The Leader Unlocked his Word-Hoard
Beowulf as Rhetorician and Wordsmith
Greetings, and welcome to The Word-Hoard, a brief look at the language and other aspects of medieval literature. In this post, I will examine the text from which this newsletter derives its name: Beowulf (I am reading from the Seamus Heaney translation). Beowulf is most commonly known as a monster-slayer and powerful warrior, and because of his feats of strength it can be easy to overlook his skill in speechcraft, which highlights his charisma and intelligence. For this post, I will focus on two of Beowulf’s conversations: his talks with the coast-guard and Unferth.
First, let us put ourselves in the shoes of the coast-guard. Your land is under siege by the terrible beast Grendel, and your job is to keep a look out for new arrivals - potential enemy raiders hoping to take advantage of your moment of weakness. It would be a stretch to believe that outsiders would risk their own lives to help. After all, Beowulf’s clan the Geats likely would have had enough troubles dealing with the Swedes, so even if they wanted to help why would they put the Danes over themselves? In many ways Beowulf is fighting an uphill battle when he tries to persuade the coast-guard that he is there to help, so the poet notes that he does not simply speak, he “unlocked his word-hoard” (10). In the same way that a host might break out the special wine for an esteemed guest, Beowulf digs deep into his vocabulary to present the coast-guard with special words and phrases that will be more effective. He reminds the guard of the fear Grendel has sown, not calling him a monster but a “corpse-maker mongering death,” and tells the guard what he wants to hear, that he can ease the woes of wise Hrothgar. The guard replies: “Anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things: what’s said and what’s done” (10). He has not seen Beowulf in action, but admits that he can speak well. If Beowulf had not passed this first obstacle with diplomacy there would be no story.
Next we move on to the more antagonistic verbal opponent of Unferth the envious. Unlike with the coast-guard, Beowulf does not initiate this conversation, so he must come up with his response on the fly. Unferth takes a swipe at Beowulf’s reputation by saying that he lost a swimming match with Breca. A lesser man might be provoked to anger or challenge the man who made the taunt to a duel to a duel to save his pride. But Beowulf is no mere meat-head who only knows how to use his strength - we must remember that this is the man who would grow to become a good and wise king. Beowulf opens with his wit: “Well, friend Unferth, you have had your say about Breca and me. But it was mostly beer that was doing the talking” (16). This is a cleaver way to make light of Unferth’s remarks while also choosing to call him “friend” instead of directly insulting him back right away. Beowulf then paints a picture of his side of the story; we have no way of knowing what really happened during his swimming match with Breca, but he makes it out to be an entertaining tale, and I have no doubt that several of the mead-addled listeners of Heorot would have believed him. When he is done with his account, Beowulf turns back to Unferth to deliver a strong final blow that will shut him up for good. Using logic to point out the shortcomings of Unferth’s own strength and reputation, he says, “The fact is, Unferth, if you were truly as keen or courageous as you claim to be Grendel would never have got away with such unchecked atrocity, attacks on your king, havoc in Heorot and horrors everywhere” (18).
Beowulf’s ability to deal with people just as effectively as he is able to deal with monsters is truly what makes him a powerful figure. The power to weave words to your will is an important quality for a great leader to possess, and Beowulf has proven his proficiency. I will continue to look at Beowulf as I continue to unlock more of The Word-Hoard.
“ he does not simply speak, he ‘unlocked his word-hoard’” —great highlighting of this phrase. A novel term, but one that appeals to this poet.
This is beautiful work. Although the considerations of your post are intriguing (on multiple levels) throughout, you make two claims that I found especially thought-provoking: (1) that the progression of the poem relies, initially, upon Beowulf's capacity for tactful persuasion, and (2) that Beowulf exhibits power, even heroism in not only battle but also speech. Certainly, there is a conversation to be had about these elements and their symmetry with the oral pedigree of the larger poem. However, disregarding such parallels for a moment, I think your post lends considerable weight to an often overshadowed but absolutely essential component of Beowulf (the poem): its rhetoric. In keeping with the idea that Beowulf serves (in part, at least) an edifying, theologically rooted purpose, the poet must appeal to rhetoric in the same way that Beowulf must on the Danish beach. To echo your words—if the poet had not employed such rhetoric (both monologic and dialogic) there would be no edification.