The Tale of Beowulf, sometime King of the Folk of the Weder-Geats. Translated by William Morris, A. J. Wyatt. 1898. Longmans. Zupitza's Transliteration of Beowulf. A photographic reproduction of the manuscript. Early English Text Society. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Chambers's Encyclopaedia. Beowulf, Notes on, by Thomas Arnold, M.A., 1898. Longmans, Green & Co. This contains a good map of the scenes alluded to in the poem. History of Early English Literature, by the Rev. Stopford Brooke. Epic and Romance, W. P. Ker. Ten Brink's English Literature. NOTES [1] See Arnold, p. 115. [2] See conclusion of Tess of the D'Urbervilles. [3] See Appendix II. [4] Not the hero of the poem. [5] Cp. with this the 'Passing of Arthur,' as related by Tennyson. The meaning is clear. Cp. also Appendix. [6] Not the hero of this poem. [7] The gables were decorated with horns of stags and other beasts of the chase. [8] See Appendix V., and chapters XXVIII, and XXIX. [9] Wyatt's translation of 'Ne his myne wisse.' [10] i.e. Beowulf. [11] Geats. The tribe to which Beowulf belonged. They inhabited southern Sweden between the Danes on the south and the Swedes on the north. See Appendix XI. [12] Literally, 'Then was the sea traversed at the end of the ocean.' [13] Frequent references are made to the device of the boar on shield and helmet; cp. p. 77, in description of Hnaef's funeral pyre. [14] The name of a reigning Danish dynasty. [15] For Scyld cp. Appendix II. [16] Hygelac, King of the Geats at the time, and uncle of Beowulf. [17] Weland--'the famous smith of Germanic legend,' says Wyatt--who also refers us to the Franks Casket in the British Museum. [18] Weird was a peculiarly English conception. It means Fate, or Destiny. Then Weird became a god or goddess--cp. 'The Seafarer,' an Old English poem in which we find 'Weird is stronger, the Lord is mightier than any man's thoughts.' [19] i.e. Wealtheow, Hrothgar's Queen, who was of this tribe. [20] Healfdene was the father of Hrothgar, King of the Danes. [21] i.e. Beowulf. [22] Thus we see how sagas or legends came to be woven together into a song. See Appendix X. [23] Heremod was a King of the Danes, and is introduced, says Wyatt, as a stock example of a bad King. [24] Wyatt's translation. [25] Byrny was a coat of mail. Swords were of greater value as they were ancient heirlooms, and had done good service. [26] See Appendix VI. [27] i.e. Hildeburh, wife of Finn. [28] i.e. Finn. [29] The boar then, as ever since, occupied a prominent place in heraldry. [30] See a similar passage in my version of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Canto II. 1 and 2. [31] Hrothulf, nephew of Hrothgar. [32] See Appendix III. [33] See Appendix IV. [34] Wyatt's translation. [35] That is, 'the harp.' [36] Rune--literally, 'a secret.' [37] Cp. the phrase 'Welsh marches,' i.e. the boundaries or limits of Wales. [38] Cp. description of hunting in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Canto III. 2.