ARTHUR BAHR: Who wants to take us through this one?
Lambert?
AUDIENCE: OK.
So we can have the þā which I figured after doing all the readings, but probably "then."
ARTHUR BAHR: OK, yeah.
AUDIENCE: When I first tried this without looking up anything, I vaguely remembered
wigan being weak, a weak masculine noun, I think.
And I saw the -on at the end of the sceoldon.
ARTHUR BAHR: Good.
AUDIENCE: So I figured it was like "they should" or "shall," like there's an obligation.
ARTHUR BAHR: Good, good.
Exactly.
So sceoldon is the past tense of the preterite present verbs sculan, which is on your list
of preterite present verbs that you need to know.
Remember this all important list on page 81?
So cunnan, magan, moton, sculan, and witan, plus dōn and gān.
So yeah, very good.
So you see the plural ending of -on.
And then that plural ending helps you disambiguate this often ambiguous -an ending.
Very good, keep going.
AUDIENCE: Then I saw gān, which I figured might be the verb in that section because
of the tō þām ealdre.
So that was one thing on its own.
ARTHUR BAHR: OK, yep.
AUDIENCE: And then, and him hira hringas ġiefan.
So the him I assumed was ealdre because the hira, I think it was genitive plural.
ARTHUR BAHR: Good.
AUDIENCE: [OLD ENGLISH].
So I figured that was like helmets.
So that hira probably went on wigan because that's the only other plural thing in there.
ARTHUR BAHR: Good.
Excellent, excellent.
Because this is singular.
This is ambiguous.
But if it refers back to ealdre, then it is also singular.
Right, so whose helmets?
Well, in all likelihood-- I mean, it's kind of got to be the wigan.
Yeah, good.
AUDIENCE: And then Yeah, so I just "and to him their helmets gave.".
ARTHUR BAHR: Yeah.
What's happening with the verbs in this sentence?
Because we have actually three verbs in the sentence.
What is governing what?
What verbs are governing what?
And how do they all piece together?
Yeah, Joshua?
AUDIENCE: Sceoldon is the conjugated one.
And the other two are infinitives.
ARTHUR BAHR: Exactly.
Both of which are governed by the conjugated form of the verb, exactly.
So either "then" or "the."
It's technically ambiguous.
But I intended it to be "the."
So "The warriors had to"-- because it's the past tense-- so "had to go to the lord and
give him their helmets," all right?
And this is very typical, this construction whereby a single conjugated verb can govern
multiple infinitives, just like in modern English, where we could say something very
comparable to that and have it be basically idiomatic.
Yeah?
AUDIENCE: Meaning-wise is that something that usually happened?
After a battle, you just return--
ARTHUR BAHR: After what, sorry?
AUDIENCE: When I was reading the sentence, I was just thinking in my mind, is that something
common that warriors did?
They just returned everything they brought into battle to the lord?
Or is that just--
ARTHUR BAHR: Oh, yeah, that's a good question.
I think that is actually, honestly-- really, it would be much more likely to be the other
way around, that the lord would give rings to the warriors rather than the warriors giving
rings to the lord because a "ring-giver" is in fact a very typical kenning.
Or sorry, a, well, helmet-- "distributor of treasure" is a common kenning for a lord.
Yeah, Alyssa?
AUDIENCE: Is there any possibility to read this with a more metaphorical meaning, like
sense of the warriors had to go to the lord and give them their protection, as in their
fealty?
ARTHUR BAHR: Oh, yeah.
AUDIENCE: They're giving a symbolic-- they're giving him their protection, the other reading
of helmas.
ARTHUR BAHR: Yes, the other reading of helmas.
AUDIENCE: Pledging that they will protect the lord, which seemed like a reasonable reading.
ARTHUR BAHR: I would totally accept that.
I would totally accept that.
I think in the plural, as a kind of-- I'm not sure how idiomatic that would be as a
plural presentation.
But it's totally grammatically possible.
And I would accept that and give full points on the exam.
Good question.
And I love, by the way, that you all are reading actively for the sense of the sentences and
also for metaphorical possibilities because this will all serve you in very good stead
when we get to the poetry.