Unferð
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Unferth is a character in the epic poem Beowulf and in John Gardner's novel Grendel (which is based upon Beowulf.) Unferth is a thegn of the Danish lord Hroðgar.
The name Unferth does not appear in any Old English manuscript outside of the Nowell Codex, which contains Beowulf. It is not known whether Unferth is based on a historical person.
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[edit] Reading of his name
Unferth's name could be understood in a number of ways. A common reading, by Morton W. Bloomfield[1] among others, is to see it as un + frith, "mar peace". Another reading, by Fred C. Robinson[2] among others, is to see it as un + ferth, "no wit".
Numerous other scholars have suggested that Unferth’s name should not be associated with frið (peace) but with ferhð, which translates as “soul, spirit, mind, and life.” R.D. Fulk writes that it is difficult to assign significance to names in Beowulf because some of the characters involved are historical figures. However, Fulk argues that this can be done in the case of Unferth because the name Un-ferth is not known to appear in history, or in any manuscript other than the Nowell Codex.
The first element of the name, un, appears as hun in the original manuscript of Beowulf. There is some question as to why hun appears when the author means un, and Fred C. Robinson suggests that this h is a Celtic scribal habit which indicates that u has a vocal function by adding an unpronounced graphic h. Fulk argues, however, that this use of the letter h does not appear anywhere else in the Beowulf manuscript.
In Old English, un usually means “not.” However, some scholars have argued that it can also mean “very.” In Old English, unhar means “very old,” and some argue that this use of un could also be attributed to Unferð. Despite the vast amount of research that has gone into the etymology of Unferth’s name, scholars continue to disagree on its true meaning. [3]
[edit] Appearances in the poem
Unferth appears a total of five times in Beowulf.
[edit] Challenge of Beowulf (lines 499-558)
Unferth first appears at line 499:
Unferð maþelode, Ecglafes bearn,
þe æt fotum sæt frean Scyldinga.
Unferth spoke, Ecglaf's son,
He who sat at the feet of the lord of the Scyldings.
The poet states that Unferth is envious of Beowulf's fame (since Beowulf has come to defeat the monster Grendel, which Unferð has failed to do.)
At line 506, Unferth challenges Beowulf, bringing up the story of Beowulf's swimming-contest with Breca the son of Beanstan. Unferth makes fun of the young Beowulf's foolish decision to have a swimming-contest in the North Sea, ignoring all advice, and declaring that he lost. He ends by predicting a bad result if Beowulf dares face Grendel. Beowulf answers the challenge by boasting that he is the strongest swimmer in the world, and entertains the company with a tall tale about how he swam the North Sea in full armor while carrying a sword, killed nine huge sea-monsters who dragged him to the ocean floor, and still won the swimming-contest, towing the exhausted Breca behind him with one hand.
Beowulf says that he has never heard of anyone else having such a great sea-fight as he had; and then adds particularly that he has never heard such stories told of Unferth, and in fact the story people tell about Unferth is how he killed his brothers. Unferth silently concedes defeat and the feast continues.
[edit] Change of heart (lines 980-984)
After Beowulf kills Grendel, Unferth seems to have a change of heart. When Beowulf hangs up Grendel's torn-off arm at the door of Heorot, the poet says that "no man was more silent than Ecglaf's son", and that he made no more boasting speeches.
[edit] The King's spokesman (lines 1165-1168)
At the celebratory feast after the killing of Grendel, the poet repeats that Unferth sat at the feet of the king, and calls him a ðyle (cf. Old Norse: þulr meaning "bard" or "wise man"); translators are divided on the meaning of this word, offering various renderings, among them "spokesman", "counsellor", and "jester." The Rundata project translates ðyle as "reciter" which suggests the title referred to one who was associated with reciting or preserving oral tradition. The poet goes on to say that everyone knows of Unferð's courage and fealty, "though he did not show mercy to his kin in sword-play."
[edit] At the mere (lines 1455-1472)
When Grendel's mother attacks the hall, the Danes and Geats pursue her to the mere where she lives. As Beowulf arms himself to enter the mere, Unferð lends him his sword, Hrunting. Unferth is here referred to as a ðyle for the second and last time. The poet says that Unferth "did not bear in mind" his earlier challenging insults that he had spoken "when drunken", but acknowledged that Beowulf was "the better sword-fighter." The poet adds that Unferð "did not dare" to dive into the mere to attack Grendel's mother, and thus "his fame was lessened."
Beowulf is grateful for the loan, however, and at line 1488 he tells King Hroðgar that if he, Beowulf, does not return from the mere, then his own sword should be given to Unferth.
[edit] Parting (lines 1807-1812)
The morning after the celebratory feast on the occasion of Beowulf killing Grendel's mother, Beowulf and his people prepare to return to their home. Beowulf returns the sword Hrunting to Unferth, praising the weapon and its owner: he has "no ill word" for the sword, (although it had not helped him against Grendel's mother), and he thanks Unferth for the loan. This is Unferth's last appearance in the poem.
[edit] Analysis of Unferth in Beowulf
Unferth’s presence in the poem has been a point of much scholarly debate. He is called a thyle, a term whose definition is not clear, he only speaks once – an insult aimed at Beowulf – is described as intelligent, a murderer, and is responsible for lending Beowulf his legendary, yet ill-fated sword, Hrunting. Kenneth Sisam, in his book The Structure of Beowulf, argues that readers would be advised not to speculate beyond these basic facts as laid out by the poet.[4] Another thought comes from Professor Carroll Rich, who notes that the biblical tale of Cain and Abel is deeply woven into the poem, and as Unferth is a character who is notorious for slaying his own brother, a parallel might exist. He observes that “the depiction of Unferth as an envious fratricide makes clear the threat he poses to Beowulf and to a society dependent upon mutual trust.”[5]
[edit] Unferth in Gardner's Grendel
Unferth is also the anti-hero of John Gardner's novel, Grendel. He is portrayed as a weak-willed and foolhardy would-be hero, who challenges Grendel but is mocked by the monster. Though he follows Grendel to his lair to challenge him again, Grendel will not fight him, and deliberately deprives him of a hero's death for 12 years.
[edit] References
- ^ An Anthology of Beowulf Criticism, University of Notre Dame Press, 1963, pp. 155-164.
- ^ Old English Studies in Honor of John C. Pope, University of Toronto Press, 1974, pp.127-31.
- ^ Fulk , R. D. "Unferth and His Name." Modern Philology, Vol. 85, No. 2. (Nov., 1987), pp. 113-127.
- ^ Sisam, Kenneth. The Structure of Beowulf (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 19651, p. 41.).
- ^ Rich, Carroll Y. "Unferth and Cain's Envy." The South Central Bulletin, Vol. 33, No. 4, Studies by Members of SCMLA. (Winter, 1973), pp. 211-213.
