Voluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf, The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Give some examples from these texts that support your identification (for example: "Voluspa is an example of the _____ genre, as the following references to gods from the poem illustrate: "Hear my words / you holy gods' (l.1) "By Odin's Will I'll speak the ancient lore" (l.3), etc).
2. What are some possible features of residual (or "secondary") orality preserved in Voluspa, according to the criteria Ong (1982) advances?
3. Identify a central incident that happens in at least four of the above texts, and discuss how it is both similar and different in each example (remember to site from the original texts).
4. How did Tolkien draw on the Old Norse and Old English texts in his Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fantasy novels? Provide some concrete examples.
5. Discuss how Tolkien's use of "tradition" (e.g. older literary sources) differs from the techniques and agendas of modernism (see Week 7 in your Reader).
6. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
7. How does the film Beowulf and Grendel "problematise" the hero-myth of Beowulf ?
8. Discuss what you think any of these texts desire (in the sense of their intention, how they wish to be received, what pleasures they offer).
1. What genres do the following texts belong to?
ReplyDeleteVoluspa, Volsunga Saga, Beowulf.
6. What place do the old myths have in the modern world?
Voluspa.
This text comes off as a Mythological Poem or Song. It is mythological because it is pertaining to the gods. "Hear my words / you holy gods" (L.1) By mentioning the gods, it is clear that the Volva is conversing with the gods; thus deeming this an Oral text. This is reinforced by the seeress stating; "By Odin's Will I'll speak the ancient lore" (L.3)
If a story is good, then it will still be a good story to tell. So as far as it is worth telling, it will have place in the modern world.
However, Paul (2012) says that myth is desirable to humans to explain what we don't know, such as our origin and creation stories, and until we are absolutely sure why we're here then myth will always have a place.
Also, adaptations of myth also provide medium for entertainment. Such as many of Amon Amarth's musical works, for example; 'Twilight of the Thundergod' which tells the tale of Thor rising to meet Jormungandr in battle and dying.
"Mighty Thor grips the snake
firmly by its tongue
lifts his hammer high to strike
soon his work is done
Vingtor sends the giant snake
bleeding to the depth
Twilight of the Thundergod
Ragnarok awaits."
Also, an album from the same band, 'Surtur Rising', is a concept album that tells many stories that are present in the Voluspa, such as; The Aesir-Vanir war; "I ween the first war / in the world was this." (S.21)
The rising of Surtur; "Comes Surt from the South / with the singer-of-twigs, / The war god's sword like a sun doth shine;" (S.51) These are present in Amon Amarth's discography with the names "War of the gods" and "Destroyer of the Universe" Respectively.
Volsunga Saga.
The Volsunga is a fornaldarsaga, or Legendary saga. Fornaldarsagas are "Medieval Icelandic sagas as opposed to the more realistic genre." (Nationalencyklopedin (N.D))
It is possibly not considered realistic due to the presence of Odin throughout the saga. An example of this is; "there came to him an old man with a long beard," as Odin is often depicted as a travelling old man with a beard.
Also, the presence of a dragon would likely make it less realistic.
The Volsunga has a place in the modern world, because it has paved the way for great literally works such as "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." also Richard Wagners "Der Ring des Nibelungen."
As I stated earlier, if the story is good, then it will still be a good story to tell.
Alternatively, the Castle Neuschwanstein was built based off Richward Wagners operas. "In the Lower hall of the castle there are paintings and illustrations of the Sigurd Saga from the old Norse saga "Edda."" ("Neuschwanstein" N.D)
References;
Paul. (2012, May 2). Myth and the Modern World.
Retrieved from http://twooldliberals.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/myth-and-the-modern-world/
Amon Amarth. (2008). Twilight of the Thunder God. Twilight of the Thunder god. Retrieved from http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/amonamarth/twilightofthethundergod.html#1
Amon Amarth (2011). Surtur Rising. Retrieved From http://www.darklyrics.com/lyrics/amonamarth/surturrising.html#1
Nationalencyklopedin. (n.d.) Fornaldarsaga.
Retrieved from http://www.ne.se/fornaldarsagor?i_h_word=Fornaldarsaga
Nueschwanstein. (n.d.) Idea and history. Sagas: Sigurd.
Retrieved from http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisch/idea/sagas/sigurd.htm
Poetic Edda: Voluspa. (L. M. Hollander, translation.) Austin: University of Texas Press.
Hey James,
DeleteI like what said, "If a story is good, then it will still be a good story to tell. So as far as it is worth telling, it will have place in the modern world.", to good to be true.
So many stories continue through and even become movies, such as The Hobbit and Thor. Great stories which were written so long ago.
Its amazing how this has been told since 700-800s: "Thor, as Donar, was very popular among the Germanic people, is mentioned in a Saxon vow from the 700s or 800s. In the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, Thor, the thunderer, is the son of Odin and the giantess Jörd (Jord, the Earth). He is described as the strongest of gods and men. In very many places Thor was the favourite god, and not Odin. Many surviving depictions of Thor and his exploits have survived."
Ref: http://oaks.nvg.org/thor.html
And here is something that supports your theory on 'why mythology and fantasy exists', for those to have an idea where we came from, i.e creation, "Some old stories tell about how things began. There is a lot of mighty fancy in some of those stories. And because many old tales changed in being told from one generation to another, there may be very different accounts around on how the world began, just as fancy would have it."
Ref: http://oaks.nvg.org/thor.html
Allan
Voluspa
ReplyDeleteWhat Genre?
The genre of Volva is a Mythical song designed for a wide audience of people varying from young to old which can understand and relate to the authors past and history as the following references to gods from the poem illustrate: "Hear my words / you holy gods' (l.1) "By Odin's Will I'll speak the ancient lore" (l.3), etc). The “Hear my words”, illustrates this as being spoken by word of mouth making it oral thus deeming it to be a Song with characters that do not exist, which makes it a Mythical Song.
How does the Author/singer captivate the listener?
Reading the first paragraph of this song, the character not only orders the listener to "hear my words", he also has the use of rhymes to attract the listener, "I'll speak the ancient 'LORE', the oldest of 'ALL' that I remember" (Literature and Desire: critical reader, pg. 2, l.3). Having captivated the listener, the character goes on the share their past and highlight what they used to be known as, "their kin" (Literature and Desire: critical reader, p.g 2, l.6).
Having described themselves as "one of their kin" (Literature and Desire: critical reader, p.g 2), It's obvious that the character had descended from an ancestry line of Giants or Gods. This imagery is powerful, because now the author has not only captivated the listener by rhymes, but also imagery.
With this the author then moves on to a descriptive explanation of what the earth looked like:
"Nothing was there when time began,
neither sands nor seas nor cooling waves.
Earth was not yet, nor the high heavens,
but a gaping emptiness nowhere green."(Literature and Desire: critical reader, p.g 2, l.9-12)
Now that the listener (me and you) has an understanding by being captivated, the author moves on to the punch, the whole point of the song [correct me if I'm wrong?], Midgard finally being created.
"Then Bur's sons lifted up the land
and made Midgard, men's fair dwelling;
the sun shone out of the south,
and bright grass grew from the ground of stone."(Literature and Desire: critical reader, p.g 2, l.13-16)
Volsunga Saga
ReplyDeleteWhat Genre?
Volsunga Saga is a Saga. An epic saga myth, which is "a medieval Icelandic or Norse prose narrative of achievements and events in the history of apersonage, family, etc." In other words, it is a mythical tale about a hero.
Ref:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/saga
"Now crept the worm down to his place of watering, and the earth shook all about him, and he snorted forth venom on all the way before him as he went; but Sigurd neither trembled nor was adrad at the roaring of him."
This is mythic because worms of such are not which modern people see or know of its existance and thereof being a saga, Sigurd shows extreme passion for what he does with no fair at all. "Sigurd neither trembled nor was adrad at the roaring of him".
Ref:
Extract Morris, W. & Magnussun, E. (Trans.). (1888). The Story of the Volsungs (Volsunga Saga). London: Walter Scott Press, pp. 58-62)
How do we see this in today's modern world?Not everyone has time to read books, especially long sagas. But we have time to watch 2-3 hour movie. The Hobbit is this. In the Hobbit we have a modern version of a mythical book played before us in an animated screening. This pulls us into the movie and allows us to experience it almost first hand having seen the characters, hearing the dialog and watching the story unfold. Through generations, Drawings and Oral stories turned to Literature then to show plays and now as we know it, animated movies. Though books still exist of course, but as generation evolves, so does story telling.
"Human beings have been telling stories since they first learned to speak. And even before we could speak, we managed to tell stories by drawing and painting pictures on the walls of the caves we lived in.
Once upon a time, long, long ago, before even your teachers were born, there lived some really great storytellers. Their stories have been passed down, retold, translated, adapted and, more recently, written down, because everyone loves a good story! Do some of your favourites include haunting and murder, treasure and battle, wicked deeds and heroic actions? These stories probably include legends, myths and folktales."
Ref:
http://myths.e2bn.org/about/info272-what-are-myths-legends-and-folktales.html
Is this similar in any way to another story?
The Volsunga Saga is very much similar to the slaying of the dragon in the Hobbit. The Hobbit shares strikingly similar aspects which include the worm (dragon), the slaying (worm crept over the pits) and the deadly blood which lands on the shoulder of Sigurd.
Beowulf
ReplyDeleteWhat genre?
Beowulf is an Epic Poem. This Epic Poem narrates the story of a hero as from the text, “He ruled it well for fifty winters grew old and wise as warden of the land”
Ref:
(Literature and Desire: critical reader, pg. 5).
Why are contemporary translations important?
Understanding Beowulf would mean that we could read it in modern language, English. Contemporary translations of the Anglo-Saxon epic has allowed us readers to dive into this poem and know exactly what the story is about, if it had been in the language it was first written in, we wouldn't desire it as so.
Original version of Beowulf:
"Now Beowulf bode in the burg of the Scyldings,
leader beloved, and long he ruled
in fame with all folk, since his father had gone
away from the world, till awoke an heir,
haughty Healfdene, who held through life,
sage and sturdy, the Scyldings glad.
Then, one after one, there woke to him,
to the chieftain of clansmen, children four:
Heorogar, then Hrothgar, then Halga brave;
and I heard that—was—’s queen,
the Heathoscylfing’s helpmate dear."
Ref:
SparkNote. (N.D.). No Fear Literature. Retrieved from: http://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/beowulf/chapter-1/, on 15th March 2013.
Contemporary version:
"Beowulf became the ruler of the Spear-Danes and was beloved by all. He had an heir, the great Halfdane, whose wisdom and sturdiness guided and protected the people. Halfdane had three sons-Heorogar, Hrothgar, and Halga-and a daughter, who married Onela and became queen of the Swedes"
Ref: SparkNote. (N.D.). No Fear Literature. Retrieved from: http://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/beowulf/chapter-1/, on 15th March 2013.
After comparing the two versions we can see that contemporary translations hold firm values for today's readers for the modern English readers.
What are the contemporary values?
A contemporary value is a something in which we value today. Today we, English speakers value contemporary English. This makes it easier for us to read and understand like I highlighted in my last question. If we read Beowulf in its original form, we wouldn't value the story and would dismiss it due to not being about to understand it.
A quick write up on Orality and Literacy
What is writing?
"Writing, he noted, has simultaneously 'usefulness, shortcomings and dangers', still he thought of writing as a kind of complement to oral speech, not as a transformer of verbalization"
Ref:
(Literature and Desire: critical reader, p.g 15[top right number of course book])
Writing in ways is powerful, just reading a part from Volva's song,
"I'll speak the ancient 'LORE', the oldest of 'ALL' that I remember", is strong, for example:
Ref:
(Literature and Desire: critical reader, p.g 2)
"Some non-oral communication is exceedingly rich - gesture, for example. Yet in a deep sense language, articulated sound, is paramount."
Ref:
(Literature and Desire: critical reader, p.g 16[top right number of course book])
Language exist within every culture, it is natural for Humans to have a vocal point of communication. But what is astonishing, only 78 of the 3000 languages spoken today have literacy.
Ref:
(Literature and Desire: critical reader, p.g 16[top right number of course book])
"Wherever human beings exist they have a language, and in every instance a language that exist basically as spoken and heard, in the world of sound."
Ref:
(Literature and Desire: critical reader, p.g 16[top right number of course book])
References:
Terry, P. (trans). (1990, 1966). Poems of the Elder Edda. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press
Extract: Heaney, S. (Trans). (1999). Beowulf: a new translation. London: Penguin,pp 70-80.
The Hobbit
ReplyDeleteWhat Genre?
The Hobbit is made up of many Genre's if we had to list them it would look like this:
Fiction, Adventure novel, Speculative fiction, Juvenile fantasy, Fantasy and Children's literature.
To Narrow it down, A Fictional Novel Fantasy for Kids.
This is a Fiction because Tolkien created this world himself. He began by making a map in which did not exist. In this map he included scenery then characters, then a story. All of which was fantasy, mythical as such, because it involved dwarves, goblins and dragons which do not exist.
Is Fantasy a genre for Children?
Children fantasize worlds that are unlike reality, its what they do best. To actualize this or to come close to a child would endeavor to seek something out of this world, such as books that place you into a scene which involve characters that do not exist. The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien, Illustrated by Michael Hague is a great read as it contains minimal details and isn't as violent for a child to read.
But depending on the rating of the Fantasy, with explicit details, uncensored, it would not be a fantasy for a child. It'll come down to the rating rather.
Define Genre:
"A genre is a category of literature which is defined by the pattern or structure of a literary work. Each genre contains universal elements of form and content. However, books belonging to a particular genre share the same characteristics of plot, tone, mood, settings, characters and themes. There may be several sub-genres within each genre. These literary elements are the same for both children's and young adult literature."
Ref: http://dordt.libguides.com/content.php?pid=87860&sid=1245492
Fantasy Genre:
Fantasy
Stories set in places that do not exist, about people and creatures that could not exist or events that could not happen. Make-believe and imaginative worlds.
Ref: http://dordt.libguides.com/content.php?pid=87860&sid=1245492
Do Ancient Literary forms have use today?
If in original text that hasn't been translated, instead, a museum piece, yes. The Hobbit for example would be a Historical artifact if its original state were untouched. Translators would be able to look at the oringinal text and compare it to today's modern use of English. For those who maybe curious as to what they're reading is in fact accurate, an Ancient form of Literary would be in need.
"In unfolding the past, fantasies and stories can sometimes say more about what-really-happened than the "historical" records which have been preserved."
Ref: http://www.usu.edu/markdamen/1320Hist&Civ/chapters/03EPIC.htm
Even artifacts that have engravings, worded rock carvings etc, these Ancient Literary forms are a time stamp in history which help us piece together events which shaped our world.
Issues surrounding Fantasy:
ReplyDeleteDo ancient literary forms, such as epic, have any use today? I think that ancient forms of literature still have use in terms of inspiring writers for ideas in creating stories aswell as for producing screenplays , even today through Greek and Roman Mythology do we see comparisons made from films and shows such as Sparticus , the Immortals and Wrath of the Titans etc. An example of an ancient literary text that I would hope be made into a movie would be the Aenied. I think the themes and Heroic nature of the stories can be seen in many texts and films today. Examples would be Piety that displays humility in a particular character or the complete opposite which would be that also taken from Virgils Aenied , this being furor; which means violent madness. Fantasy is not only for historic interest . I support this from a extract taken from an article written by Gloriana St. Clair, Tolkien's Cauldron: Northern Literature and The Lord of the Rings. “I have read and reread Tolkien’s works and have worked with the texts closely at hand. My approach has not been that of a fan, although I do have a great love for his work, but that of a scholar of medieval literature.Yet, fans, rather than scholars, still write most of the books and articles onTolkien. Many of these have some good ideas and insights but few reflect acareful knowledge of either Tolkien’s work or of medieval literature. Ruth S,Noel’s The Mythology of Middle-earth is one such work. If Tolkien had not been popular, he would now be given more serious consideration. When scholars do come to write about Tolkien’s work, they frequently talk about what he did not accomplish rather than what he intended and produced.This book concentrates on placing Tolkien in a tradition of Northern literature.”( Claire, 2000) .This extract shows that work produced by Tolkien still has a place amongst Scholars who seem to critique his work for what it didn’t do.
Is fantasy a genre for children? Although the ideas of fantasy could appeal to many at a young age, examples being romance between a Knight and a Woman or Dragons fighting against dwarves , there are cases where fantasy isn’t for children. If knowing that the Hobbit and Game of Thrones are of the same genre it can be noted that the level of Violence is different, there is more treachery in Game of Thrones and that’s the most modest part. The violence is that of a different nature in a way that seems more life like compared to goblins and beasts . If surely not for the violence than the sex scenes would most likely prove that the fantasy genre isn’t always aimed at children. George R.R Martin is not shy when it comes to incest and homosexuality along with raunchy sex scenes in written texts aswell as the HBO series. Although fantasy has the idea of taking you away from reality , and although the Hobbit was aimed at children in one way or another, fantasy may not be a genre for children. This is supported by Kieran Egan; “The range of distorted beliefs people hold may not all derive from fantasy stories, of course, but some of the greatest educational thinkers, such as Plato, Rousseau, Montessori, and others, have been implacable foes of fantasy for children because they concluded that it certainly contributes to falsehood and confusion in profound ways.”
There is something I found really interesting about these four texts, Voluspa, Volsunga, Beowulf and The Hobbit. Each story has a hero overcoming a dragon / beast.
ReplyDeleteThis is relative to the story archetype of "Overcoming the monster". "In the stories, this is where the hero must destroy the monster to restore balance to the world." (Walker, 2011)
In Voluspa, Thor kills the serpent, Jormungand. In Volsunga, Sigurd slays the dragon, Fafnir. In Beowulf, he kills the beasts, Grendel and Grendel's mother as well as a dragon. In the Hobbit, Bard defeats the dragon, Smaug.
An interesting note is that all the "monsters" are dragons of some sort with all the texts written from a western perspective.
"In Western culture, the dragon represents evil and darkness. Unlike the celestial image of the Eastern dragon, the Western dragon has sharp teeth and strong legs. It is said to bring harm, suffering, and fear to human beings." (Epoch Times Staff, 2012)
All the dragons portrayed in the text terrorize the humans/gods. They were vicious and struck fear into man.
On the other hand, the Eastern portrayal of dragons is completely different. "The Eastern dragon is portrayed as an auspicious creature with magical power that coexists in heaven with gods. When Buddhists or Taoists achieve perfection, they ascend to heaven by riding an Eastern dragon." (Epoch Times Staff, 2012)
The Eastern dragons are lucky, benevolent and are not seen as evil at all.
This was interesting to me to help me understand the the differences in culture. Dragons are mythical beings in both cultures, yet, are portrayed differently.
References
Walker, T. (2011). The 7 Story Archetypes, and How They Can Dramatically Improve Your Marketing. Retrieved from http://socialmediatoday.com/tommyismyname/383348/7-story-archetypes-and-how-they-can-dramatically-improve-your-marketing
Epoch Times Staff. (2012). Eastern Dragons Differ From Western Dragons. Retrieved from http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china-news/eastern-dragons-differ-from-western-dragons-178578.html
There are a lot of references to the Old Norse myths. Firstly, one of the most obvious is Gandalf. Appearing in Voluspa, Gandalf means, ‘wand elf’ or ‘magic elf’. There have been comparisons of Gandalf to the Nordic God Odin, due to his righteous nature and continual quest for justice. His sword that was taken from troll, as well as Thorin’s sword had their own names, Glamdring and Orcist. Great swards that have mythic lineages and heroic names are characteristically present in heroic epics, such as Excaliber, from the King Arthur legends. The possession of a named sword is a symbol of heroism and powers in battle and for this reason, it is significant that Bilbo’s sword was not named when he first possessed it.
ReplyDeleteThe dwarves ‘one by one approach to the troll camp’ subtly alludes to the sequential narratives of children’s fables like ‘The three Billy Goats Gruff’, which also features a group of dwarves ‘one by one’ confrontations with a troll. Another influence Tolkien took was from his own life, such as giving the trolls a cockney accent, the dialect of lower class Londoners: “Mutton yesterday, mutton today, and blimey, if it don’t look like mutton again tomorrow.”
Do myths have a place in today’s world? Of course they do! Just look at the figures the Lord of the Ring’s Trilogy pulled up, $3,964,981,944. There will always be place for myths, it’s the execution that changes. From oral performances to big blockbuster movies, the world adapts its stories to appeal to the current demographic. Look at Thor for example. From the Old Nordic myths written in books, to classical paintings, to marvel creating a whole comic book series, to cartoons and finally to films, it is obvious that myths will always intrigue and entertain our society.