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Heorot

May 07, 2023

Heorot (Old English 'hart, stag') is a mead-hall and major point of focus in the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf. The hall serves as a seat of rule for King Hrothgar, a legendary Danish king. After the monster Grendel slaughters the inhabitants of the hall, the Geatish hero Beowulf defends the royal hall before subsequently defeating him. Later Grendel's mother attacks the inhabitants of the hall, and she too is subsequently defeated by Beowulf.

The first page of the Beowulf manuscript

Name

The name Heorot is the Old English word for a stag.[1] Its use may stem from an association between royalty and stags in Germanic paganism. Archaeologists have unearthed a variety of Anglo-Saxon finds associating stags with royalty. For example, a sceptre or whetstone discovered in mound I of the Anglo-Saxon burial site Sutton Hoo prominently features a standing stag at its top.[2]

In a wider Germanic context, stags appear associated with royalty with some frequency. For example, in Norse mythology—the mythology of the closely related North Germanic peoples—the royal god Freyr (Old Norse: "Lord") wields an antler as a weapon. An alternative name for Freyr is Ing, and the Anglo-Saxons were closely associated with this deity in a variety of contexts (they are, for example, counted among the Ingvaeones, a Latinized Proto-Germanic term meaning "friends of Ing", in Roman senator Tacitus's first century CE Germania and, in Beowulf, the term ingwine, Old English for "friend of Ing", is repeatedly invoked in association with Hrothgar, ruler of Heorot).[3]

According to historian William Chaney:

Whatever the association with the stag or hart with fertility and the new year, with Frey, with dedicated deaths, or with primitive animal-gods cannot now be determined with any certainty. What is certain, however, is that the two stags most prominent from Anglo-Saxon times are both connected with kings, the emblem surmounting the unique 'standard' in the royal cenotaph of Sutton Hoo and the great hall of Heorot in Beowulf.[4]

Description

 
Map of the Beowulf region, showing the protagonist's voyage to Heorot

The anonymous author of Beowulf praises Heorot as large enough to allow Hrothgar to present Beowulf with a gift of eight horses, each with gold-plate headgear.[5] It functions both as a seat of government and as a residence for the king's thanes (warriors). Heorot symbolizes human civilization and culture, as well as the might of the Danish kings—essentially, all the good things in the world of Beowulf.[6] Its brightness, warmth, and joy contrasts with the darkness of the swamp waters inhabited by Grendel.[7]

Location

Harty, Kent

Though Heorot is widely considered a literary construction, a theory proposed in 1998 by the archaeologist Paul Wilkinson has suggested that it was based on a hall at Harty on the Isle of Sheppey, which would have been familiar to the anonymous Anglo-Saxon author; Harty was indeed named Heorot in Saxon times. He suggests that the steep shining sea-cliffs of Beowulf would match the pale cliffs of Sheerness on that island, its name meaning "bright headland". An inlet near Harty is named "Land's End", like Beowulf's landing-place on the way to Heorot. The sea-journey from the Rhine to Kent could take the day and a half mentioned in the poem. The road to Heorot is described as a straet, a Roman Road, of which there are none in Scandinavia, but one leads across the Isle of Harty to a Roman settlement, possibly a villa. The toponymist Margaret Gelling observed that the description in Beowulf of Heorot as having a fagne flor, a shining or coloured floor, could "denote the paved or tessellated floor of a Roman building". Finally, the surrounding area was named Schrawynghop in the Middle Ages, schrawa meaning "demons" and hop meaning "land enclosed by marshes", suggestive of Grendel's lonely fens in the poem.[8][9] The archaeologist Paul Budden acknowledged "the story appealed" to him as a Kentish man, but felt that (as Wilkinson conceded) the subject was "mythology, not archaeology or science".[10]

Lejre, Zealand

 
A reconstructed Viking Age longhouse (28.5 metres long) in Fyrkat.

An alternative theory sees Heorot as the accurate, but Anglicised, iteration of a historic hall in the village of Lejre, near Roskilde.[11] Though Heorot does not appear in Scandinavian sources, King Hroðulf's (Hrólfr Kraki) hall is mentioned in Hrólf Kraki's saga as Hleiðargarðr, and located in Lejre. The medieval chroniclers Saxo Grammaticus and Sven Aggesen already suggested that Lejre was the chief residence of the Skjöldung clan (called “Scylding” in the poem). The remains of a Viking hall complex was uncovered southwest of Lejre in 1986–1988 by Tom Christensen of the Roskilde Museum. Wood from the foundation was radiocarbon-dated to about 880. It was later found that this hall was built over an older hall which has been dated to 680. In 2004–2005, Christensen excavated a third hall located just north of the other two. This hall was built in the mid-6th century, all three halls were about 50 meters long.[7]

Fred C. Robinson is also attracted to this identification: "Hrothgar (and later Hrothulf) ruled from a royal settlement whose present location can with fair confidence be fixed as the modern Danish village of Leire, the actual location of Heorot."[12] The role of Lejre in Beowulf is discussed by John Niles and Marijane Osborn in their 2007 Beowulf and Lejre.[13]

Modern popular culture

J. R. R. Tolkien, who compared Heorot to Camelot for its mix of legendary and historical associations,[14] used it as the basis for the Golden Hall of King Théoden, Meduseld, in the land of Rohan.[15]

The Legacy of Heorot is a science fiction novel by American writers Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes, first published in 1987.[16]

"Heorot" is a short story in The Dresden Files' short story collection Side Jobs.

In Zach Weinersmith's book Bea Wolf (2023), Heorot is paralleled by the treehouse Treeheart.

See also

  • Eikþyrnir, the stag that stands atop Odin's afterlife hall Valhalla in Norse myth
  • Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór, the stags that chew on the cosmological tree Yggdrasil in Norse myth
  • Freyr, a Germanic deity who wields an antler as a weapon and whose name means 'lord'
  • Valhalla, the afterlife hall of Odin in Norse myth, featuring a stag at its top

Notes and citations

  1. ^ "Old English Translator".
  2. ^ For general discussion, see Fulk, Bjork, & Niles (2008:119–120). For images and details regarding the sceptre or whetstone, see the British Museum's collection entry for the object here.
  3. ^ See discussion in, for example, Chaney (1999 [1970]:130–132).
  4. ^ Chaney (1999 [1970]:132).
  5. ^ Beowulf, lines 1035–37
  6. ^ Halverson, John (December 1969). "The World of Beowulf". ELH. 36 (4): 593–608. JSTOR 2872097.
  7. ^ a b Niles, John D., "Beowulf's Great Hall", History Today, October 2006, 56 (10), pp. 40–44
  8. ^ Hammond, Norman (7 December 1998). "How Beowulf's lair was pinned down to the Thames Estuary". The Times.
  9. ^ Wilkinson, Paul (2017). Beowulf - On the Island of Harty in Kent. Kent Archaeological Field School. ASIN B07Q27K3XG.
  10. ^ Budden, Gary (2017). "Background reading: Beowulf in Kent by Dr Paul Wilkinson" (PDF). Kent Archaeological Field School Newsletter (16 (Christmas 2017)): 22–23. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  11. ^ Lapidge, Michael; Godden, Malcolm (1991). The Cambridge companion to Old English literature. Cambridge University Press. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-521-37794-2. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  12. ^ Robinson, Fred C. (1984). "Teaching the Backgrounds: History, Religion, Culture". In Jess B. Bessinger, Jr. and Robert F. Yeager (ed.). Approaches to Teaching Beowulf. New York: MLA. p. 109.
  13. ^ Niles, John; Osborn, Marijane (2007). Beowulf and Lejre. Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. ISBN 978-0-86698-368-6.
  14. ^ Tolkien, J. R. R., Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary (2015), p. 153.
  15. ^ Shippey, Tom, J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century (2001), p. 99.
  16. ^ Dryden, Mary (2 August 1987). "The Legacy of Heorot by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes; maps by Alexis Walser". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 January 2021.

References

May 07, 2023
heorot, english, hart, stag, mead, hall, major, point, focus, anglo, saxon, poem, beowulf, hall, serves, seat, rule, king, hrothgar, legendary, danish, king, after, monster, grendel, slaughters, inhabitants, hall, geatish, hero, beowulf, defends, royal, hall, . Heorot Old English hart stag is a mead hall and major point of focus in the Anglo Saxon poem Beowulf The hall serves as a seat of rule for King Hrothgar a legendary Danish king After the monster Grendel slaughters the inhabitants of the hall the Geatish hero Beowulf defends the royal hall before subsequently defeating him Later Grendel s mother attacks the inhabitants of the hall and she too is subsequently defeated by Beowulf The first page of the Beowulf manuscript Contents 1 Name 2 Description 3 Location 3 1 Harty Kent 3 2 Lejre Zealand 4 Modern popular culture 5 See also 6 Notes and citations 7 ReferencesName EditThe name Heorot is the Old English word for a stag 1 Its use may stem from an association between royalty and stags in Germanic paganism Archaeologists have unearthed a variety of Anglo Saxon finds associating stags with royalty For example a sceptre or whetstone discovered in mound I of the Anglo Saxon burial site Sutton Hoo prominently features a standing stag at its top 2 In a wider Germanic context stags appear associated with royalty with some frequency For example in Norse mythology the mythology of the closely related North Germanic peoples the royal god Freyr Old Norse Lord wields an antler as a weapon An alternative name for Freyr is Ing and the Anglo Saxons were closely associated with this deity in a variety of contexts they are for example counted among the Ingvaeones a Latinized Proto Germanic term meaning friends of Ing in Roman senator Tacitus s first century CE Germania and in Beowulf the term ingwine Old English for friend of Ing is repeatedly invoked in association with Hrothgar ruler of Heorot 3 According to historian William Chaney Whatever the association with the stag or hart with fertility and the new year with Frey with dedicated deaths or with primitive animal gods cannot now be determined with any certainty What is certain however is that the two stags most prominent from Anglo Saxon times are both connected with kings the emblem surmounting the unique standard in the royal cenotaph of Sutton Hoo and the great hall of Heorot in Beowulf 4 Description Edit Map of the Beowulf region showing the protagonist s voyage to Heorot The anonymous author of Beowulf praises Heorot as large enough to allow Hrothgar to present Beowulf with a gift of eight horses each with gold plate headgear 5 It functions both as a seat of government and as a residence for the king s thanes warriors Heorot symbolizes human civilization and culture as well as the might of the Danish kings essentially all the good things in the world of Beowulf 6 Its brightness warmth and joy contrasts with the darkness of the swamp waters inhabited by Grendel 7 Location EditHarty Kent Edit Though Heorot is widely considered a literary construction a theory proposed in 1998 by the archaeologist Paul Wilkinson has suggested that it was based on a hall at Harty on the Isle of Sheppey which would have been familiar to the anonymous Anglo Saxon author Harty was indeed named Heorot in Saxon times He suggests that the steep shining sea cliffs of Beowulf would match the pale cliffs of Sheerness on that island its name meaning bright headland An inlet near Harty is named Land s End like Beowulf s landing place on the way to Heorot The sea journey from the Rhine to Kent could take the day and a half mentioned in the poem The road to Heorot is described as a straet a Roman Road of which there are none in Scandinavia but one leads across the Isle of Harty to a Roman settlement possibly a villa The toponymist Margaret Gelling observed that the description in Beowulf of Heorot as having a fagne flor a shining or coloured floor could denote the paved or tessellated floor of a Roman building Finally the surrounding area was named Schrawynghop in the Middle Ages schrawa meaning demons and hop meaning land enclosed by marshes suggestive of Grendel s lonely fens in the poem 8 9 The archaeologist Paul Budden acknowledged the story appealed to him as a Kentish man but felt that as Wilkinson conceded the subject was mythology not archaeology or science 10 Lejre Zealand Edit A reconstructed Viking Age longhouse 28 5 metres long in Fyrkat An alternative theory sees Heorot as the accurate but Anglicised iteration of a historic hall in the village of Lejre near Roskilde 11 Though Heorot does not appear in Scandinavian sources King Hrodulf s Hrolfr Kraki hall is mentioned in Hrolf Kraki s saga as Hleidargardr and located in Lejre The medieval chroniclers Saxo Grammaticus and Sven Aggesen already suggested that Lejre was the chief residence of the Skjoldung clan called Scylding in the poem The remains of a Viking hall complex was uncovered southwest of Lejre in 1986 1988 by Tom Christensen of the Roskilde Museum Wood from the foundation was radiocarbon dated to about 880 It was later found that this hall was built over an older hall which has been dated to 680 In 2004 2005 Christensen excavated a third hall located just north of the other two This hall was built in the mid 6th century all three halls were about 50 meters long 7 Fred C Robinson is also attracted to this identification Hrothgar and later Hrothulf ruled from a royal settlement whose present location can with fair confidence be fixed as the modern Danish village of Leire the actual location of Heorot 12 The role of Lejre in Beowulf is discussed by John Niles and Marijane Osborn in their 2007 Beowulf and Lejre 13 Modern popular culture EditJ R R Tolkien who compared Heorot to Camelot for its mix of legendary and historical associations 14 used it as the basis for the Golden Hall of King Theoden Meduseld in the land of Rohan 15 The Legacy of Heorot is a science fiction novel by American writers Larry Niven Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes first published in 1987 16 Heorot is a short story in The Dresden Files short story collection Side Jobs In Zach Weinersmith s book Bea Wolf 2023 Heorot is paralleled by the treehouse Treeheart See also EditEikthyrnir the stag that stands atop Odin s afterlife hall Valhalla in Norse myth Dainn Dvalinn Duneyrr and Durathror the stags that chew on the cosmological tree Yggdrasil in Norse myth Freyr a Germanic deity who wields an antler as a weapon and whose name means lord Valhalla the afterlife hall of Odin in Norse myth featuring a stag at its topNotes and citations Edit Old English Translator For general discussion see Fulk Bjork amp Niles 2008 119 120 For images and details regarding the sceptre or whetstone see the British Museum s collection entry for the object here See discussion in for example Chaney 1999 1970 130 132 Chaney 1999 1970 132 Beowulf lines 1035 37 Halverson John December 1969 The World of Beowulf ELH 36 4 593 608 JSTOR 2872097 a b Niles John D Beowulf s Great Hall History Today October 2006 56 10 pp 40 44 Hammond Norman 7 December 1998 How Beowulf s lair was pinned down to the Thames Estuary The Times Wilkinson Paul 2017 Beowulf On the Island of Harty in Kent Kent Archaeological Field School ASIN B07Q27K3XG Budden Gary 2017 Background reading Beowulf in Kent by Dr Paul Wilkinson PDF Kent Archaeological Field School Newsletter 16 Christmas 2017 22 23 Retrieved 9 December 2020 Lapidge Michael Godden Malcolm 1991 The Cambridge companion to Old English literature Cambridge University Press p 144 ISBN 978 0 521 37794 2 Retrieved 22 May 2010 Robinson Fred C 1984 Teaching the Backgrounds History Religion Culture In Jess B Bessinger Jr and Robert F Yeager ed Approaches to Teaching Beowulf New York MLA p 109 Niles John Osborn Marijane 2007 Beowulf and Lejre Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies ISBN 978 0 86698 368 6 Tolkien J R R Beowulf A Translation and Commentary 2015 p 153 Shippey Tom J R R Tolkien Author of the Century 2001 p 99 Dryden Mary 2 August 1987 The Legacy of Heorot by Larry Niven Jerry Pournelle and Steven Barnes maps by Alexis Walser Los Angeles Times Retrieved 13 January 2021 References EditChaney William A 1999 1970 The Cult of Kingship in Anglo Saxon England The Transition from Paganism to Christianity Manchester University Press ISBN 0719003725 Fulk R D Bjork E Robert amp Niles John D 2008 Klaeber s Beowulf Fourth edition University of Toronto Press ISBN 9780802095671 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Heorot amp oldid 1151389840, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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