Beowulf - Institutionen för arkeologi och antik historia

than pious disposition, ought to do the good. The poem does not exhibit any deep
insights into Germanic ways, but it is a practical example of the merging of the two
cultural ideals that characterised the Merovingian society.
As a petition Venantius’ short letter is not part of the Germanic ideal of goodness.
On the contrary, the petition as a genre belongs to the Christian ideal. It is from his
Christian point of view that Venantius makes use of his understanding of the Germanic
ideal.
The structured use of the word good in the texts offers two ideals: one is concerned
with the use of a most significant word in the Germanic culture, the other
linked to the classical and in effect Christian use. In texts where Pagan ideals are
criticised or moderated by a Christian faith, good does not structure the texts as
obviously as in the Anglo-Saxon poems concerning Beowulf and the Battle of
Maldon. In texts written from a Christian point of view only that addressed to
Magnulf uses the word to structure the text.
The rune-stones constitute a special group characterised by the repeated use of
formulaic prose and a few original poetic expressions. These texts seldom lend
themselves to more elaborate analyses of composition and structure, but good is
nonetheless a word which is often mentioned rather emphatically at the end of the
texts. Here good is simply linked to words such as þegn, drengr, maðr, bóndi,
faðir, sunr or broðir (thane, youth, man, master/husband, father, son or brother), to
logocentric qualities, such as the ability to listen and negotiate, and to generosity with
food. The very fact that the word good appears in the laconic setting of the runestone
text may, however, well be a strong indication that its usage was conventional,
corresponding to what was commonly understood by the word good over a period
of some hundred years, during which the concept was changing.
The Viking Age rune-stones were mainly a vogue phenomenon beginning in the
10th century in Denmark and ending in Northeast Uppland in the beginning of the
12th century (Moltke 1976; Jansson 1984; Sawyer 1991a and b; Gräslund 1991;
1992). During this period and parallel to the geographical shift in its centre of gravity,
the fashion spread down from the uppermost stratum of society into broader layers
(Sawyer 1991a). In time the Christian character of the monuments became deeply
embedded in the tradition although demonstrative Christian symbols, such as
crosses and prayers, were only a passing fashion within a greater tradition (Hallgren
1992; Herschend 1994). It is probable that the stones themselves, their ornament
and text, are a reflection of the large-scale change in the Late Viking Age society of
South Scandinavia (Herschend 1994, pp. 101 ff.), and although there is uniformity in
the development there is also an abundance of regional and local traditions which
should not be confused with the general development.
Regional differences, such as the preference for stones mentioning bridges in
Southeast Uppland (Herschend 1994, Figs 12 and 22, p. 33), can be explained by
the lowland topography of that landscape. Other geographically defined preferences
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