Some Emendations and Non-Emendations in "Beowulf" (Verses 600a, 976a, 1585b, 1663b, 1740a, 2525b, 2771a, and 3060a)

• Published in: Studies in philology 2007-04, Vol.104 (2), p.159-174
• Main Author: Fulk, R. D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adjectives; Adverbials; Adverbs; Anon (600-1100) (Beowulf and Judith); Etymology; Narrative poetry; Poetic meter; Poetry; Reasoning; Scribes; Spelling; Stress; Verbs; Vowels; Words
• ISSN: 0039-3738; 1543-0383; 1543-0383
• DOI: 10.1353/sip.2007.0008

The following discussion of cruces in Beowulf is thus offered after his example, explaining the reasoning behind certain of the textual and interpretive choices that are most likely to be adopted in the forthcoming revised edition of Klaeber's work.1 In most instances, a change to the text is advocated, though in some places reasons to doubt Klaeber's readings are answered and his decisions corroborated. Degemination after an unstressed vowel, as in irena for irenna, "of irons" (673, 1697, 2259), could have an etymological cause, though more likely it is due to normal late spelling practices.40 However, simplification does not normally occur after a stressed vowel except at the end of a word (e.g., heal, mon) or after a consonant (e.g., eorlic for eorllic [637]).41 The two exceptions in Beowulf have obvious causes: hetende (1828) is most likely influenced by hete (lic), hetol (so Klaeber in his edition, lxxxiv), and hh is simplified between vowels in genehost (794) because in intervocalic position it could not contrast with simple h, since this was lost in the late prehistoric period: cf. geneahe (Genesis A, 2844; Homiletic Fragment I, 36), genehe (Maldon, 269).