Record no. 242. How do I cite this entry?

Beowulf with the Finnesburg Fragment

  • Genre/Type Descriptor(s)
    Edition of Old English Text
     
    Language(s)
    Old English
  • Textual Editor
    Wrenn, C. L.
  • City
    London
    Publisher
    Harrap
    Date
    1958
  • Relationships
    (Upstream) Revises and recontextualizes -> Beowulf with the Finnesburg Fragment, Wrenn, C. L. (1953)
    (Downstream) Is relied on by -> Beowulf, Malone, Kemp (1967)
  • Identifying Numbers
    [Fry 2244]; [GR 1654].
     
    Descriptive Notes

    320 pp. Revised and enlarged edition (i.e., 2nd ed.), incorporating corrections and other small changes as well as adding a Supplement (318-20) bringing scholarship up to date. As before, the text of Beowulf is preceded by a full introduction (9-84) and a bibliography (85-94), and is followed by an edition of The Finnesburg Fragment (180-81), commentary (182-229), and glossaries of words and proper names for both texts (230-317). The 2nd edition was reprinted several times before the appearance of a 1973 3rd edition, revised by Whitney Bolton.

    The text of Beowulf begins:

    Hwæt wē Gār-Dena     in geār-dagum
    þēod-cyninga     þrym gefrūnon,
    hū ðā æþelingas     ellen fremedon.

    Oft Scyld Scēfing     sceaþena þrēatum,
    monegum mǣgþum     meodo-setla oftēah;
    egsode Eorl[e],     syððan ǣrest wearð
    fēasceaft funden;     hē þæs frōfre gebād:
    wēox under wolcnum,     weorð-myndum þāh,
    oðþæt him ǣghwylc     þāra ymb-sittendra
    ofer hron-rāde     hȳran scolde,
    gomban gyldan:     þæt wæs gōd cyning! (95)

    And ends:

    Þā ymbe hlǣw riodan     hilde-dēore,
    æþelinga bearn,     ealra twelfe,
    woldon ceare cwīðan,     kyning mǣnan,
    word-gyd wrecan     ond ymb wer sprecan:
    eahtodan eorlscipe     ond his ellen-weorc;
    duguðum dēmdon,     swā hit gedēfe bið
    þæt mon his wine-dryhten     wordum herge,
    ferhðum frēoge,     þonne hē forþ scile
    of līc-haman     lǣded weorðan.
    Swā begnornodon     Gēata lēode
    hlāfordes hryre,     heorð-genēatas;
    cwǣdon þæt hē wǣre     wyruld-cyninga,
    manna mildust     ond mon-þwǣrust,
    lēodum līðost     ond lof-geornost. (179)

     
    Authentication

    BAM.

  • Last Updated
    05/23/2025