Beowulf: Motivations behind Hospitality and Inhospitality

《貝爾武夫》：「好客」與「不好客」背後的動機

In, Fan-Yu(應芳瑜)

《國立彰化師範大學文學院學報》 27期 (2023/05) Pp. 33-47

https://doi.org/10.53106/230597612023050027003

摘要

Feasts in Beowulf show hospitality on the one hand and inhospitality on the other hand. The story in Beowulf is set in pagan Scandinavia in the sixth century. At that time the Danes in Denmark and the Geats in Geatland crossed the strait named Kattegat (in Danish) to visit each other. This study draws on relevant resources-Derrida's metaphysics of différance, Marcel Mauss's theory of gift giving, and some biblical stories to examine the boundaries between locals and foreigners and between humans and monster-like creatures in Beowulf. Banquets in Beowulf are a sign of hospitality on the surface. However, beneath the surface it has been prepared owing to the Danes' reliance on foreign support for their attempt to defeat a powerful monster-like enemy. The article aims to clarify the hosts' motivations behind their hospitality and inhospitality. Banquets in Beowulf show hospitality on the surface, but it is based on mutual interests. In a similar sense, inhospitality is a strategy that takes tribal interests into account. Hosts' inhospitality to visitors may cause jealousy which is one of the sources of evils. The Geats show inhospitality to the dragon as the Danes do it to Grendel. This article argues that hospitality tends to prevail in homogeneous cultures, and its means are more complex, and it is more common to exist in complicated human society. The degree of hospitality depends on the degree of mutual interests, while inhospitality is more likely to exist in both human society and monster's society.

關鍵字

Hospitality ； inhospitality ； feasts ； tribal and mutual interests ； foreigners

並列摘要

《貝爾武夫》的盛宴一方面表現出「好客」，另一方面則表現出「不好客」。貝爾武夫的故事發生在西元六世紀斯堪地納維亞半島。當時居住在丹麥的丹麥人和居住在蓋特蘭的蓋次人越過名為卡特加特（丹麥語）的海峽進行互訪活動。本研究引用相關資料－德希達的形而上學之差異論、馬塞爾．莫斯的送禮理論，一些聖經故事和怪物研究來探討《貝爾武夫》文本之中的本地人與外國人之間以及人類與怪物之間的界限。本文旨在闡明主方的「好客」和「不好客」背後的動機。《貝爾武夫》的盛宴表面上是「好客」，其實是基於互利互惠；「不好客」的行動亦是考量部落利益而採取的策略。主方對客方的「不好客」可能會引起客方的嫉妒，而嫉妒是萬惡之源之一。蓋次部落對噴火龍表現出「不好客」的立場與行為，同樣地，丹麥部落對格倫德爾也表現出「不好客」的立場與行為。在《貝爾武夫》文本之中，噴火龍和格倫德爾皆為異族，語言和外表明顯與人類不同，兩者皆被視為怪物；然而，蓋次人和丹麥人是互相來往、互通有無、文化交流、而且語言相通，雙方互相表現「好客」的立場與行為；但是，「好客」背後的動機不單純只是友誼，還有權力、財富、榮譽、地位、同盟抗敵之考量。本文主張「好客」盛行於在同質文化，其手段較為複雜，較容易顯現於人類社會之中，「好客」的程度取決於共同利益的程度，而「不好客」則是普遍存在於人類社會和怪物社會。

並列關鍵字

好客 ； 不好客 ； 盛宴 ； 部落利益和共同利益 ； 外國人

參考文獻

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