettirs monster only appears at Yuletide, a time of Christian festivity formalized by