2018/10/16 by Erin Sebo · 3 citations
Arts and Humanities · Mathematics · #Art #Character (mathematics) #Epistemology #Function (biology) #History #Linguistics #Literature #Mathematics #Meaning (existential) #Medieval Literature and History #Philosophy #Poetry #Space (punctuation) #Word (group theory)
paper · doi:10.1080/0013838x.2018.1516016
published in English Studies 99(8), 836-847 (Routledge)
openalex publication_date 2018/10/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2025/11/06
In this article, I will reconsider the function and meaning of three connected instances of the word fyren, 879a, 915b, and 1744b. Each occurs in a passage in which a character offers Beowulf advice by comparing him to either Sigemund or Heremod. In each case, the passage establishes a highly complex network of allusions which illuminates Beowulf’s present and his future. In each, I argue, it is possible to read fyren as a pun which foreshadows his fiery end. Intriguingly, the advice offered to Beowulf proves irrelevant, as the foreshadowing indicates. So, why is so much space dedicated to it? I suggest the answer to the question has a profound bearing on how we read the significance of the poem’s tragic ending.