The Pagan Beowulf: Alternatives to the Usual Beowulf (RMMLA 77th Annual Conventin)
Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association (RMMLA) 77th Annual Convention
October 10-12 (Thur.-Sat.) at the Westgate Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Deadline for Submissions: June 30, 2024
For centuries, the “usual” Beowulf translation has been full of Christian references and very little Pagan references. Yet, Christianity did not arrive in Scandinavia until around 710, well after the time of the events in Beowulf, which is around 550 AD. In contrast, the first Christian missionary to Anglo-Saxon England was with St. Augustine in 597. While there are some definite Christian references in Beowulf, there are actually far fewer than the far greater pagan references in the poem. Your abstract should address this theme specifically.
Send your 350-word abstract, with a short 50-word bio, to Jim Buckingham, Old English Session Chair, at wibuck50@gmail.com by June 30, 2024.
Jim Buckingham