Author: E. A. Sorokina (Volgograd State Socio-Pedagogical University)

Pages\n 872–881

Summary\n: Interpretation of OE ærn >*raznan in Beowulf (lines 2221–2226) is important because of illegibility of one word in line 2223. W. Lawrence had arguments for þegn, but many editors, translators and commentators followed F. Hubbard who defended the word þeow. The social status of a thief is important for the analysis as it influences the author’s choice of words to describe his deeds, feelings and behaviour according to old Germanic epic tradition. OE ærn is unambiguous as the initial æ and final n are sufficiently visible for decipherment. Although OE ærn occurs only once in Beowulf, the words with the suffix -ærn /-ern are quite numerous both in the poem, and in the Old English language. In Beowulf, the words with this suffix can be divided into two groups, two heroic ideals of the ancient Germanic power: 1) four words (medu-ærn; heal-ærn; wín-ærn; ðrýþ-ærn) depict Heorot, the symbol of king’s power, and 2) one word in two contexts (hord-ærn) denotes the symbol of ancient treasure. The dating of the Beowulf record (about 1000) and the period of word-formation with the suffix -ærn /-ern (in 950–1050) prompt a suggestion that at that time the word ærn probably belonged to the archaic heroic vocabulary and was associated with dwelling, or shelter in general, but not with any particular type of a building. The reading of the illegible word as þegn is supported by the idea of shelter for old Germanic vassals/warriors associated with their lord’s residence. Archaeological excavations of the early Anglo-Saxon settlements (IV–V cent. AD) confirm that rectangular wooden houses from 6–12 to 23 m long and 3.5–7 m wide were similar to continental old Germanic long houses. But since the VIIth century smaller (less than 6 meters) houses of the same type have become more common, probably because of the different climatic conditions, or cultural influence of the Roman traditions. We cannot correlate OE ærn with ‘old Germanic long house’ on the basis of only one context, but parallels are obvious. We suggest that the word ærn could once have had a meaning of ‘a dwelling on a hill, quite spacious, intended not only for feasts, but also for social meetings where significant number of people could gather to solve their problems’. It can be assumed that the change in the size and the function of this type of a building in the later period led to the disappearance of OE ærn from the language.

Keywords\n: Old Germanic epic tradition, Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, designations of dwellings.

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