The Old English epic of Beowulf is characterised by several supernatural events in which the hero performs wondrous deeds. The most outstanding ability of the Prince of the Geats is to be able to fight dreadful beings such as sea-monsters, Grendel and its mother, and a dragon. Those prodigious contests give form to some of the main manifestations of the marvellous throughout the poem. The present study analyses the lexical incidence of recurring key-words such as “wundor” (‘astonishing thing’), “wrætlic” (‘splendid’, ‘wonder-inspiring’), and “sellic” (‘wonderful’, ‘strange’). It also aims at providing support to reading Beowulf merely as a hero with unusual strength, not as a good monster amid bad monsters.

(2021). «Wunder æfter wundre»: Recounting the Marvellous in "Beowulf" [journal article - articolo]. In AOQU. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10446/189058

«Wunder æfter wundre»: Recounting the Marvellous in "Beowulf"

Cocco, Gabriele
2021-01-01

Abstract

The Old English epic of Beowulf is characterised by several supernatural events in which the hero performs wondrous deeds. The most outstanding ability of the Prince of the Geats is to be able to fight dreadful beings such as sea-monsters, Grendel and its mother, and a dragon. Those prodigious contests give form to some of the main manifestations of the marvellous throughout the poem. The present study analyses the lexical incidence of recurring key-words such as “wundor” (‘astonishing thing’), “wrætlic” (‘splendid’, ‘wonder-inspiring’), and “sellic” (‘wonderful’, ‘strange’). It also aims at providing support to reading Beowulf merely as a hero with unusual strength, not as a good monster amid bad monsters.
articolo
2021
Cocco, Gabriele
(2021). «Wunder æfter wundre»: Recounting the Marvellous in "Beowulf" [journal article - articolo]. In AOQU. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10446/189058
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10446/189058
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