Deor Flashcards
what is serpents another word for
sword
both are long, thin, glittering, and bite you
“Weland experienced persecution in himself through serpents”
what are the two meanings of “in that, that unhappy love deprived her of sleep completely”
- unequal affection
- psychological consequences of rape
discuss the first paragraph
unsure of what’s happening though AS contemporaries had more knowledge of it than us e.g. assumes people know story of Weland and his hamstrings being cut (referenced in B as making his armour)
what is the Old Norse influence on the poem
enjoys the grotesque happening to someone then watching them in awe get complete vengeance
mental dissonance
ON has a refrain but odd for OE
allusions to OE stories - ON version of Weland (Thidrick in OE)
e.g. kill son, rape daughter to supplant lineage
idea of grin and bearing changes closer to Germanic Fatalism you often get in ON lit
what is interesting about the form
paragraphs
refrain
chunky bits of prose account
what juxtapositions does the poem create
juxtaposes between perspectives of king and people
mental and physical pain
what is the refrain of Deor
It passed over from that; likewise it can from this
what is the effect of the refrain “it passed over from that; likewise it can from this”
didactic teaching rather than consoling specifically
uplifting
also about transience - saying everything passes not just what is bad but was it good
it doesn’t say that misfortune will pass in your lifetime, you could still be waiting for good fortune even when you die - it may only pass because you die
nothing about it passing and then enjoying peace in life
sense of ‘might’
it passes but something else takes its place
discuss mutability, change and inconsistency in Deor (transience not always the right word to use)
refrain suggests it - bad passes but so does good - they both change into one another in a continuous cycle
similar notion to the Seafarer
nothing in this poem about the transience of life so you can’t call it that
talking about experience within life
discuss stoicism in Deor
reflects AS stoicism - bear misfortune stoically and don’t dwell on your emotions letting them infringe your morals
what do some see the source of Deor as and what is its importance
Boethius’ consolation of philosophy
book length mediation on why misfortune can overcome people who are righteous
easy to say why things went wrong for you if you’re a bad person but harder if you are good
B wrestles with idea of why a righteous man ends up suffering terrible indignity that he suffered himself (he went to prison e.g.)
B like Deor fell out of favour with those in charge and was thrown into jail and executed in horrible way
what is the question of Deor
why people suffer
Deor says he was in a good position, a good man, with a loyal lord who simply ceased to be loyal to him and took away his land
kings could behave that way in the seven lands of the heptarchy nothing to do with morality
why is there a lack of Christianity in Deor
poem depicts a poet called Deor who is not an AS poet but from the Herrdoningas (heathen not AS tribe)
Deor is placed in a distant imaginary and legendary society and hence one that needs not be Christian
not this Christian consolation one might initially think
its more stoical than consoling unlike seafarer
things always change and not even necessarily in your lifetime!
what does Deor emphasise
change not relief
you have to be stoical and grin and bear life’s changes
how small people are in comparison to the vastness of history and the world but say not to swell on it (stoical)
how does Beothilds fortune change
her father accepts Weland’s making him promise not to harm b or unborn son and her son becomes a great hero
