Great Medieval Heroes Seminars
Inhoudsopgave
Great Medieval Heroes Seminars...........................................................................................................1
Week 1. Tuesday's Tutorial: The Heroic Biography – 21-04-2020......................................................3
A. Read:............................................................................................................................................3
Prepare the following discussion questions:....................................................................................6
Week 1 Tutorial (Thursday): Anglo-Saxon Epic Heroic Poetry – 23-04-2020.....................................8
Read:.................................................................................................................................................8
Discussion questions: The Battle of Maldon....................................................................................8
Discussion questions: Cynewulf and Cyneheard...........................................................................12
Week 2: Tutorial (Tuesday): Saint heroes – 28-04-2020....................................................................14
1. The heroic biography and saints' lives.......................................................................................14
Read:...............................................................................................................................................14
Discussion questions:.....................................................................................................................14
2. The medieval cult of saints.........................................................................................................19
Discussion question:.......................................................................................................................19
Week 2: Tutorial (Thursday): An Unlikely Heroine: Grendel’s Mother 30-04-2020.........................21
Read:...............................................................................................................................................21
Week 3: Tutorial (Thursday): The Spoof: Heroic Comedy and Funny Heroes 07-05-2020...............27
Read:...............................................................................................................................................27
Notes seminar:................................................................................................................................27
Answer the following questions:....................................................................................................27
Millet:.............................................................................................................................................27
‘Culhwch and Olwen’ and ‘Dream of Rhonabwy’:.......................................................................28
Additional reading:.........................................................................................................................32
Week 4: Tutorial (Tuesday): The Prophet and the Hero/Prophet as Hero – 12-05-2020..................32
Read:...............................................................................................................................................32
Answer the following questions:....................................................................................................32
Read:...............................................................................................................................................35
Study Group...................................................................................................................................37
Read: Armes Prydien Vawr............................................................................................................37
Week 4: Tutorial (Thursday): Robin Hood: the Outlaw Hero – 14-05-2020.....................................39
Background reading.......................................................................................................................39
Discussion questions......................................................................................................................39
Further Reading..............................................................................................................................45
Week 5 Tuesday Tutorial: The Middle Ages in Film – 19-05-2020....................................................45
Tutorial Group 1.............................................................................................................................45
Week 6 Tutorial Thursday: Arthurian Romance: Gawain as Hero – 28-05-2020.............................49
Reading:..........................................................................................................................................49
I want to explore:............................................................................................................................49
A. Questions (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight)..........................................................................49
B. Questions (The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle). Refer to Donnelly (1997).......50
Week 7 Tuesday Tutorial: The 19th Century Arthuriana / Mark Twain – 02-06-2020.......................52
Read:...............................................................................................................................................52
Answer the following questions based on your reading of Chapters 1-6: A Connecticut Yankee: 52
Answer the following questions based on your reading of “Making Men Modern”:....................54
Week 7 Tutorial (Thursday): The 19th Century Arthuriana: Tennyson’s Idylls of the King – 04-06-
2020.....................................................................................................................................................57
Read:...............................................................................................................................................57
Answer the following questions based on your reading of Tennyson:..........................................57
1
, Answer the following questions based on your reading of Chandler:...........................................58
2
,Week 1. Tuesday's Tutorial: The Heroic Biography – 21-04-2020
A. Read:
Ó Cathasaigh The Heroic Biography of Cormac Mac Airt (1977, pp. 1-23) [supplied
under Course Content > Week 1]
Prepare the following discussion questions:
1. Summarise and compare the heroic biography as formulated by von Hahn
(revised by Nutt) and de Vries (i.e. summarise both and then compare them).
Heroic biography: provides a framework for the elucidation and the evaluation
of the Birth-tale. It seems best to treat the birth of the hero as part of the larger
pattern. It is usually necessary to draw on a number of texts in order to
establish the configuration of the hero (2).
Von Hahn
o The existence of the international heroic biography was first
established by von Hahn in his pioneering work. Von Hahn set up a
formula which became to be known in English as the Aryan
Expulsion-and-Return-Formula (2).
o This was the first effort to make generalizations about the pattern of
folktales (2). An exception was Alfred Nutt, who found examples of
the pattern in Celtic tradition (3).
Nutt
o He found examples of the pattern in Celtic tradition (among ten Irish
stories, including Scots Gaelic) (3).
o Nutt added two motifs to von Hanh’s formulation. He departed from
Hahn’s practice by including incidents from tales which did not
otherwise conform to the pattern (3).
See question 2 for the version of Nutt’s formula.
o Less stages in the heroic biography and more generalised.
De Vries
o De Vries has set up a 10-item sequence to analyse folktales (6).
See question 2 for De Vries’ 10 item sequence.
o Within the framework there are several motives are given and
examples cited from many traditions, e.g.
o De Vries’ framework is primarily based on warrior-heroes; there’s no
adequate allowance for King-heroes, though IX applies to them in
particular (7).
2. In what way does a hero that you are familiar with (e.g. Beowulf, or a hero in
a film) adhere to the framework of the heroic biography?
Nutt’s Heroic Framework (3).
3
, De Vries’ Heroic Framework (6).
Hero in a film Merlin (portrayed by Colin Morgan in BBC’s Merlin)
o Nutt
I: Merlin is born as a supernatural being; he possesses
magic.
III: His father Balinor is a dragonlord, which allows him
to control dragons, you could say this is somewhat god-
like.
IV: Kilgharrah constantly tells and reminds Merlin of
the prophecy that he is the greatest warlock of all time
and will help King Arthur unite Albion. Besides, the
druids are well aware of the greatness that Emrys,
Merlin, holds through the previously mentioned
prophecy.
V: kind of, Merlin moves from Ealdor to Camelot
because life at his village is quite boring.
VI: In some regard; Merlin learns from Kilgharrah
about his powers and how to perform certain spells at
the beginning of the series.
4
Inhoudsopgave
Great Medieval Heroes Seminars...........................................................................................................1
Week 1. Tuesday's Tutorial: The Heroic Biography – 21-04-2020......................................................3
A. Read:............................................................................................................................................3
Prepare the following discussion questions:....................................................................................6
Week 1 Tutorial (Thursday): Anglo-Saxon Epic Heroic Poetry – 23-04-2020.....................................8
Read:.................................................................................................................................................8
Discussion questions: The Battle of Maldon....................................................................................8
Discussion questions: Cynewulf and Cyneheard...........................................................................12
Week 2: Tutorial (Tuesday): Saint heroes – 28-04-2020....................................................................14
1. The heroic biography and saints' lives.......................................................................................14
Read:...............................................................................................................................................14
Discussion questions:.....................................................................................................................14
2. The medieval cult of saints.........................................................................................................19
Discussion question:.......................................................................................................................19
Week 2: Tutorial (Thursday): An Unlikely Heroine: Grendel’s Mother 30-04-2020.........................21
Read:...............................................................................................................................................21
Week 3: Tutorial (Thursday): The Spoof: Heroic Comedy and Funny Heroes 07-05-2020...............27
Read:...............................................................................................................................................27
Notes seminar:................................................................................................................................27
Answer the following questions:....................................................................................................27
Millet:.............................................................................................................................................27
‘Culhwch and Olwen’ and ‘Dream of Rhonabwy’:.......................................................................28
Additional reading:.........................................................................................................................32
Week 4: Tutorial (Tuesday): The Prophet and the Hero/Prophet as Hero – 12-05-2020..................32
Read:...............................................................................................................................................32
Answer the following questions:....................................................................................................32
Read:...............................................................................................................................................35
Study Group...................................................................................................................................37
Read: Armes Prydien Vawr............................................................................................................37
Week 4: Tutorial (Thursday): Robin Hood: the Outlaw Hero – 14-05-2020.....................................39
Background reading.......................................................................................................................39
Discussion questions......................................................................................................................39
Further Reading..............................................................................................................................45
Week 5 Tuesday Tutorial: The Middle Ages in Film – 19-05-2020....................................................45
Tutorial Group 1.............................................................................................................................45
Week 6 Tutorial Thursday: Arthurian Romance: Gawain as Hero – 28-05-2020.............................49
Reading:..........................................................................................................................................49
I want to explore:............................................................................................................................49
A. Questions (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight)..........................................................................49
B. Questions (The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle). Refer to Donnelly (1997).......50
Week 7 Tuesday Tutorial: The 19th Century Arthuriana / Mark Twain – 02-06-2020.......................52
Read:...............................................................................................................................................52
Answer the following questions based on your reading of Chapters 1-6: A Connecticut Yankee: 52
Answer the following questions based on your reading of “Making Men Modern”:....................54
Week 7 Tutorial (Thursday): The 19th Century Arthuriana: Tennyson’s Idylls of the King – 04-06-
2020.....................................................................................................................................................57
Read:...............................................................................................................................................57
Answer the following questions based on your reading of Tennyson:..........................................57
1
, Answer the following questions based on your reading of Chandler:...........................................58
2
,Week 1. Tuesday's Tutorial: The Heroic Biography – 21-04-2020
A. Read:
Ó Cathasaigh The Heroic Biography of Cormac Mac Airt (1977, pp. 1-23) [supplied
under Course Content > Week 1]
Prepare the following discussion questions:
1. Summarise and compare the heroic biography as formulated by von Hahn
(revised by Nutt) and de Vries (i.e. summarise both and then compare them).
Heroic biography: provides a framework for the elucidation and the evaluation
of the Birth-tale. It seems best to treat the birth of the hero as part of the larger
pattern. It is usually necessary to draw on a number of texts in order to
establish the configuration of the hero (2).
Von Hahn
o The existence of the international heroic biography was first
established by von Hahn in his pioneering work. Von Hahn set up a
formula which became to be known in English as the Aryan
Expulsion-and-Return-Formula (2).
o This was the first effort to make generalizations about the pattern of
folktales (2). An exception was Alfred Nutt, who found examples of
the pattern in Celtic tradition (3).
Nutt
o He found examples of the pattern in Celtic tradition (among ten Irish
stories, including Scots Gaelic) (3).
o Nutt added two motifs to von Hanh’s formulation. He departed from
Hahn’s practice by including incidents from tales which did not
otherwise conform to the pattern (3).
See question 2 for the version of Nutt’s formula.
o Less stages in the heroic biography and more generalised.
De Vries
o De Vries has set up a 10-item sequence to analyse folktales (6).
See question 2 for De Vries’ 10 item sequence.
o Within the framework there are several motives are given and
examples cited from many traditions, e.g.
o De Vries’ framework is primarily based on warrior-heroes; there’s no
adequate allowance for King-heroes, though IX applies to them in
particular (7).
2. In what way does a hero that you are familiar with (e.g. Beowulf, or a hero in
a film) adhere to the framework of the heroic biography?
Nutt’s Heroic Framework (3).
3
, De Vries’ Heroic Framework (6).
Hero in a film Merlin (portrayed by Colin Morgan in BBC’s Merlin)
o Nutt
I: Merlin is born as a supernatural being; he possesses
magic.
III: His father Balinor is a dragonlord, which allows him
to control dragons, you could say this is somewhat god-
like.
IV: Kilgharrah constantly tells and reminds Merlin of
the prophecy that he is the greatest warlock of all time
and will help King Arthur unite Albion. Besides, the
druids are well aware of the greatness that Emrys,
Merlin, holds through the previously mentioned
prophecy.
V: kind of, Merlin moves from Ealdor to Camelot
because life at his village is quite boring.
VI: In some regard; Merlin learns from Kilgharrah
about his powers and how to perform certain spells at
the beginning of the series.
4
