The Role Of Alcohol And Drinking In Beo
Brian Geisler
Dr. Justice
English 506
14 December 2014
The Role of Alcohol and Drinking In Beowulf
The drink and the feast were dynamic to the life of the warriors of Beowulf’s realm. The have-at-it of food and drink as they were prescribed surely played key roles in that of social relationships throughout the story. Beverages of the adult persuasion played key roles in both establishing and maintaining social adequacies. Alcohol worked as the social lubricant, so to speak, but also served as a barrier. Alcohol in medieval literature was both the catalyst for mass discourse, as well as the poison for the poignant hero or the annoying antagonist.
In yonder day poetry, the feast was the call-to-all community beckon; and in Beowulf, it was the binding of soldiers from either side of a particular interest. In one instance we find Unferth appearing to act upon his better judgment, treating himself to what he thinks is the fondness of the king, more or less showing off for the Geats and challenging the great Beowulf, who obliges. The rest of the men in the hall seem to expect this because no one interferes. In the time of Beowulf, a soldier’s assertions or boast, known then as a “gylp” or “gielp” (Earl 82), was often belted out at feasts. The day’s master of ceremonies would have been known as a “scop” (Earl 81). His job would have been to tell folktales, recite poetry, and sing songs. And the drinks of the day were served by either women of the house (wives and daughters), stewards, or brewers known as “ealu boras” or “ale bearers,” with the first round of beverages often served by the wife of the lord of the house.
In Beowulf, we are given visions of hundreds of warriors engaging in loud gamboling, the eating of fresh catches, drinking of mead and ale, and discussing their latest kills and the introduction of Christianity:
The fortunes of war favored Hrothgar. / Friends and kinsmen flocked to his ranks, / young followers, a force that grew / to be a mighty army. So
Dr. Justice
English 506
14 December 2014
The Role of Alcohol and Drinking In Beowulf
The drink and the feast were dynamic to the life of the warriors of Beowulf’s realm. The have-at-it of food and drink as they were prescribed surely played key roles in that of social relationships throughout the story. Beverages of the adult persuasion played key roles in both establishing and maintaining social adequacies. Alcohol worked as the social lubricant, so to speak, but also served as a barrier. Alcohol in medieval literature was both the catalyst for mass discourse, as well as the poison for the poignant hero or the annoying antagonist.
In yonder day poetry, the feast was the call-to-all community beckon; and in Beowulf, it was the binding of soldiers from either side of a particular interest. In one instance we find Unferth appearing to act upon his better judgment, treating himself to what he thinks is the fondness of the king, more or less showing off for the Geats and challenging the great Beowulf, who obliges. The rest of the men in the hall seem to expect this because no one interferes. In the time of Beowulf, a soldier’s assertions or boast, known then as a “gylp” or “gielp” (Earl 82), was often belted out at feasts. The day’s master of ceremonies would have been known as a “scop” (Earl 81). His job would have been to tell folktales, recite poetry, and sing songs. And the drinks of the day were served by either women of the house (wives and daughters), stewards, or brewers known as “ealu boras” or “ale bearers,” with the first round of beverages often served by the wife of the lord of the house.
In Beowulf, we are given visions of hundreds of warriors engaging in loud gamboling, the eating of fresh catches, drinking of mead and ale, and discussing their latest kills and the introduction of Christianity:
The fortunes of war favored Hrothgar. / Friends and kinsmen flocked to his ranks, / young followers, a force that grew / to be a mighty army. So
Cited: Earl, James. “The Necessity of Evil in Beowulf.” South Atlantic Bulletin, Vol. 44, No. 1 (January 1979), pp. 81-98. Web. 10 December 2014. Ferguson, Margaret, et al. “Beowulf.” The Norton Anthology of Poetry. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2005. Print. Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf: A Translation. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2000. Print. Magennis, Hugh. Anglo-Saxon Appetites: Food and Drink and their Consumption in Old English and Related Literature. Dublin: Four Courts Press, 1999. Print.