NIS þæ t Seldguma: Beowulf 249

“Now there is a man,” says Hrothgar's coast watch as Beowulf appears. No one doubts that nis þæt seldguma means this, once the litotes is resolved, but the precise meaning of the half line is another matter. Seldguma has been compared to Old Norse húskarl and the phrase then read as “this is no...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PMLA : Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 1960-12, Vol.75 (5), p.481-484
Main Author: Wood, Cecil
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:“Now there is a man,” says Hrothgar's coast watch as Beowulf appears. No one doubts that nis þæt seldguma means this, once the litotes is resolved, but the precise meaning of the half line is another matter. Seldguma has been compared to Old Norse húskarl and the phrase then read as “this is no mere retainer.” It has been translated as “stay-at-home, cottager,” and compared to Old English cotsetla.
ISSN:0030-8129
1938-1530
DOI:10.2307/460658