Content Warning: Brief discussion of misogyny, antisemitism, anti-paganism, and colonization. Brief mention of SA and slavery. Occasional narrated graphic violence.
In this episode, I tell the myth: "Beowulf". This epic poem set in pre-Viking Denmark and Geatland comes to us from the hands of Christian scribes from the late 900s CE, though the original story is speculated to have first been written in the 700s CE. The section of the myth I tell in this episode covers the history of Danish kings, Beowulf's offering of help to King Hrothgar of the Danes, and finally Beowulf's confrontation with the monster Grendel.
We'll discuss what the monster of Grendel could represent and how the formation of monsters in literature often demonizes specific people. I believe Grendel is a demonization of multiple groups including: Romani/other nomads, Jews/other exiles, and Pagans/other religiously discriminated people. We'll also explore the historical reality of pre-Christian Scandinavia, using archaeology to make sense of an unrecorded world.
I was not aware while recording, but the "mark of Cain" was defined racially in order to rationalize the pogroms and discrimination against Romani, Jews, or darker-skinned people in Europe as early as the 1300s CE (The reference is from a Norman Franciscan Friar Symon Semeonis). This solidifies my analysis concerning the characterization of Grendel as being a monster demonizing the same people as written above.
Thank you for listening!
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