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Hrunting was a sword given to Beowulf by Unferth in the ancient Old English epic poem ''Beowulf''. Beowulf used it in battle against Grendel's Mother. Beowulf is described receiving the sword in lines 1455-1458: :"And another item lent by Unferth :at that moment of need was of no small importance: :the brehon handed him a hilted weapon, :a rare and ancient sword named Hrunting. :The iron blade with its ill-boding patterns :had been tempered in blood. It had never failed :the hand of anyone who hefted it in battle, :anyone who had fought and faced the worst :in the gap of danger. This was not the first time :it had been called to perform heroic feats.〔Heaney, Seamus. ''Beowulf''. USA: Norton, 2000.〕 However, although the sword possessed great power and was claimed to have never failed anyone who used it, when Beowulf descended to the bottom of the lake to fight Grendel's mother, the sword proved ineffective. As the "fabulous powers of that heirloom failed," Beowulf was forced to discard it.〔Ibid line 1528〕 ==Hrunting's significance== Swords have great significance in the war-centred Anglo-Saxon culture from which ''Beowulf'' arises. Therefore, emphasis is strongly placed on the exchange of weapons of war. Weapons such as swords circulated through Anglo-Saxon society as inheritance through family, birthed through the monsters, found under magic rocks, and as rewards between lords and their subjects.〔Heinrich Harke, “The Circulation of Weapons in Anglo-Saxon Society” in Rituals of Power: From Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages, ed. Frans Theuws (Boston, 2000), 377-78.〕 Occasionally such exchange was also seen between warriors. One example of a weapon as a gift is seen in the exchange of Hrunting. As Unferth passes his sword to Beowulf, he admits the loss of his glory, and his submission to this greater warrior. However, when Hrunting fails Beowulf in his battle against Grendel's mother, it possibly reflects its previous owner, Unferth, who failed to defeat the hated Grendel.〔Geoffrey Hughes, “Beowulf, Unferth, and Hrunting: an interpretation” in English Studies (58, 1977), 393-95.〕 In addition, Beowulf’s defeat of Grendel prompts the Danish king Hrothgar to bestow upon him many gifts consisting of weapons; this further emphasizes the importance of weaponry to such a society. Beowulf then passes on his rewards to his king Hygelac, thereby establishing his obligation to his king.〔Harke, “Circulation of Weapons,” 379.〕 Hrunting’s various meanings demonstrate that weapons of war can carry not only positive, but also negative, significance. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hrunting」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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