Motif
Broken lord-retainer gift bond and shame
broken_lord_retainer_gift_bond_and_shame
A motif of the Betrayal and Violated Trust family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
germanic
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Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem XXXVIII. / WIGLAF PLUNDERS THE DRAGON'S DEN.--BEOWULF'S DEATH. / XXXIX. / THE DEAD FOES.--WIGLAF'S BITTER TAUNTS.; lines 5885-6007 confidence: high
Ten timid retainers return from the thicket, ashamed, carrying shields, arms, and armor to where the old lord lies.
Wiglaf contrasts Beowulf's gifts of armor and treasure with the retainers' failure in battle and predicts loss of gifts, home-joy, food, land-rights, and honor.
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