OERP Book: Chapter Thirteen
By Gary G. Stanfield. Last updated 27 July 2003. Previously published in: Stanfield, Gary G. 1998a. “Excerpts from the OERP Book, Chapters 13 and 14.” The Rune 8 (Spring): 35-44.
Suggested listing of this edition in reference list format: Stanfield, Gary G. 2003. “OERP Book: Chapter Thirteen”. In Gary Stanfield's Web Pages [Online]. Available http://pages.prodigy.net/gary_s/toc.htm. [Visited: DateYouWereHere].
byþ útan unsmeþe treow,
heard, hrusan fæst, hyrde fryes,
wyrtrumun underwreþyd, wynan on eþle.
Translations
(A) Transliteration
is {from outside; on the outside, without}
{unsmooth, uneven; rough, scabby (smeþe means smooth, polished, or soft)} {tree; wood, timber; grove; beam, log, stake, stick; tree of the cross, cross, rood}
{hard, harsh, severe, stern, cruel; strong, intense, vigorous, violent; hardy, bold; resistant} {earth, soil} {fast, fixed, secure; constant, steadfast; stiff, heavy, dense; obstinate, bound, costive; enclosed, closed, watertight; strong, fortified}
{shepherd, herdsman; guardian, keeper; pastor} (of) {fire; a fire}
(by) {roots, root-stock; origins, beginnings, stock} {supported, upheld — not to nourish, but to buttress}
{joyfully, beautifully} {on, in, upon, among, within; into, onto, against, towards, in exchange for} {country, native land, ancestral home; estate(?)}
(B)
Unsmooth on the outside · is any yew-tree.
But solid it is and secure in the earth, · this sustainer of flame.
Underpinned it is plenty
· — it’s with pleasure at home.
(C)
The yew is a visually and tactilely ugly tree. On the other hand it is hardy, firmly fastened in the earth, lasting and energetic as a fuel, and well sustained by its origins. Thus, the yew fits beautifully in its native land.
(D)
The yew —a rough-skinned tree — is strong and secure, a guardian of fire, and well rooted below. It enjoys its natural habitat.
(E)
Ugly outside ·
appears any yew.
But strong yes it is ·
and sustainer of fire.
And it’s secure in the soil, ·
supported by roots.
In its habitat home ·
it happily thrives.
(F)
Unsmooth is the yew on the outside. But it is hardy & firmly planted in the ground. It is also a nurturer of fire and supported from below by its roots. Joyfully is the yew in its native land.
(G)
The yew is unsmooth on the outside. Inside, it is hard, firmly planted, and a nurturer of fire. It is elaborately rooted and joyfully in its native land.
Issues Regarding Translation
There are three issues here. One is the interpretation hyrde as protector or ward. The other two issues focus on the last half-line and are technical and more important for overall interpretation. One issue is the validity of wynan — is that the word that the author(s) meant? The other issue is the meaning of éþle. I have decided to resolve those issues in a way that other scholarly translators of “Eoh” have not.
Hyrde Fyres
This phrase is often translated as “guardian” or “shepherd”. However, this word clearly does not denote guardian in the sense of “sentry”. The sense is more that of the guardian of a minor child or the pastor of a church. Mainly, what the yew “protects” the fire from is starvation, physically or spiritually. This is “hyrde” in the sense of nurturer more than in the sense of protector.
Wynan
One of the issues in translation of “Eoh” is the first word in the last half-line: wynan. Some editors of this poem take the position that , in Dobbie’s words, wynan is a “dittographic error”. They infer that the medieval original must have read “wyn”, which is a noun for joy. This leads to translations which say that the yew is enjoyed by humans. Although Halsall — following Grienberger — makes a case that wynan is the adverbial dative and was intended in the medieval original, her translation does not depend on this, saying that the yew is “a pleasure to have on one’s land.” Likewise, Thorsson uses wynan in his edition but translates the word as if it were wyn. (See Dickins, 1915; Halsall, 1981; Paul, 1996; Osborn and Longland, 1987; Pollington, 1995; Shippey, 1973; Thorsson, 1993; Wódening, 1995a).
Halsall’s case depends on rhythm. I have listened to some pretty competent performances of “Eoh” in Old English and experimented with it. Performance is subtly affected by one’s choice of wyn or wynan. However, the rhythm seems to be not harmed by simply holding wyn a count longer or taking the same time as you would take to pronounce wynan. Therefore, one cannot choose wynan over wyn on strictly metrical grounds, although the stanza does sound a little better with wynan (as Halsall notes — 1981: 128).
I have made my decision mainly on substantive grounds. First, the phrases of the stanza are clearly not grammatically parallel, but they are substantively parallel. It is the yew that does things or has characteristics in every expression other than the last verse. So it seems reasonable to expect that the yew is also doing something in the last half-line, not the people. The verse says that the yew is (somehow) in its eþle. This is not that people have joy, but that the yew has joy. We are presented the notion of a tree being joyfully at home, but we are considering poetry, not a scientific paper.
Wynan is the original and intended word here. This rules out the possibility that “Eoh” tells us that humans enjoy the yew’s presence. The emphasis here is that the yew thrives.
Eþle
One’s translation of eþle (the last word in the stanza) also depends on whether one feels that the yew is the focus of every half-line in the stanza. If the yew is the focus of every phrase, then eþle cannot mean “estate”, for nothing in the poem would have us believe that it makes a difference to the tree whether it is inside or outside anyone’s property line. On the other hand, eþle could mean “native land” or “homeland”. In the literal sense, this would make sense as a reference to natural habitat or ecosystem. Also, “native land” or “homeland” can refer to community metaphorically.
In short, if it is plausible that wyn(an) is an adverbial dative, then it is plausible — by basically the same arguments — that eþle does not mean “estate” in this stanza.
In the translations I have supplied, I did not interpret eþle as “estate”. Such a translation would have a subtle effect on interpretations, making a more authoritarian and Christian implicit stanza than any I show below. The next paragraph illustrates the ambiguity that I am showing in this analysis.
Translations C and D illustrate the two plausible interpretations of “wynan on éþle”. Translation C follows the usual inference drawn by translators — to look upon the pleasure as had by people and see “éþle” as the home of people. Translation D reflects the view that the tree is the main focus in every half-line of this stanza. Therefore, the tree (metaphorically) enjoys or thrives, and the homeland spoken of is the tree’s natural habitat. Both of these views can be justified and both are probably within the intent of the poet(s).
A Note on Performance
The last half-line benefits
from a slower, lower-toned recitation than the other lines in “Eoh”. This would
be done to help communicate smiling satisfaction & to emphasize that this
verse represents a consequence of the preceding three verses. A different tone
of voice and different rhythm would indicate that this is a different kind of
statement, a conclusion following premises.
The usefulness of this
performance style is clearer here than in some other stanzas of the OERP.
However, all the three-line stanzas are best sung or recited with the last half
line emphasized by a lower tone of voice, slower enunciation (or holding of
notes), or lower volume.
Discussion
At the lowest level of meaning, we have “The Desirable Ugly Tree”. It tells us that a natural phenomenon need not be glamorous to be wonderful.
At the second level, there are three implicit stanzas. “The Unrefined But Good Person”, “Well Adjusted”, and “The Stubborn Churl” all speak to us of types of persons. “The Unrefined But Good Person” warns us to look more deeply at other people, while the other two would have us look at ourselves.
At the third level, we find three more implicit stanzas. “The Plain Oath” reminds us that beauty is nice, but articulateness and sincerity are greatly valued in oaths. “The Emergent Hero” and “The Proper Mystic” speak to us of types of persons, one cautioning us to not devalue others too readily and the other giving advice specifically for esoteric personnel.
A major conclusion of this analysis is that one cannot speak of a yew-person, for there is more than one type of person described in “Eoh’s” implicit stanzas.
The Desirable Ugly Tree
Translations B and D best support this point of view. The idea is that although the yew is ugly and its leaves are poisonous to human and beast, the tree has important practical benefits. It provides a hard wood which is excellent for making some things, such as bows, and it provides excellent fuel. Shippey claims that it was customary to plant yews as windbreaks in ancient England. Yews would be resistant to wind due to their firm, elastic wood and their underground wreaths. These trees would have outlasted most Anglo-Saxon buildings but did not grow as fast as some trees of less longevity. Yew trees can live for a thousand years (Osborn and Longland, 1987: 67; Shippey, 1973: 135; Welch, 1992: 29).
These benefits are not readily apparent at a glance, but they are well known to those who live where there are lots of yews. On the whole, the yew is a wonderful tree! It thrives mostly because it exploits its natural surroundings, but also because it is useful to people.
The Unrefined but Good Person
This implicit stanza is based mainly on Translations C and E. It speaks of the yew as a metaphor for a certain type of person. This person seems not very appealing at a glance or on first acquaintance. This could be due to unattractive appearance, inarticulate speech, poor clothing, poor social skills, or other relatively superficial criteria.
On deeper acquaintance, this person’s lack of outward polish is more than made up for by more fundamental characteristics. One list of these qualities is in Translation E. There is an inner strength — a courage, decisiveness, or firm sense of purpose. This is complemented by a high level of reliability. This person is also productive, a sustainer if not an initiator of flame, which stands for goods and services all people need to have good lives. This type of person is well integrated into his or her surroundings, physically and culturally. This integration provides a subtle but effective decoration (a wreath unglamorously below the ground) appreciated by others with similar backgrounds.
Another list of characteristics is in Translation C. With the phrase “lasting and energetic as a fuel”, Translation C emphasizes the hard work that such a person does. Also, this person is hardy — not a frequent burden to others, but needing relatively little care. (See also the sidebar “Hyrde Fyres”).
You can see how physical hardiness and a firm sense of purpose can help lead to stability and reliability. These characteristics in turn lead to a relatively high level of productivity, which in turn can contribute to other characteristics. As a result of all this, the unrefined but good person is highly valued by others in his or her community. This makes for a subtle beauty in the person’s life and helps the person thrive psychologically. Many medieval peasants, perhaps some absent-minded professors, and probably a lot of ordinary people would fit into this category.
In the previous stanza, “Ger”, we were jolted into reflecting that beauty is not divine. Now, in “Eoh” we are told that superficial ugliness is not demonic, not necessarily a sign of underlying evil nor of simple worthlessness.
Of course, it is not necessarily a good sign that a person does not care to be refined, has not had a good chance to become polished, or does not have an aptitude for things like good manners. “The Unrefined but Good Person” is just reminding us that sometimes the deeper reality is better than the outward appearance. Therefore, looking more deeply into a person can be worthwhile.
Well Adjusted
Translations D and F best support this view of “Eoh”. The truly well-adjusted person is not necessarily a perfectly well-rounded individual, but he or she does have some important strengths. Such a person is psychologically durable, tending to resist stress. He or she is secure, not buffeted this way and that by the turbulent weather of a variable environment. This person would also not be bothered by his or her own imperfections. However, a healthy person is emotionally alive and seeks the excitement of passion from time to time. Most pagans and neoPagans know that cultural roots are important, and this implicit stanza reinforces that impression. Most of all, a well-adjusted person thrives in his or her own community. That is an important criterion of being well-adjusted.
The Stubborn Churl
In Rune Games, Osborn and Longland (1982: 82) mention the “quite paradoxical meanings within the same verse”. Paradoxical — how about contradictory? And so in contrast to the valuable citizen and well adjusted person, we have an obnoxious character whose ugliness is not just skin deep. Translation G is the one most clearly related to this view of “Eoh”. Underneath a gruff exterior, this person is hard hearted, unwilling to change, hyperemotional, and firmly dug in. This is the character most people would want to go away, but who is difficult to get rid of. Some specimens of this type are clever and some are as smart as a block of wood, but they are all hampered by failure to perceive how badly behaved they are. Any large group or community can be a native land for some of these people at least for awhile.
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Desirable Superficials The OERP repeatedly cautions us against looking only at the superficial aspects of persons, things, and circumstances. However, nowhere does the poem say that beauty is demonic, that ugliness is sincere, that wealth is bad for you, etc. This very poem is a practically perfect example of the Old English poetic style, and would have been considered a remarkably beautiful piece of art. Making this poem likely required much effort. The author(s) certainly placed a high value on beauty, professionalism, and polished work or behavior. |
The Plain Oath
Translations B and E most directly support this implicit stanza. The plain oath is neither poetic nor flowery, and is not phrased in legalese. It is simply backed by sincere, stable intention and a willingness to spend energy. It is firmly based in reality. It thrives wherever its language is well and widely understood.
A strongly underpinned commitment does not have to be verbally pretty to be a pleasure among those who honor it. Indeed, there may at times appear to be an enhanced air of sincerity when an oath is articulate but not at all flowery. Of course, just as “Eoh” does not say that ugliness is desirable, it does not say that an inarticulate oath is superior to a well-stated oath. (See the sidebar “Desirable Superficials”).
The Hero
“The Hero” is derived from “Well Adjusted” and “The Unrefined but Good Person”. This is a special and exaggerated sense of those implicit stanzas. This is the person who usually does not seem exceptional, but who makes his or her group, family, community or society more beneficial for all its members.
As an example, consider the American soldiers of the Revolutionary War, especially those who endured the winter of 1776-1777. Many of them died from the miserable conditions — lack of adequate shelter and clothing, and inadequate food. Throughout 1776 and 1777, they lost most of their battles. The soldiers lacked the training and professionalism of the European soldiers they faced, although the Americans were more skilled with their muskets. The American army was not smooth. But the Patriots had an inner strength, determination, and passion for liberty. They had become thoroughly rooted in this new nation they were still building, and they loved America. Not only Americans, but people in many other lands enjoying freedom today are glad those soldiers were around[1].
This implicit stanza could be called “The Patriot”, but not all such heroism is, strictly speaking, patriotic. Some heroism is much more narrowly aimed, and some is too broadly aimed to be called patriotic. The idea of patriotism might be ahead of the OERP’s time of composition.
There are many individual cases where a person who seemed unremarkable, or even below average in human desirability, came through in a crisis. Fires, floods, earthquakes, and military combat have provided many stories of such persons who seemed to emerge with a surprising degree of nobility when others most needed such an individual. To some, this phenomenon is so unwonted as to seem a form of divine intervention.
Often overlooked is the extent to which people can exhibit a form of heroism in everyday lives. The Old Norwegian Rune Rhyme deals with this theme more directly in its stanza “Týr”: “Týr is the one-handed among the Æsir/The smith has to blow often.” This verse juxtaposes two notions of sacrifice. On the one hand, there is the partial self-sacrifice of himself by Týr when he put his hand in the wolf’s mouth so that the monster could be bound. On the other hand there is the exertion by the smith under challenging circumstances (of stench, and of extreme smoke and heat). So the major emphasis of this verse is sacrifice gains that are shared with others. This kind of investment is necessary, for the smith's products were necessities of life. In this light, hard work is analogous to heroic acts. Both the stanza “Eoh” in the OERP and the stanza “Týr” in the Old Norwegian Rune Rhyme tell us that hard work is also valuable to the community, although hard work may not seem glorious. (The Norwegian poem implies that such work is divine).
In “The Hero”, “wynan on eþle” is an explanation, not a conclusion. In other words, the hero’s enjoyment of his or her surroundings is a cause for those contributions to social welfare.
The Proper Mystic
This implicit stanza is based on some basic ideas about mysticism and on some of the other implicit stanzas of his chapter.. The other implicit stanzas are: “The Unrefined But Good Person”, “Well Adjusted”, “The Stubborn Churl”, and “The Hero”. Before discussing the derivation of “The Proper Mystic”, it would be useful to state forthrightly a basic philosophy about mysticism.
The proper goal of mysticism is not retreatism, but self-improvement. Mystics tend to work in private, and some of their work is secret. They must go through a period of self-transformation, becoming more highly conscious and self-directed than is common. Usually, most of the elite character of the mystic is hidden. In part this is because the attainment of a relatively divine personality is much more a matter of mental than of physical transformation. Also, routine daily activities offer fewer opportunities for manifestation of advanced achievement than do crises or problems. On the other hand, the avoidance of crises and problems is a product of the magician’s growth, and the lack of crises and problems is not always readily apparent to an objective observer.
This applies both to magically-oriented and nonmagically-oriented mystics. The magician must first transform his or her own will, intellect, or emotion before exercising psychic powers, and the exercise of those powers must be disciplined by high levels of ethical or moral development. In mysticism, developments in awareness, concentration, contact with mystical planes of existence, moral/ethical wisdom, and self-control are the goal. There is no goal line to cross. However, to have a productive experience in mystical practice, one must have a high level of the inner and social strengths indicated in “Well Adjusted” and “The Unrefined But Good Person”. Certainly, a magically-oriented person needs to be able to mobilize and focus his or her own passion (Thorsson, 1991; Weinstein, 1981: 3, 199-255).
“The Proper Mystic” tells us that among other things, the productive mystic must develop an awareness of social contexts. You do not want to be like the stubborn churl, who enjoys being in his community but is not fully welcome. The mystic does want to have an inner reality that is far more valuable than his or her more readily observable characteristics. Certainly, as a mystic you want to be a productive and emotionally healthy person, enjoying your community and being a joy to others. It is not out of place for a mystic to be a hero.
We can see two different applications of this wisdom: one monkish and Christian, and one more generally religious. (1) Yes, this can mean that the monk should fit well into monastic life or that a monastery should fit into its broader culture. (2) But this implicit stanza can also mean that a religiously esoteric person (or a non-religious magician) is properly a well-adjusted member of secular society. In any case, mysticism is not properly a retreat from society.
The reason for the inclusion of “The Stubborn Churl” along with “Well Adjusted”, “The Hero”, and “The Unrefined but Good Person” is to negatively criticize escapist tendencies in religious or magical activities. It is not that mystics are often obnoxious, but that they can sometimes share a basic flaw of the stubborn churlish person: lack of social awareness or concern. This problem probably predated Christian influence, just as it exists today in nonChristian circles. Because the mystic’s developmental work focuses so much on the solitary, unseen, and introspective, it is easy for a mystically oriented person to be retreatist. This results from both selection and socialization.
Wuldor
This an implicit stanza that is not present in the poem. I discuss the unrealized possibility of an implicit stanza dealing with a deity named Ull or Wuldor because it is fascinating to some scholars and religious practitioners.
Ancient sources mention a god named Ull in Old Norse, although very little is said about him in the surviving myths. The Old English cognate word for Ull in Old English is Wuldor or (using Cædmon’s Hymn as a clue) Wuldor-Fædor. If there were worship of Ull in ancient England, he might have gone by the name Wuldor. For convenience, I will use “Wuldor” here, although we lack firm evidence that the Anglo-Saxons recognized Wuldor/Wuldor-Fædor/Ull in their pagan pantheon.
In Grimnismal, this deity is said to reside in Yew-Dale. This implies that the yew is a key to understanding Wuldor, for the names of the realms or halls of other deities are related to those deities’ characteristics or jurisdictions. In the Lay of Atli, a stanza implies that this deity was especially associated with oaths. The Prose Edda tells us that Ull was also associated with physical beauty, archery, bows, skiing, single combat, ashen shields, and sea-travel. (See Diamond, 1970: 111; Faulkes, 1987: 26, 76; Gundarsson, 1993a; Gundarsson and E. Wódening, 1993; Hollander, 1964: 55-57; 291; Larrington, 1996: 52-54; 214; Turville-Petre, 1964).
It is unlikely that “Eoh” preserves lore of a god named Wuldor. Although there is some overlap between implicit stanzas of “Eoh” and the jurisdictions of a possible god Wuldor, he would not be ugly-looking on the outside. It is possible that such a god would have been good-looking and unmannerly, but not as baneful as the good-looking and unmannerly Loki.
However, if “Eoh” did speak to us of Wuldor, then all the characteristics mentioned in the second- and third-level implicit stanzas would likely be his. Among other things, this would mean that while Wuldor would be good-looking, his manners and mannerisms would be unrefined. Not a doer of misdeeds, he might at times seem stubborn, hot-tempered, and insensitive. His great value to Asgard and mankind would lie in his straightforward expressions, high levels of energy, and other fundamental strengths. He would also be a powerful and disciplined magician. One can easily imagine a deity of that sort in a Nordic pantheon, but there is not currently scholarly corroboration for such speculation.
Themes
Simple Themes
·Ugliness
·Lack of refinement
·Hardness
·Inner strength
·Hard wood
·Stability
·Rootedness
·Nonapparent decoration
·Subtle beauty
·Fire
·Nurturing guardianship
·Social value to humans
·Thriving (physically or psychologically)
·Adaptation to natural environment
·Good social adjustment
·Perception of one’s effect upon others
·Connection with one’s cultural heritage
·Emotional health
·Contributing to others’ emotional health
·Ability to mobilize and focus passion
·Hyperemotionalism
·Natural habitat
·Homeland
·Inartistic sincerity
·Pleasure taken in straightforward communication
·Extraordinary or workaday heroism
·Patriotism
Contrasts
·Appearance versus usefulness
·Superficial versus deep
·Good versus poor social adjustment
·Feeding healthy emotions versus excess
·Retreatist versus socially useful mysticism
Advice for Living
It is important to place great value on deeper reality. Ugliness is not necessarily an indication of inherent evil. It is advantageous to look deeply at things and people. A fool might become averse based on a superficial impression when inner qualities are quite the opposite of superficialities. We all owe much to unlikely heroes of the past and present. Of course, this is not to deny that some people and things are as bad as they look.
The other side of this is that it would be tragic to let a lack of refinement turn others off to one’s fundamental strengths.
It is not necessary to be a truly well-rounded person to be well adjusted. The good person resists being buffeted by the changing weather in the environment, and yet is firmly rooted in his or her origins and of value to his or her own community. There is nothing wrong with loving your native land, your adopted country, the neighborhood in which you grew up, etc. — you should love the community where you fit in; you should be in a community where you fit in; and somewhere, you should be a “native”.
A oath backed by firm and honest intentions can be more impressive than a more prettily-worded statement.
The proper mystic has hidden strengths and a cryptic beauty, but fits well into society. The proper mystic is not a retreatist, but a socially committed person.