The Tollund Man
The Tollund Man lived during the late 5th century BC and/or early 4th century BC, during the period characterised in Scandinavia as the Pre-Roman Iron Age. He was buried in a peat bog on the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark. Such a find is known as a bog body. He is remarkable for the fact that his body was so well preserved that he seemed to have died only recently.
Tollund Man’ is the best example of Heaney’s approach in his poetry. It is in The Tollund Man that Heaney intertwines P. V. Glob’s Bog People with his own Irish countrymen. He draws a parallel between the Danish ritual and sacrificial murders of centuries ago with religious and political murders of the Irish conflict.
The first three stanzaz, show Heaney planning to fulfil a dream/ambition. He begins with the vague “Some day” and moves to the specific “Aarhus” – where the Tollund man is preserved. This has a certain romance or attachment about it as if Heaney is so captivated by the image he must go and see it for himself. He seems compelled to go on some sort of pilgrimage or quest. Moreover, the first verse is mostly monosyllabic, 'some day I will...to see his peat...' making the words sound hard, which sets the scene as it is a serious subject. There is also no repetition of vowels or consonants which shows a lack in fluency. The repetition of p in the words 'peat' and 'pods' makes the verse sound very pronounced. The description of the Tollund Man, 'peat-brown head' and 'pods of his eye-lids' relates back to the land and nature and the natural 'farmyards' in Northern Ireland. Hence , Heaney compares Tollund Man to a vegetable which is a very descriptive and uses sensory imagery. Furthermore, we get the impression of pity on Heaney’s part. He sees The Tollund Man as a timid victim of circumstances and feels sorry for him and his plight.
The next verse, 'last gruel of winter seeds/Caked in his stomach' is very graphic and describes that his body was so well preserved that the contents found in his
Tollund Man’ is the best example of Heaney’s approach in his poetry. It is in The Tollund Man that Heaney intertwines P. V. Glob’s Bog People with his own Irish countrymen. He draws a parallel between the Danish ritual and sacrificial murders of centuries ago with religious and political murders of the Irish conflict.
The first three stanzaz, show Heaney planning to fulfil a dream/ambition. He begins with the vague “Some day” and moves to the specific “Aarhus” – where the Tollund man is preserved. This has a certain romance or attachment about it as if Heaney is so captivated by the image he must go and see it for himself. He seems compelled to go on some sort of pilgrimage or quest. Moreover, the first verse is mostly monosyllabic, 'some day I will...to see his peat...' making the words sound hard, which sets the scene as it is a serious subject. There is also no repetition of vowels or consonants which shows a lack in fluency. The repetition of p in the words 'peat' and 'pods' makes the verse sound very pronounced. The description of the Tollund Man, 'peat-brown head' and 'pods of his eye-lids' relates back to the land and nature and the natural 'farmyards' in Northern Ireland. Hence , Heaney compares Tollund Man to a vegetable which is a very descriptive and uses sensory imagery. Furthermore, we get the impression of pity on Heaney’s part. He sees The Tollund Man as a timid victim of circumstances and feels sorry for him and his plight.
The next verse, 'last gruel of winter seeds/Caked in his stomach' is very graphic and describes that his body was so well preserved that the contents found in his