Alliteration in Beowulf: Why Was There So Much Alliteration in the Epic?
Alliteration in Beowulf is the repeated use of initial sounds/letters right after the other, which occurs very often in Beowulf. Alliteration was very popularly used in poetry in the time period, this is why Beowulf fits right in.
Alliteration in the epic poem was used for various reasons. Read more to find out why there was so much alliteration in Beowulf.
Getting Down to It: The Examples of Alliteration in Beowulf
As mentioned above, alliterations from Beowulf give the poem a flow. That is why there are many examples to choose from.
In Beowulf, there are 3,182 alliterative lines!
Some of the examples of alliteration in Beowulf include:
- “to feast his fill of the flesh of men” (the alliterative use of the letter ‘f’)
- “gulped the blood and gobbled the flesh” (the alliterative use of the letter ‘g’)
- “for fear of a feud were forced to disown him”
- “Bound to the bank then the broad-bosomed vessel”
- “Hrothgar’s men lived happy in his hall”
And here are a few examples of the use of alliteration along with the caesura, or break:
- “He found them sprawled in sleep (caesura) suspecting nothing” (the alliterative use of the letter ‘s’ both before the break and then repeated after)
- “And the heathen’s only hope (caesura) Hell always in their hearts” (the alliterative use of the letter ‘h’ before and after the break)
Other Reasons or Purpose for the Use of Alliteration in Beowulf
While alliteration can have a blooming effect on a poem or another piece of work, there are other reasons for the use of alliteration in The epic poem of Beowulf.
In this poem, it sometimes helped to signify a certain feeling, such as aggression, and make you as the reader feel it. For example, the use of describing Grendel’s actions as “gulped the blood and gobbled the flesh.” It makes you feel just how disgusting and horrible this monster is.
You can even see the act of how it took place in your mind, which helps to increase of excitement portrait in the poem. Another reason for alliteration is to unify the thread of the tale in the poem.
With rhyme, sometimes you see repeated rhyming sounds throughout the poem. Contrary to this, when you see repeated alliterative use of the letter ‘f’ in different parts of Beowulf.
It brings your focus back to the tale that’s being told.
Beowulf’s Legacy Continues: Modern Revival of Alliterative Verse
Alliterative verse fell out of popularity once rhyme became the center focus, as modern attempts at alliterative verse became popular. J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Lord of the Rings, was a scholar of this time period and significantly in this type of literature. He even wrote a book entitled, On Translating Beowulf.
His work using alliterative verse includes:
- “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son”
- In parts of the poem “The Seafarer”
- He even did some translations of Beowulf himself adding to the list of various versions and translations of the famous poems
- C.S. Lewis, one of his contemporaries and friends, also wrote in this style on a few occasions. His alliterative verse poem is called “The Nameless Isle” published in 1972 about ten years after his death. The poet W.H. Auden also wrote many poems using this style, including his poem “Age of Anxiety,” written in 1947.
The Beowulf writing style still continues, long after the poem was first created.
What Is Alliteration and Why Was It Used So Often in Beowulf?
Alliteration is the repeated use of initial sounds or letters right after the other in a piece of work. For example, an alliterative phrase would be, “the frog found a fine feather.”
Alliteration is often used in poetry or other literary pieces to add a strong effect. It’s especially advantages in poetry because it can adjust to the rhythm or the beat as you read it out loud.
It can also lure you in as a reader, bringing you to feel something more or to see something more in your imagination. However, it shouldn’t be randomly done, and in Beowulf, it wasn’t done randomly either. The purpose can be multi-fold, and in this famous poem, alliteration occurred very often. It was very popular in the time period in Old English and Old Norse poetry.
The reason for its popularity could be because these types of literary works were originally performed or told orally before being written down. In doing so, the alliteration added to the effect in the performance, accentuated certain sounds and facilitated descriptions. It is all an attempt to round out the poem and make it better, more interesting, and more entertaining. You can see the effects of the alliteration in Beowulf as you read it.
The History of Alliterative Verse and Alliterative Verse in Beowulf
An alliterative verse is defined just as the use of alliteration in poetry. It originated in Old Germanic literature in various Germanic languages. While later poetry had more of a focus on rhyme as the main element, alliterative verses were focused on alliteration and the sound being made.
The languages that used this type of verse in a strict manner were as follows:
- Old English
- Old Norse
- Old Saxon
- Old Low German
- Old High German
The alliterative verse in these languages was set up as follows: two half-lines with a break/caesura between them. On the other hand, in modern translations, the caesura is represented by commas or some other grammatical marker. In short, in the first half-line, there would be one or two alliterative sounds and the same sound is repeated in the first syllable of the line after the break.
Alliterative sounds are usually only put on accented syllables so that they have their greatest effect. Of course, they can appear on unaccented syllables too, but they won’t have the same power. The alliterative verse in Beowulf has the same half-lines and caesuras, and the focus lays on alliteration placed on accented syllables. Beowulf is an example of the type of poetry that existed before the focus was on rhyme, and this old style didn’t appear after 1066.
What Is Beowulf? Background to the Famous Old English Poem
Beowulf was written by an anonymous author between 975 and 1025 AD. It’s unclear when exactly it was transcribed since it was likely originally an orally told tale passed down through generations. The story is set in the 6th century in Scandinavia. The hero Beowulf, a strong warrior, travels to the Danes to help assist them in fighting a monster.
He was hoping to make a name for himself in the battle, and he was successful in killing both the monster, Grendel, and his mother. Later, he became king of his land, and as follows slew a dragon. Nevertheless, he died in the process of doing so, and was remembered forever for his achievements.
The poem went through many translations and changes since the 1700s, so it’s unclear which was the original version.
There are both pagan and Christian elements in the poem, so that is why it has made it difficult for scholars to place the time period. It could have originally been written as a pagan work. Then as Christianity grew in popularity, Christian elements could have been added in later to temper the paganism.
Conclusion
Take a look at the main points about alliteration in Beowulf covered in the article above.
- Beowulf is an oral poem later written in Old English between 975 and 1025 in alliteration, about a tale of a warrior called Beowulf
- Alliteration is the use of repeated initial sounds or letters. Its purpose is to add to the mood, or create a flow and a rhythm, excellent for performance.
- In these types of poems, there were two half-lines, with a break or caesura in between
- The alliteration would begin in the first half-line, and the same sound would be repeated after the break
- There are 3,182 alliterative verses in Beowulf, so there are plenty of examples of alliteration to choose from
- This type of poetry faded away, but there was a small revival in Tolkien’s time
- Both he and C.S. Lewis wrote a few Old English and Modern English alliterative verse poems such as Lewis’ “The Nameless Isle”
Beowulf is a fascinating, exciting tale abounding in alliteration, and it only makes the poem better. It adds to the thrilling images of the warrior fighting the monster, and the descriptions of the characters are that much stronger. Alliteration in poetry continues to this day, but it took a backseat to rhyme, but if past people looked at poems today, they might wonder why we use rhyme.
