FUNCTIONAL NAMES IN BEOWULF: AN ANALYSIS
FUNCTIONAL NAMES IN BEOWULF: AN ANALYSIS

Summary/Abstract: Functional Names in Beowulf: An Analysis. Proper names lose their connection with the initial referent of the word, being devoid of their character of semantic predicates. However, when focusing on literature, the names can be analyzed from the perspective of a hidden, conceptual metaphor, either as functional names or as designators of properties. By looking at the names of Beowulf as dithematic (part of the Old Germanic name-giving tradition), the analysis becomes one of translation of a new unit of meaning created by the blending of two separate concepts. Juxtaposing this artifice with that of word-play, as well as with aspects of Beowulf’s character, a reiteration of the blending occurs, with new levels of meaning. The present paper analyzes the names of the Old English poem Beowulf as functional names, used to contrast or highlight themes of the poem, as well as characteristics of Beowulf.

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