Beowulf - Significance of Scyld Scefing
Scyld Scefing often deprived his enemies, many tribes of men, of their mead-benches. He terrified his foes; yet he, as a boy, had been found a waif; fate made amends for that. He prospered under heaven, won praise and honor, until the men of every neighboring tribe, across the whale's way, were obliged to obey him and pay him tribute. He was a noble king! (BEO 4-11).At first glance to any reader, the above passage that opens Beowulf may seem perplexing. Why is this poet rambling about some other great ruler? In fact, another 50 or so lines are dedicated to this Scefing character. Wasn't this poem titled Beowulf? It appears that the poet of Beowulf is rambling, ranting unrelated events and apparently digressing from the main topic. However, even though no concrete conclusions or links are presented between Scefing and Beowulf, the reader learns soon enough that the seemingly digressive poet had in truth, slyly and with all intention inserted some indirect indications in the tale of Scefing. As the poem reaches its finale, the reader recognizes in an epiphany the sophisticated construction employed by the poet in the weaving of Scefing as foreshadowing of Beowulf.
The main relevance of these interjected stories is beheld in the poet's ironic technique of mining these digressions in a precise and unswerving manner to contribute to the bigger picture. In addition to being an accurate omen, the tale of Scefing is integral to the setup of an atmosphere of doom. The reader gets a gut feeling from the beginning that somehow, Scefing is not simply embedded accidentally. Yet at the same time, the apparently arbitrary abstract manner in which the story Scefing is inserted seems to whisper, "just ignore me, I'm nothing, just a small digression." ntially Beowulf himself. It is stated that Scefing is a warrior, a conqueror, gifted the spoils of his enemies as he defeated them. Beowulf was interested in the spoils and trophies of war in a similar fashion, always mindful to bring a piece or two of any recently dominated monsters back with him for display purposes. In addition, the poet mentions the pure prosperity, praise, and honor of Scefing; and in parallel form, the reader is exposed to the wealth, recognition, and reverence for the hero Beowulf. From the double victories over Grendel and his mother to the final battle against the dragon, Beowulf retains h
Some common words found in the essay are:
Scefing Beowulf, Scyld Scefing, scefing beowulf, scyld scefing, poet beowulf, lines poem, tale scefing, noble king, praise honor,
Approximate Word count = 805
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
