[20] Still, Finn may not have been a primary belligerent, only responsible in the capacity of a figurehead; and the picture is made more complex by the role of the eotena (see below). The fragment survives only in a faulty transcription made and printed by George Hickes in 1705. This is striking because 'giants' certainly do not disappear from the poem at this point […]. Edited, corrected, and enlarged, by James A. Harrison and Robert Sharp. Two of his men, Sigeferth and Eaha go to one door (Door A), and another two of his men Ordlaf and Guthlaf go to another door (Door B) of the great hall in which they were trapped at Finnsburg. It also mentions a Sæferð or Sasferth who can be identified with one of Hnæf's men, Sigeferth. The dissatisfaction with the first theory, of the Eotan or Jutes, can be perceived along two axes: morphological and semantic. But awake now, my warriors!take up your shields, think of valorfight in the vanguard, and be resolute! THE ATTACK ON FINNSBURG. IN contrast to the remoteness, the detached and moralizing method, of the poet of the Beowulf, the singer of Finnsburg comes to close quarters with his theme, and treats it in nervous, direct, dramatic fashion. Tolkien ultimately argues that the story is historical, rather than legendary, in character. Grendel continues to attack the Hall every night for twelve years, killing its inhabitants and making this … In these texts, Hengest is a Danish warrior who takes control of the Danish forces after the prince Hnæf is killed, and succeeds in killing the Frisian lord Finn in revenge for his lord's death.. Images of the Beowulf MS are reproduced by kind permission of the British Library Board (who retain copyright) All other material on this site a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence, This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The Battle of Finnsburgh. The " Finnes­burg Fragment " (also " Finns­burh Fragment ") is a por­tion of an Old Eng­lish heroic poem about a fight in which Hnæf and his 60 re­tain­ers are be­sieged at "Finn's fort" and at­tempt to hold off their at­tack­ers. If the identification between the characters holds, moreover, then the son of Hildeburh and nephew of Hnæf who dies in the battle is probably therefore the son of Finn; he may even have been heir to the Frisian kingdom. Uniquely in the surviving Old English corpus, the fragment contains no Christian references, and the burning of Hnæf is clearly pagan. 191–204. This manuscript was almost certainly Lambeth Library MS 487. Though the identification of Hnæf and Finn being brothers-in-law makes the situation much clearer, it shifts the emphasis of explanation onto the reason behind the subsequent battle. Fulk, R.D. Due to the fragmentary and allusive condition of the sources, however, the story is difficult to reconstruct. The fact that the two sides did not fight to the death may indicate that Finn felt some remorse for the rules of hospitality having been broken against his brother-in-law Hnæf and his men. More or less covering lines 1071a-1159a (not counting the introductory verses), the Finnsburg digression comprises the longest and most intensively studied episode in Beowulf. The Battle of Finnesburh [fragment] diacritically-marked text and facing translation. ... Finn and Hengest are two Anglo-Saxon heroes appearing in the Old English epic poem Beowulf and in the fragment of "The Fight at Finnsburg". Seiichi Suzuki points out that the Beowulf poet implies twice that Finn was to blame and was blamed. After one of Beowulf's victories, a scop or court-poet narrates an old tale to the assembled guests. This is also true of Hengest. Described only in later Anglo-Saxon poetry, if the conflict had an historical basis it most likely occurred around 450 AD.[2]. [5] The Beowulf poet, however, makes his scop give the account in an extremely compact and allusive way. With text and glossary on the basis of M. Heyne. The Finnsburg Fragment is short, at around 50 lines long, and almost entirely lacking in internal context. [22] The defenders are also to be given half of a new building,[23] which, confusingly they are to share with Finn and the eotena sons (see below),[24] and also to be given feasts and treasure by Finn. Eventually a man described as the son of Hunlaf, but given no more specific name or description, places a sword on the lap of Hengest. The narrative continues in Beowulf after the battle has ended; immediately Hnæf and his nephew are said to have been slain. Discharging Hengest", Diacritically-Marked Text of The Battle at Finnesburh, Understanding The Battle at Finnesburgh through stick figures, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Finnsburg&oldid=1017874115, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, At the beginning of the episode, Hildeburh is said to have "had no need to praise" the, When a hall is cleared out for Hengest and his men to inhabit as part of the peace treaty terms, he is to share it with Folcwalda's son (Finn), and the, This page was last edited on 15 April 2021, at 02:18. Hengest is also a character in the Fight at Finnsburg narrative mentioned in the Finnsburg Fragment and the Beowulf poem. This means that Hnæf was probably staying as an invited guest of Finn at his home, Finnsburg (English: fortified stronghold of Finn), in Frisia, with Hildeburh connecting the two factions together: She was clearly a Danish (or at least 'half-Danish') princess, who had married Finn, prince of the Frisians, doubtless a political move to secure peace between Danes and Frisians. (Tolkien's posthumously-published "Finn and Hengest," edited by Alan Bliss, brings together the fragment and the related digresssion in "Beowulf," with even more detailed commentary, and, in my opinion, a very plausible interpretation.) The classic style of Anglo Saxon poetry is fully explained. Stanley (291 – 97) doubts that the Finnsburg fragment is a lay, but Reichl (73 – 100) presents convincing comparative evidence that it should indeed be regarded as such. There the Finnsburg Fragment ends. The Finnsburg Fragment, Line 14: Language and Legend. The fragment begins with Hnæf's observation that what he sees outside "is not the dawn in the East, nor is it the flight of a dragon, nor are the gables burning". In a more cautious appraisal Fry summarises that "Whoever the eoten- are, they are probably not Danes and not subject to Hengest."[37]. This is one of … The sword, a hildeleoma (English: battle-light) which may either be the name of the sword or a description of it, is said to be renowned to the eotenum (see eotena below). The episode is allusive and is clearly intended for an audience that already knows the story. "[25] Hengest, and some retainers, stayed however with Finn over the winter; it is not clear why they do so. Articles needing page number citations from September 2015, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, http://books.google.com/books?id=qKk2qvtLM-8C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Finnesburg_Fragment?oldid=4968173. The poet's song of Finn occurs immediately Beowulf has slain Grendel, the eotan who has been tormenting the Danes[36], Understanding whether the references are to Jutes or giants has a large bearing on the presented social dynamic of the battle. The Appeal of Beowulf; Map 1: A Geography of Beowulf / Beowulf in Translation / Commentary on Beowulf / Map 2: Rivers, Lakes & Seas in and around Sweden / The Fight At Finnsburg (The Finnsburg Fragment / "The Fight at Finnsburg" / Commentary on "Finnsburg" / Widsith / Intro to "Widsith" / "Widsith" / Commentary on "Widsith" / Deor / Intro to "Deor" / "Deor" / Commentary on "Deor" / Caedmon's Hymn / … It describes a battle in which Hnæf (lines 2 and 40), elsewhere known as a Danish prince (see below), is attacked at a place called Finnsburuh "Finn's stronghold" (line 36). The concessions by Finn may reflect his remorse at the events, or it may have been seen as a suitable weregild for the defenders not avenging the killing of Hnæf. Vickrey's point about eotenum refers to line 1145, where the dative plural eotenum is used. [17] Tolkien suggested that Hildeburh's son was raised by Hnæf, and was being brought back to Finn at his coming of age; even that Hildeburh's son was one of the party besieged with Hnæf inside the great hall. The Beowulf poet describes how Finn stuck to his oath by giving treasure. Sigeferth can be identified as “Sæferð” in Widsith, l. 31. The Beowulf poet seems to allude to Finn's sincerity about the peace treaty when he says that Finn swore oaths to Hengest "with unfeigned zeal".[21]. Tolkien argues that Finnsburuh is most likely an error by either Hickes or his printer, since that construction appears nowhere else, and the word should be Finnesburh. Hengest follows Ordlaf/Oslaf and Guthlaf to Door B. Though the peace treaty has not yet been mentioned by the narrator at that point in the text, this good faith may refer to the very submissive terms of the peace treaty. Then one of the defenders is wounded, and Hnæf asks the unnamed wounded defender how the other men are coping. ed. Eventually a figure referred to as the son of Hunlaf places a sword on Hengest's lap to remind him of his loyalties. From the first glance we see many differences between the Finn Episode in Beowulf and the Finnsburg Fragment. "The Role of Women in Anglo-Saxon Culture: Hildeburh in, Camargo, Martin (1981). "Six Cruces in the Finnsburg Fragment and Episode". The dative plural for Jutes would be eotum,[34] whereas eotenum is the correct dative plural for the sense of giants; despite this, the word in this line is still often translated "Jutes" in accordance with the first theory. the Fight at Finnsburh, a Fragment: With Text and Glossary on the Basis of M. Heyne; Edited, Corrected, and Enlarged (Classic Reprint) Published January 21st 2019 by Forgotten Books Paperback, 394 pages (1983). Later most of the warriors go home, "to seek their native lands, / bereft of friends, to behold Frisia, / their homes and high fortresses. He then loots the hall and takes Hildeburh back "to her people".[6]. The peace treaty must have been reasonable to both commanders as the best way out of the stalemate. If so, this would indicate that it was not only Finn who swore the oath of peace "with unfeigned zeal" to Hengest, but that the eoten- force had good faith too. Beowulf has mortally wounded Grendel. [9] It is short and about a battle, but the two fragments of the battle-poem Waldere manage to be explicitly Christian in hardly more space. [5] She mourned for the loss of her brother, Hnæf, whose funeral pyre was shared by the son of herself and Finn. II. [19] Hengest is now the commander of the defenders. "[8] This gives the motivation for the attackers to enter into a peace bargain, but not for the motivation of the defenders. Beowulf and the Finnsburg Fragment have the story of the battle. [6] The circumstances are obscure, but Hnæf's men are to stay in Finnesburgh, at least for the winter, and the Frisians are not to taunt them for following the slayer of their lord. Since the unnamed Frisian queen in Beowulf is probably said to be of the Danish people, it seems very likely that Hildeburh is this Frisian queen. For reasons unknown, a battle broke out between the two parties, probably started by the Frisian side,[3] and Hnæf was killed. [31] As three Beowulf editors wrote in 2008: The terms for Frisians and Jutes seem to be used interchangeably in the Episode (see Beo 1088 and 1093), but it is impossible to be certain, given the fragmentary and allusive nature of the evidence, and the alternate ways of construing the term eotenas that has been thought to designate the Jutes. Or were they just beholding Frisia on their way back home? Most of the context must instead be derived from the parallel episode in Beowulf, which describes events that take place mainly after the action narrated in the Finnsburg Fragment.[5]. He is a leader and instigates much of the action seen in the piece. The Danes take the unnamed Frisian queen back to what appear to be her own people in Denmark,[10] identifying the Frisian queen as probably Danish. In places, I have simplified things (glossing over, for instance, the matter of the Jutes who appear to be fighting on both sides of the conflict or may actually not be Jutes, but giants – the words “eotan” [Jutes] and “eoten” [giant] are easily confused! To judge by Beowulf, this is apparently the hall of his brother-in-law Finn, ruler of the Frisians, where he has come to spend the winter (see below). The scholar J. R. R. Tolkien made a study of the surviving texts in an attempt to reconstruct what may have been the original story behind the Finnesburg Fragment and Beowulf's "Finnesburg Episode". Not only were the peace terms probably offered by the Frisians to the Danes, but the Frisians were very submissive in the deal. Because of the fragmentary state of the manuscript, the action starts in medias res. [8] Some view Hildeburh's marriage as one of obligation, not one of love; she was not tied so strongly to Finn or the Frisians. This tale narrates the events that follow after the story found in the Finnesburg Fragment. [1] This anthology also contained the first reference to the sole manuscript of Beowulf. [7] Both factions involved in the battle are said to have suffered heavy losses, but especially the þegnas (English: thanes or barons) of Finn. Schmucker !3 Some of the most disputed cruces in the Fragment display … The battle continues for five days, and none of the besieged defenders of Hnæf and his men are killed. Other Danes also return, and probably together they wreak havoc on the Frisians and slay king Finn. The scop's story of the Freswæle (English: Frisian slaughter) begins with Hildeburh, daughter of Hoc, lamenting the loss of her son and brother. Moreover, the incomplete story in the Fragment appears to be a version of the heroic tale told by Hrothgar's court poet in celebration of Beowulf's victory over Grendel at lines 1063-1160a of Beowulf, and there known as … Hengest is the character that “pledged” a “firm compact of peace” with the Frisians and killed Finn "in his own home". Most likely the antecedents are both of the actions described above, that Hengest and a returning faction of Danes banded together in force to slaughter Finn and the remnants of his forces, avenge Hnæf, pillage Finnsburg, and return to the Danish people with Hildeburh. For the Anglo-Saxon poem, see. [6] As with Hildeburh, his importance to the action in the Finn Episode makes his lack of mention in the Finnsburg Fragment all the more obvious. It describes a battle in which Hnæf (lines 2 and 40), elsewhere known as a Danish prince (see below), is attacked at a place called Finnsburuh "Finn's stronghold" (line 36). The surviving text is tantalisingly brief and allusive, but comparison with other references in Old English poetry, notably Beowulf (c. 1000 AD), suggests that it deals with a conflict between Danes and Frisians … The poem describes a historical event involving a battle between the Danish prince Hnaf and several of his warriors, and Finn, lord of the Frisians and of the manorhouse (or burh) where the battle took place.The events of the poem are also described in passing in Beowulf. Shelves: anglo-saxon-lit, medieval-literature, poetry. Grendel, being cursed as the descendant of the Biblical Cain, is "harrowed" by the sounds of singing that come every night from the mead-hall of Heorot built by King Hrothgar. The Anglo-Saxon poem fragment Widsith mentions a Finn who is referred to by the patronymic Folcwalding,[11] probably explaining the patronymic allusion in Beowulf to "Folcwald's son" as a reference to Finn. Williams argued of eoten that "it is not fact but only possibility that the scribe confused therewith the tribal name, or that this tribal name had a dative Éotenum. take up your shields, think of valor fight in the vanguard, and be resolute!— Liuzza (2000), Hnæf, Finnsburg Fragment, p.163 Olivieri suggests that probably "Hunlaf had died in the fight at the castle — the sword had been used with the Jutes — and his son asked for revenge. Where exactly the hall was, or even whether it was in Frisia, is not known. The Finnsburg Fragment is short, at around 50 lines long, and almost entirely lacking in internal context. The comic strip below, extending over 28 panels, represents one way of reading the Finnsburg Fragment and the Finnsburg episode in Beowulf. Hengest is a leader among Hnæf's surviving warriors. [8] Her importance to the storyline in the Finn Episode makes her absence from the Finnsburgh Fragment all the more obvious. To judge by Beowulf, this is apparently the hall of his brother-in-law Finn, ruler of the Frisians, where he has come to spend the winter (see below). The Battle of Finnsburg (or Finnsburh) was a conflict in the Germanic heroic age between Frisians with a possible Jutish contingent, and a primarily Danish party. The fragment is only about 50 lines long and does not specify the tribal identities of those involved. Interestingly, an extended description of the same story can be found in … Hnæf and his unnamed nephew, said also to be Hildeburh's son, are placed on a funeral pyre. The "óðer flet" with "healle ond héahsetl". They swore their pledges then on either side,a firm compact of peace. It seems likely that there is perhaps intentional ambiguity here between 'giants' and 'Jutes/Frisians'. Such a theory would add an extra layer of complexity, of a feeling of possible responsibility for filicide, to the already complicated psychological motivations of Finn. Its context in the poem may be summarized briefly. The Beowulf poet says that as a consequence, without naming the antecedents, Finn and all the Frisians were slaughtered. [30] But the second and third theories have seen increasing popularity; more recent dissenters include Williams, Kaske, Stuhmiller, Gwara, Vickrey, and Slade. 13-15. see review. The Finnesburg — or Finnsburh — Fragment is a portion of an Old English heroic poem about a fight in which Hnæf and his 60 retainers are besieged at "Finn's fort" and attempt to hold off their attackers. [11] In fact he simply argues that it is a literary example of the overlapping and melding of pagan and Christian beliefs as they encountered one another.[11]. ), … It is not clear what happens to Guthere whom he counselled. Both arguments are compelling and offer possible insight into why the seemingly conflicting theologies are seen in the poem and description of the heroes but absent from the purely historical account of the Finnesburg Fragment. It describes a young prince called Hnæf spurring his 60 men into battle, besieged inside a great hall. The episode in Beowulf (lines 1068-1158) is about 90 lines long and appears in the form of a lay sung by Hrothgar's scop at a feast in celebration of Beowulf's recent exploit. In Beowulf the pair "Guthlaf and Oslaf" are mentioned returning later to their home, so that Oslaf in Beowulf is probably to be identified with Ordlaf from the Finnsburg Fragment. Historically, scholarship has favored the assumption that MS eotena and eotenum refer to Jutes […], though quite a few scholars, especially in recent years, have seen here common nouns referring to giants[32]. "[35] Benjamin Slade gives a summary of the semantic and contextual evidence, leaning towards the second theory, of a pun between giants and Jutes: The reading of 'giants' is difficult for it is hard to imagine that Germanic 'giants' could have non-antagonistic relations with any human people. Beowulf as a poem primarily follows the exploits of its eponymous hero. The related "Fight at Finnsburg" fragment is given a similar treatment, smaller in proportion to its brevity. The fact that the Fragment says “Hengest sylf” (l. [7] From the beginning of the story she is in mourning at the loss of her brother, Hnæf, and her sons along with many Danes to whom she owed blood loyalty, and Frisians, to whom she owed loyalty through marriage. The Finnesburg Fragment or Finnsburh Fragment is a fragment of an Old English heroic poem about a fight in which Hnæf and his 60 retainers are besieged at "Finn's fort" and attempt to hold off their attackers. Edited, corrected, and enlarged, by James A. Harrison and Robert Sharp. Since the time in which the copy was made, the original manuscript folio has been lost or stolen. He is only seen once in the fragment and that mention is not one in which he represents an important role. Major, C. Tidmarsh (1995). Hengest is mentioned in several works, but his identity and exploits are unclear. Fragment as this is, it serves to stamp its maker as no bookman, but a minstrel, who knew how to rouse his hearers in the hall with living words. 1145 and 1146” of Beowulf, that is, where Hengest and the remnant of the Danes are attacked after the battle in which Hnæf falls, the majority of scholars are surely right in regarding this part of Finnsburg as the story of the first attack, in which Hnæf falls.