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Unferþ
In the Old English epic poem ''Beowulf'', Unferth or Hunferth is a thegn (a retainer, servant) of the Danish lord Hrothgar. He appears five times in the poem — four times by the name 'Hunferð' (at lines 499, 530, 1165 and 1488) and once by the appellation "the son of Eclafes" (at line 980). The name ''Unferth'' does not appear in any Old English manuscript outside of the Nowell Codex, which contains ''Beowulf'', and the meaning of the name is disputed. Several scholarly theories about Unferth have been proposed. Etymology Unferth's name can be understood in a number of ways. A common reading, by Morton W. Bloomfield is to see it as ''un'' + ''frith'', "mar peace": similarly, J. R. R. Tolkien considered the name to mean Unpeace/Quarrel, or perhaps 'Unfriend'. However, Searle's ''Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum'' lists several mentions of medieval historic personages, such as bishops and archbishops, named Hunfrith. Another reading, by Fred C. Robinson, is to see it as ''un'' + '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flyting
Flyting or fliting ( Classical Gaelic: ''immarbág'', , "counter-boasting") is a contest consisting of the exchange of insults between two parties, often conducted in verse. Etymology The word ''flyting'' comes from the Old English verb meaning 'to quarrel', made into a gerund with the suffix -''ing''. Attested from around 1200 in the general sense of a verbal quarrel, it is first found as a technical literary term in Scotland in the sixteenth century. The first written Scots example is William Dunbar, '' The Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedie'', written in the late fifteenth century. Description Flyting is a ritual, poetic exchange of insults practiced mainly between the 5th and 16th centuries. Examples of flyting are found throughout Scots, Ancient, Medieval and Modern Celtic, Old English, Middle English and Norse literature involving both historical and mythological figures. The exchanges would become extremely provocative, often involving accusations of cowardice or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wealhtheow
Wealhtheow (also rendered Wealhþēow or Wealthow; ) is a queen of the Danes in the Old English poem ''Beowulf'', first introduced in line 612. Character overview Wealhtheow is of the Wulfing clan, Queen of the Danes (Germanic tribe), Danes. She is married to Hrothgar (Hrōðgār), the Danish king and is the mother of sons, Hreðric and Hroðmund, and a daughter Freawaru. In her marriage to Hrothgar she is described as ''friðusibb folca'' (l. 2017), 'the kindred pledge of peace between peoples', signifying interdynastic allegiance between Wulfing and Scylding achieved with her marriage to Hrothgar. She is both 'Lady of the Helmings' (l. 620) (by descent, of the Wulfing clan of Helm) and 'Lady of the Scyldings' (l. 1168), by marriage and maternity. Two northern sources associate the wife of Hrothgar with England. The ''Skjöldunga saga'', in Arngrímur Jónsson's abstract, chapter 3, tells that Hrothgar (''Roas'') married the daughter of an English king. The ''Hrolfs saga kraka ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grendel's Mother
Grendel's mother () is one of three antagonists in the anonymous Old English poem ''Beowulf'' (c. 700–1000 AD), the other two being Grendel and the dragon. Each antagonist reflects different negative aspects of both the hero Beowulf and the heroic society in which the poem is set. Grendel's mother is introduced in lines 1258b to 1259a as: "Grendles modor/ides, aglæcwif". Grendel's mother, who is never given a name in the text, is the subject of an ongoing controversy among medieval scholars. This controversy is due to the ambiguity of a few words in Old English which appear in the original ''Beowulf'' manuscript. While there is agreement over the word "modor" (mother), the phrase "ides, aglæcwif" is the subject of scholarly debate. Story The poem, ''Beowulf,'' is contained in the Nowell Codex. As noted in lines 106–114 and lines 1260–1267 of ''Beowulf,'' monsters (which include Grendel's mother and Grendel) are descendants of Cain. After Grendel is killed, Grendel's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. Malkovich started his career as a charter member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago in 1976. He moved to New York City, acting in a Steppenwolf production of the Sam Shepard play '' True West'' (1980). He made his Broadway debut as Biff in the revival of the Arthur Miller play ''Death of a Salesman'' (1984). He directed the Harold Pinter play '' The Caretaker'' (1986), and acted in Lanford Wilson's '' Burn This'' (1987). Malkovich has received two Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nominations for his performances in '' Places in the Heart'' (1984) and '' In the Line of Fire'' (1993). Other films include '' The Killing Fields'' (1984), '' Empire of the Sun'' (1987), '' Dangerous Liaisons'' (19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beowulf (2007 Film)
''Beowulf'' is a 2007 American animated fantasy action film produced and directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary, based on the Old English epic poem ''Beowulf'', and featuring the voices of Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright, Brendan Gleeson, John Malkovich, Crispin Glover, Alison Lohman, and Angelina Jolie. The film depicts a modern interpretation of the poem, with certain changes to aspects of its narrative. It was produced by Shangri-La Entertainment and Zemeckis's ImageMovers and features characters animated using motion-capture animation, which was previously used in ''The Polar Express (film), The Polar Express'' (2004) and ''Monster House (film), Monster House'' (2006). ''Beowulf'' premiered at Westwood, Los Angeles on November 5, 2007, and was released theatrically in the United States on November 16, 2007, by Paramount Pictures, with Warner Bros. Pictures handling international distribution. It grossed over $196 million and was gene ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grendel Grendel Grendel
''Grendel Grendel Grendel'' is a 1981 Australian animated film written, directed and designed by Alex Stitt, Alexander Stitt and starring Peter Ustinov. It was based on John Gardner (American writer), John Gardner's novel ''Grendel (novel), Grendel''. The music was composed and conducted by Bruce Smeaton and has been released on the 1M1 Records label. Like Gardner's novel, the film is a retelling of part of the epic poem ''Beowulf'' from the monster Grendel's point of view. Grendel (voiced by Ustinov) is by turns a thoughtful and contemplative character and a rampaging monster who attacks the mead hall of an early Danish kingdom, biting the head off of one would-be defender. This was the second full-length fully animated film ever made in Australia (coming after 1972's ''Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon''). Plot Initially narrated by the titular character through a Flashback (narrative), flashback, Grendel (Peter Ustinov), the "Great Boogey", recounts how he first left his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grendel (novel)
''Grendel'' is a 1971 novel by the American author John Gardner. It is a retelling of part of the Old English poem ''Beowulf'' from the perspective of the antagonist, Grendel. In the novel, Grendel is portrayed as an antihero. The novel deals with finding meaning in the world, the power of literature and myth, and the nature of good and evil. In a 1973 interview, Gardner said, "In ''Grendel'' I wanted to go through the main ideas of Western civilization – which seemed to me to be about ... twelve? – and go through them in the voice of the monster, with the story already taken care of, with the various philosophical attitudes (though with Sartre in particular), and see what I could do, see if I could break out." On another occasion, he noted that he used Grendel to "represent Sartre's philosophical position" and that "a lot of ''Grendel'' is borrowed from sections of Sartre's '' Being and Nothingness''". ''Grendel'' has become one of Gardner's best-known and best-reviewe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Gardner (novelist)
John Champlin Gardner Jr. (July 21, 1933 – September 14, 1982) was an American novelist, essayist, literary critic, and university professor. He is best known for his 1971 novel ''Grendel'', a retelling of the Beowulf myth from the monster's point of view. Early life and education Gardner was born in Batavia, New York. His father was a lay preacher and dairy farmer, and his mother taught third grade at a small school in a nearby village. Both parents were fond of poetry, and would often recite their favorite poetry and poetry they wrote about life on the farm at friends' homes. Gardner was active in The Boy Scouts of America and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. The young Gardner attended public school and worked on his father's farm. In April 1945, his younger brother Gilbert was killed in an accident with a cultipacker. Gardner, who was driving the tractor during the fatal accident, carried guilt for his brother's death throughout his life, suffering nightmares and flashback ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anti-hero
An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero or two words anti hero) or anti-heroine is a character in a narrative (in literature, film, TV, etc.) who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions that most of the audience considers morally correct, their reasons for doing so may not align with the audience's morality. ''Antihero'' is a literary term that can be understood as standing in opposition to the traditional hero, i.e., one with high social status, well-liked by the general populace. Past the surface, scholars have additional requirements for the antihero. The " Racinian" antihero is defined by three factors. The first is that the antihero is doomed to fail before their adventure begins. The second constitutes the blame of that failure on everyone but themselves. Thirdly, they offer a critique of social morals and reality. To other scholars, an antihero is inherently a hero f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenneth Sisam
Kenneth Sisam (2 September 1887 – 26 August 1971) was a New Zealand academic and publisher, whose major career was as an employee of the Oxford University Press. Life Born at Ōpōtiki in 1887, Sisam was the eighth and youngest child of Alfred John Sisam, a police officer and farmer, and his wife Maria Knights. He was educated at Auckland Grammar School, and entered University College, Auckland, in 1906 with a scholarship, where he graduated MA in 1910. With a Rhodes scholarship, Sisam matriculated at Merton College, Oxford, in 1910. He completed a B.Litt. there under Arthur Napier in 1915, producing an edition of the Salisbury Psalter. He married that year. In this period he taught students including J. R. R. Tolkien. Poor health ruled out military service, and he went to work part-time on the ''Oxford English Dictionary''. In 1916, he published on the ''Beowulf'' manuscript. In 1917, the Sisams moved to London, where Kenneth worked as a civil servant. In 1922, he joined O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Old Norse
Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their Viking expansion, overseas settlements and chronologically coincides with the Viking Age, the Christianization of Scandinavia, and the consolidation of Scandinavian kingdoms from about the 8th to the 15th centuries. The Proto-Norse language developed into Old Norse by the 8th century, and Old Norse began to develop into the modern North Germanic languages in the mid- to late 14th century, ending the language phase known as Old Norse. These dates, however, are not precise, since written Old Norse is found well into the 15th century. Old Norse was divided into three dialects: Old West Norse (Old West Nordic, often referred to as ''Old Norse''), Old East Norse (Old East Nordic), and Old Gutnish. Old West Norse and O ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
