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onceandfuturelaura's review against another edition
4.0
An annotation of Tolkien’s lectures on Beowulf I read a few years ago. I jotted down a few passages that pleased me. They seemed to shed some light on why it seems to make cinemagraphic sense to have the “good” powers be Greco-Roman and the “bad” or “neutral” powers have more of a Germanic/Nordic/British cast. Though that may be changing. Hark:
“Of the fair gods of Greece we also hear rumour of wars with giants and great powers not Olympian. Yet this distinction is not clearly conceived. The gods are not in any case an ever-present danger: the war is rather in a chaotic past. Though the seed of the gods may be heroes, it is also other creatures hostile to mean and monstrous. The monsters maybe akin to the gods, and the gods are not partners of lesser men in their war against them. The gods neither need men’s help, nor are concerned in their struggles. Men may worship or propitiate one or the other, gods or monsters, but he is not an ally of either. The interest of the gods in this or that man as part of their whims or private schemes, not as part of a great strategy that includes the whole of mankind, if only as the infantry of battle. The wages of heaven are deeds. This perhaps makes the gods more godlike – more lofty, more dread, more inscrutable. They are timeless and do not know or fear death. Such beliefs may hold promise of a profounder thought, so that the Greeks could make philosophy, but the Germanic North created specially the hero. Though the word we use in English is Greek . . . . the notion we have of it is rather Germanic than Greek.
In Norse at any rate the gods are enmeshed within time; they are doomed to the agony of death – though (probably by a late addition) a rebirth glimmers faintly far ahead for some of them. Their battle is with the monsters and with the darkness. They fight along with men and gather heroes for the final battle. Already before euhemerism saved them by embalming them they dwindled in learned antiquarian fancy to their mighty ancestors of northern kings, they are in their very being but the enlarged shadows of great men and warriors cast upon the walls of the world. When Baldr is slain and goes to Hel, he cannot escape thence any more than mortal man. Loki is among the gods, it is true, and evil and lying and clever spirit, of whom many monsters come. But this is true of men, in whom both Grendel and the Dragon in their hatred, cruelty, malice and greed find part. But the gods of Asgard do not recognize kinship with Fenris the wolf anymore than men do with the Dragon.” (127-28)
He also had an extensive quote from another book that really got me in the gut. Viz:
“What is distinctively Northern in the myth of the Twilight of the Gods is the strength of its theory of life. It is this intensity of courage that distinguishes the Northern mythology (and Icelandic literature generally) from all others. The last word of the Northmen before their entry into the larger world of Southern culture; their last independent guess at the secret of the Universe, is the Twilight of the Gods. As far as it goes, and as a working theory, it is absolutely impregnable. It is the assertion of the individual freedom against all the terrors and temptations of the world. It is absolute resistance, perfect because without hope. The Northern gods have an exultant extravagance in their warfare which makes them more like Titans than Olympians; only they are on the right side, though it is not the side that wins. The winning side is Chaos and Unreason; but the gods, who are defeated, think that defeat no refutation.”
Id. quoting W. P. KER, THE DARK AGES 57-58 (1904).
I know I missed a lot of this book. But what I understood I found fascinating.
“Of the fair gods of Greece we also hear rumour of wars with giants and great powers not Olympian. Yet this distinction is not clearly conceived. The gods are not in any case an ever-present danger: the war is rather in a chaotic past. Though the seed of the gods may be heroes, it is also other creatures hostile to mean and monstrous. The monsters maybe akin to the gods, and the gods are not partners of lesser men in their war against them. The gods neither need men’s help, nor are concerned in their struggles. Men may worship or propitiate one or the other, gods or monsters, but he is not an ally of either. The interest of the gods in this or that man as part of their whims or private schemes, not as part of a great strategy that includes the whole of mankind, if only as the infantry of battle. The wages of heaven are deeds. This perhaps makes the gods more godlike – more lofty, more dread, more inscrutable. They are timeless and do not know or fear death. Such beliefs may hold promise of a profounder thought, so that the Greeks could make philosophy, but the Germanic North created specially the hero. Though the word we use in English is Greek . . . . the notion we have of it is rather Germanic than Greek.
In Norse at any rate the gods are enmeshed within time; they are doomed to the agony of death – though (probably by a late addition) a rebirth glimmers faintly far ahead for some of them. Their battle is with the monsters and with the darkness. They fight along with men and gather heroes for the final battle. Already before euhemerism saved them by embalming them they dwindled in learned antiquarian fancy to their mighty ancestors of northern kings, they are in their very being but the enlarged shadows of great men and warriors cast upon the walls of the world. When Baldr is slain and goes to Hel, he cannot escape thence any more than mortal man. Loki is among the gods, it is true, and evil and lying and clever spirit, of whom many monsters come. But this is true of men, in whom both Grendel and the Dragon in their hatred, cruelty, malice and greed find part. But the gods of Asgard do not recognize kinship with Fenris the wolf anymore than men do with the Dragon.” (127-28)
He also had an extensive quote from another book that really got me in the gut. Viz:
“What is distinctively Northern in the myth of the Twilight of the Gods is the strength of its theory of life. It is this intensity of courage that distinguishes the Northern mythology (and Icelandic literature generally) from all others. The last word of the Northmen before their entry into the larger world of Southern culture; their last independent guess at the secret of the Universe, is the Twilight of the Gods. As far as it goes, and as a working theory, it is absolutely impregnable. It is the assertion of the individual freedom against all the terrors and temptations of the world. It is absolute resistance, perfect because without hope. The Northern gods have an exultant extravagance in their warfare which makes them more like Titans than Olympians; only they are on the right side, though it is not the side that wins. The winning side is Chaos and Unreason; but the gods, who are defeated, think that defeat no refutation.”
Id. quoting W. P. KER, THE DARK AGES 57-58 (1904).
I know I missed a lot of this book. But what I understood I found fascinating.
srchief's review against another edition
4.0
This is an academic text that focuses on Tolkien's lecture about Beowulf. This book along with "Monsters and Critics" is credited with being one of the best and possible the first in describing the way to perform critical analysis on literature. It is a little hard to follow but if you are interested in Beowulf and critical review than this is well worth the time required.
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