***hredre hyge mede.
hredre (breast)
hyge (mind, heart, strength, courage)
mede (cannot comprehend)
As written in Beowulf;
As Hrethel mourns the accidental death of one of his sons at the hands of his other, as he dies of a broken heart when he cannot be vindicated;
As Beowulf dies;
As we recognize that the destiny of the Geats is to be forgotten, and everything - every society - is going to grow old and die;
As the very peace-weaving gestures intended to end the feuds become essential to the perpetuation of the greatest of these;
Through this riddle we recognize that whatever we do, we are going to die - and so fail. But the poignancy lies in the episodes of greatness, and joy, and grandeur. These make the life.
They let the earth hold the wealth of earls, gold in the ground, where now it still dwells, as useless to men as it was before...They praised his great deeds and his acts of courage, judged well of his prowess. So it is fitting that man honor his liege lord with words, love him in heart when he must be led forth from the body...Thus the people of the Geats, his hearth-companions, lamented the death of their lord. They said that he was of world-kings the mildest of men and the gentlest, kindest to his people, and most eager for fame...
So, I suppose, it goes:
hredre hyge mede.
["It is baffling to the heart."]
***
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