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55-531: The extant text is a transcript of a loose manuscript folio that was once kept at Lambeth Palace , the London residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury . This manuscript was almost certainly Lambeth Library MS 487. A British scholar, George Hickes , made the transcript some time in the late 17th century, and published it in an anthology of Anglo-Saxon and other antiquities in 1705. (This anthology also contains

110-508: A Premonstratensian abbey on the site, before settling on a palace. The original timber cloister, which held the archbishop's library, was replaced by the present structure in 1830. The oldest remaining part of the palace is the 13th century chapel which was built in the Early English Gothic architectural style. It stands above a vaulted undercroft, which has a central line of columns. This part had to be heavily restored after

165-462: A bargain with the survivors. As Tolkien points out, the Danes now had several advantages: Inside the hall, the survivors gather in two groups: Danes, led by a chief thane who is described as Hunlafing ("the son of Hunlaf") and Jutes, led by Hengest. The Jutes are Hengest's own band, and owed loyalty to Hnæf only because Hengest followed him. Finn at first tries to make peace with the Danes only, but

220-595: A spacious quadrangle. Blore's large extensions to house the archbishop meant that the original buildings could be converted to the archdiocese's library, record office and secretariat. The palace was damaged in the Blitz of 1941. The buildings form the home of the archbishop, who is regarded as the first among equals in the Anglican Communion , and is ex officio a member of the House of Lords . The building

275-520: A tragic character for this very reason. From the beginning of the story she is in mourning at the loss of her brother, Hnæf, and her sons along with many Danes to whom she owed blood loyalty, and Frisians, to whom she owed loyalty through marriage. Some view Hildeburh's marriage as one of obligation, not one of love; she was not tied so strongly to Finn or the Frisians. She is a character that is heavily debated upon by critics and scholars who argue that she

330-527: A wounded warrior turns away to talk to his chief (it is not clear on which side) and the fragment ends. Neither the cause nor the outcome of the fight are described; Klaeber has the races of the vying parties as the Danes and the Frisians (the terms Frisians and Jutes are used interchangeably throughout this work). Tolkien , on the other hand, treated the Jutes as an entirely separate ethnic group and proposed his "Jutes-on-both-sides" theory, which states that

385-450: Is listed in the highest category, Grade I , for its architecture. The palace consists of two main structures: the residence itself, which is built round a cloister , and Morton's Tower, which forms the main entry. The medieval building had three more courtyards, which have since disappeared, as has the moat that surrounded the complex. The unusual inclusion of a cloister may be because Archbishop Hubert Walter initially intended to found

440-536: Is apparently the hall of his brother-in-law Finn , ruler of the Frisians , where he has come to spend the winter (see below). The fragment begins with Hnæf's observation that what he sees outside "is not the dawn in the East, nor is it the flight of a dragon, nor are the gables burning". What he sees is the torches of approaching attackers. Hnæf and his sixty retainers hold the doors for five days, without any falling. Then

495-403: Is either heavily romanticized, or an extremely sympathetic character. The view of Hildeburh as a tragic or romanticized character is often viewed by scholars as being an "unconvincing assessment" because of its “lack of textual proof and emotional tenor” and because it often fails to take into account the vast difference in time and culture between modern and Anglo-Saxon audiences. Her importance to

550-528: Is excluded from the parish of North Lambeth . The garden park is listed and resembles Archbishop's Park , a neighbouring public park; however, it was a larger area with a notable orchard until the early 19th century. The former church in front of its entrance has been converted to the Garden Museum . The south bank of the Thames along this reach, not part of historic London, developed slowly because

605-400: Is it the flight of a dragon, or are the gables burning?" Hnæf answers, "Neither is this the dawn in the East, nor is it the flight of a dragon, nor are the gables of this hall burning," it is an attack. Prepared, the Danes and Hengest's Jutes barricade the two doors of the hall against attack. Garulf is warned by one Guðhere not to risk his "precious life" in the assault, but he attacks and is

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660-614: Is located at the far end of the Palace gardens, with its entrance on Lambeth Palace Road, and was designed by Wright & Wright . In addition to the existing library collections, it houses the archival collections of various Church of England institutions formerly held at the Church of England Record Centre (opened 1989) in Bermondsey . The library contains an extensive collection of material relating to ecclesiastical history, including

715-469: Is most likely an error by either Hickes or his printer, since that construction appears nowhere else, and the word should be Finnesburh . It is not clear whether this was the actual name of the hall or only the poet's description of it. Where exactly the hall was, or even whether it was in Frisia, is not known. Uniquely in the surviving Old English corpus , the fragment contains no Christian references and

770-465: Is right) and decides that his loyalty to Hnæf must outweigh his obligation to Finn. (In any case, Tolkien points out that we do not see Hengest swearing any oath to Finn; we only see Finn swearing oaths to Hengest and the Danes.) When the spring comes, the Danes sail home and tell the story of the downfall of Hnæf. They return to Finn's stronghold in force. Hengest, having remained in Frys-Land under

825-583: The Palace of Westminster , which houses Parliament , on the opposite bank. Close to Westminster and the City , the estate was first acquired by the archdiocese for the archbishop (who also has a residence at Old Palace, Canterbury ) around 1200. While the original residence of the archbishop of Canterbury was in his episcopal see , Canterbury, Kent , a site originally called the Manor of Lambeth or Lambeth House

880-727: The Restoration , it was completely rebuilt by Archbishop William Juxon in 1663 (dated) with a late Gothic hammerbeam roof . The choice of a hammerbeam roof was evocative, as it reflected the High-Church Anglican continuity with the Old Faith (the King's ( Charles II ) brother was an avowed Catholic) and served as a visual statement that the Interregnum was over. As with some Gothic details on University buildings of

935-601: The Arches . Lambeth Palace is home to the Community of Saint Anselm , an Anglican religious order that is under the patronage of the archbishop of Canterbury. Finn and Hengest Finn and Hengest is a study by J. R. R. Tolkien , edited by Alan Bliss and published posthumously in book form in 1982. Finn and Hengest are two Anglo-Saxon heroes appearing in the Old English epic poem Beowulf and in

990-609: The Blitz, so most of its fittings are of 1954-55. The medieval great hall , now gone, appears to have been rebuilt following damage in the Peasants' Revolt. The south end of the hall joined the kitchen and offices, while a stair at the north end led to the archbishop's apartments. One 14th century room of these apartments, now known as the Guard Chamber, still stands, with its original elaborate roof. Further private accommodation

1045-437: The Danes loyally insist that any peace agreement must include Hengest and his men. Finn agrees, and swears an oath of peace: the Danes and Hengest's men will lay down their arms, and since they cannot leave Frys-Land until the winter ends, they will sit at Finn's table and technically accept him as their protector (since he was now their only possible source of food and maintenance, and they had intended to be his guests throughout

1100-622: The action in the Finn Episode makes his lack of mention in the Finnesburg Fragment all the more obvious. He is only seen once in the fragment, and that mention is not one in which he represents an important role. His action in the piece does not represent that of a leader; instead he is simply mentioned in line 17 which reads that Hengest himself stepped in afterwards ("and Hengest sylf / hwearf him on laste"). This reading, it can be argued, does put emphasis on Hengest's presence at

1155-444: The archives of the archbishops dating back to the 12th century, and those of other church bodies and of various Anglican missionary and charitable societies. Manuscripts include items dating back to the 9th century. The library also holds over 120,000 printed books. In 1996, when Sion College Library closed, Lambeth Palace Library acquired its important holdings of manuscripts, pamphlets, and pre-1850 printed books. Topics covered by

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1210-496: The autumn, His purpose is to return Finn's now-grown son and spend the winter in Finn's citadel, celebrating Yule . Hnæf brings a retinue of some sixty thanes. Chief among these thanes is a Jute named Hengest, leader of a band of Jutes who have taken service under Hnæf. Unfortunately, and foreseen by no one, when they arrive at Finn's stronghold they find that many of Finn's thanes are also Jutes, particularly one Garulf, who seems to be

1265-553: The battle; however, it does not put him in a position of power as he is in The Finn Episode. J. R. R. Tolkien made a study of the surviving texts in an attempt to reconstruct what may have been the original story behind the Finnesburg Fragment and the "Finnesburg Episode" of Beowulf' . This study was eventually edited into the book Finn and Hengest . Tolkien argues there that the story is historical, rather than legendary, in character. Tolkien also argues that Finnsburuh

1320-536: The burning of Hnæf is clearly pagan . Though the Finnesburg Fragment itself has little mention of religious elements, the text of Beowulf does. In recent times several critics have offered explanations for the Christian elements of the poem. Christopher M. Cain specifically suggests that the author was Christian and wrote the poem with parallels to the Old Testament to show the pre-Christian world in which

1375-496: The characters, such as Hnæf , are mentioned in other texts. The episode in Beowulf (lines 1068–1158) is about 90 lines long and appears in the form of a lay sung by Hrothgar 's scop at a feast in celebration of Beowulf's recent exploit. The lay identifies Hnæf's last struggle as the aftermath of a battle described as Fres-wæl ("Frisian slaughter"). The episode is allusive and is clearly intended for an audience that already knows

1430-446: The collections range from the history of art and architecture to colonial and Commonwealth history, and numerous aspects of English social , political and economic history. The library is also an important resource for local history and genealogy . For online catalogues, see External links below. Notable items in the collections include: Immediately outside the gatehouse stands the former parish church of St Mary-at-Lambeth which

1485-476: The epic takes place. This unique approach highlights the fact that the characters such as Beowulf and Hrothgar act in a way that is still moral without being explicitly Christian. In contrast C. Tidmarsh Major took a different approach and examined the state of religion at the time the poem was likely written. In the Middle Ages he asserts that Christianity was not at all as uniform as it is now, and neither

1540-463: The first reference to the sole manuscript of Beowulf .) Since the time when the copy was made the original manuscript folio has been lost or stolen. The fragment is only about 50 lines long and does not specify the tribal identities of those involved. It describes a battle in which Hnæf (lines 2 and 40), elsewhere known as a Danish prince (see below), is attacked at a place called Finnsburuh "Finn's stronghold" (line 36). To judge by Beowulf , this

1595-422: The first to fall. Finn's Frisian thanes, who have ties of marriage and friendship to Finn's Jutish thanes, join in the fight against the Danes. The Danes hold the hall for five days without losing a man. On the morning of the fifth day the Frisians force their way into the hall, and in the battle, both Hnæf and Friðiwulf are killed. (It is not clear which side Friðiwulf was fighting on, but Tolkien thinks it likely he

1650-458: The fragment of " The Fight at Finnsburg ". Hengest has sometimes been identified with the Jutish king of Kent . He and his brother Horsa (the names meaning " stallion " and "horse") were the legendary leaders of the first Anglo-Saxon immigrants to Britain as mercenaries in the 5th century. Hnæf , son of Hoc Half-Dane, is the lord of a Danish people who have conquered part of Jutland (probably

1705-464: The guise of upholding the terms of the peace-treaty, opens the gates to the invaders and the Danes sack Finn's stronghold, kill Finn and all his men, loot and burn the city and return home, taking Hildeburh with them. The book is based on an edited series of lectures Tolkien made before and after World War II . In his lectures, Tolkien argued that the Hengest of " The Fight at Finnsburg " and Beowulf

Finnesburg Fragment - Misplaced Pages Continue

1760-405: The hall and takes Hildeburh back "to her people". From the first glance we see many differences between the Finn Episode in Beowulf and the Finnesburg Fragment. One of the first and most prevalent differences is the absence of Hildeburh from the Finnesburg Fragment. In the Finn Episode she is an integral character, one that is affected by all action of the piece, some would even consider her to be

1815-487: The land was low and sodden: it was called Lambeth Marsh , as far downriver as the present Blackfriars Road . The name "Lambeth" embodies "hithe" , a landing on the river: archbishops came and went by water, as did John Wycliff , who was tried here for heresy in 1378. In the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, the palace was attacked. Cardinal Pole lay in state in the palace for 40 days after he died there in 1558. The palace

1870-600: The northern part of the Cimbrian Peninsula ) and exiled its former Jutish rulers. Finn, king of Frys-Land (modern-day Friesland in the Netherlands) has allowed dispossessed Jutes to settle in his lands and enter his service. Finn marries Hnæf's older sister Hildeburh , and sends their son (whose name was probably Friðuwulf) to be fostered in Hnæf's household. Around the year AD 450, Hnæf sails to Frys-Land in

1925-562: The palace are works by Hans Holbein , Anthony van Dyck , William Hogarth and Sir Joshua Reynolds . The fig tree in the palace courtyard is possibly grown from a slip taken from one of the White Marseille fig trees here for centuries (reputedly planted by Cardinal Pole). In 1786, there were three ancient figs, two "nailed against the wall" and still noted in 1826 as "two uncommonly fine... traditionally reported to have been planted by Cardinal Pole, and fixed against that part of

1980-565: The palace believed to have been founded by him. They are of the white Marseilles sort, and still bear delicious fruit. ...On the south side of the building, in a small private garden, is another tree of the same kind and age." By 1882, their place had been taken by several massive offshoots. The notable orchard of the medieval period has somewhat given way to a mirroring public park adjoining and built-up roads of housing and offices. The palace gardens were listed grade II in October 1987. Within

2035-524: The palace precincts is Lambeth Palace Library , the official library of the archbishop of Canterbury, and the principal repository of records of the Church of England . It describes itself as "the largest religious collection outside of the Vatican ". The library was founded as a public library by Archbishop Richard Bancroft in 1610, and was historically located within the main Palace complex. A new purpose-built library and repository opened in 2021. This

2090-603: The parish was absorbed into the surrounding parish of North Lambeth which has three active churches, the nearest being St Anselm's Church, Kennington Cross. The Museum of Garden History (now the Garden Museum ) opened in the building in 1977, taking advantage of its Tradescant associations. During renovation works in 2016, a previously unknown crypt was discovered, containing 30 coffins. Amongst these were those of five archbishops of Canterbury— Richard Bancroft , Thomas Tenison , Matthew Hutton , Frederick Cornwallis , and John Moore —as well as that of John Bettesworth , Dean of

2145-469: The parties, and allowing Hnæf and his thanes to occupy the royal hall, while he removes his own thanes to a different building. However, the Frisian Jutes make a pre-dawn attack, hoping to take Hengest and his band by surprise. But the Danes have been expecting trouble, and a watchman sees the light of their approaching torches. He asks rhetorically, "What is this light? Is it the dawn in the East, or

2200-535: The rightful heir to the kingdom conquered by Hnæf's people; and these Frisian Jutes are at blood feud with Hengest and his band, because Hengest supports the conquering Danes, if for no other reason. This would explain why Hildeburh "had no cause to praise the fealty of the Jutes," since that fealty led to the re-awakening of the feud, which killed her brother, husband, and son. Finn (who seems guiltless in Tolkien's interpretation) tries to prevent trouble by separating

2255-459: The same date, it is debated among architectural historians whether this is "Gothic survival" or an early work of the "Gothic Revival". The diarist Samuel Pepys recognised it as "a new old-fashioned hall". Major work was done by Blore in 1829-33, with large parts of the medieval palace being rebuilt, and an extensive new wing in Gothic revival style added. Among the portraits of the archbishops in

Finnesburg Fragment - Misplaced Pages Continue

2310-402: The story. It describes the mourning of Hildeburh after a surprise attack by the Frisians on the Danes. Hildeburh, Hnæf's sister, was married to Finn, leader of the Frisians, in an effort to make peace between the two tribes though this attempt was unsuccessful and today is seen by many scholars as the source for tragedy in the piece. She mourned for the loss of her brother, Hnæf, whose funeral pyre

2365-522: The storyline in the Finn Episode makes her absence from the Finnesburg Fragment all the more obvious. This is also true of Hengest. In the Finn Episode Hengest plays an extremely important role in the way the story plays out. He is a leader and instigates much of the action seen in the piece. Hengest is the character that “pledged” a “firm compact of peace” with the Frisians and killed Finn "in his own home". As with Hildeburh, his importance to

2420-402: The very reason for the conflict was the presence of Jutes (alongside the respective "native" retainers in both groups) in the retinues of both Finn and Hnæf (or, more specifically, that of Hnæf's thegn Hengest ), and that these Jutes were hostile to one another. The context for the poem is obscure, but a version of the story also appears in a passage of the epic poem Beowulf , and some of

2475-445: The winter anyway.) Finn gives the Danes a separate hall to dwell in for the winter, specifying that they shall share it with the sons of the Jutes (meaning Hengest and his band.) He also swears that any one of his own thanes who tries to renew the feud (by taunting the Danes that they now follow the slayer of their lord) will be punished, possibly with death, by Finn himself. The bodies of Hnæf and Friðiwulf are honourably burned. Over

2530-442: The winter, the Danes and their Jutish allies brood over the fall of Hnæf. Hengest is faced with a conflict of duty: whether to honour the peace-treaty with Finn, or to honour his duty to avenge his fallen lord. Finally the son of Hunlaf takes a sword Hildeleoma ("Battleflame") which was probably Hnæf's sword, and lays it in Hengest's lap. Hengest "does not refuse the world's counsel" (that is, he goes along with what everyone agrees

2585-531: Was Germanic paganism . In fact he simply argues that it is a literary example of the overlapping and melding of pagan and Christian beliefs as they encountered one another. Lambeth Palace Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury . It is situated in north Lambeth , London, on the south bank of the River Thames , 400 yards (370 metres) south-east of

2640-544: Was a historical rather than a legendary figure, and that these works record episodes from an orally composed and transmitted history of the Hengest named in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle . This view has gained acceptance from some medieval historians and Anglo-Saxon scholars, both since Tolkien's initial lectures and since the publication of this posthumous collection. Tolkien's lectures describe what he called

2695-423: Was acquired by the diocese around AD 1200 (though Archbishop Anselm had a house there a century earlier) and has since served as the archbishop's London residence. The site was chosen for its convenient proximity to the royal palace and government seat of Westminster, just across the Thames. The site is bounded by Lambeth Palace Road to the west and Lambeth Road to the south, but unlike all surrounding land

2750-593: Was added when the Water or Lollards ' Tower, built of Kentish Ragstone with ashlar quoins, was built at the north-west corner in 1434-35. It was extended and heightened later in the century, and again in the early 16th century when Laud 's Tower was built next to it. At the top of the stair was the Archbishop's prison, a room also seen at Winchester Palace in Southwark. The massive five-storey brick gatehouse

2805-776: Was again attacked in May 1640 during a period of popular discontent with the Arminianist theology of the Archbishop , William Laud , in the hope of capturing him. The palace was ransacked and partially demolished by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War of the 1640s, necessitating major reconstruction, especially of the great hall, in 1660-63. New construction was added to the building in 1829–1834 by Edward Blore (1787–1879), who rebuilt much of Buckingham Palace later, in neo-Gothic style and it fronts

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2860-460: Was built by Cardinal John Morton and completed in 1495 and housed eight lodgings for the Archbishop's household. Improvements continued into the 16th century, when Archbishop Cranmer built a brick tower north-east of the chapel to house his study. The most serious damage done by the Cromwellians in the late 1640s was the demolition of the great hall and the sale of its materials. After

2915-424: Was preserved by a campaign led by John and Rosemary Nicholson . The tower dates from 1377 (repaired in 1834); while the body of the church was rebuilt in 1851 to the designs of Philip Hardwick . Older monuments were preserved, including the tombs of some of the gardeners and plantsmen John Tradescant the elder and his son of the same name , and of Admiral William Bligh . St Mary's was deconsecrated in 1972, when

2970-524: Was shared by the son of herself and Finn. After the battle, Finn and a character named Hengest make a loyalty pact. Hengest is a leader among Hnæf's surviving warriors. The circumstances are obscure, but Hnæf's men are to stay in Finnesburgh, at least for the winter, and the Frisians are not to taunt them for following the slayer of their lord. In the end, Hengest is overcome by vengeance and slaughters Finn and his men in their own mead hall. He then loots

3025-399: Was staying in the hall with Hnæf, his foster-father and uncle; this would explain why Beowulf emphasises that Friðiwulf was laid on the funeral pyre at Hnæf's side.) The surviving Danes, and those Jutes allied with Hengest, drive the Frisians and Jutes out of the hall and re-barricade the door. At this point Finn (who may not have joined in the fight personally) intervenes and offers to make

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