Oral-Formulaic Theory: Annotated Bibliography

Alain Renoir. "The Heroic Oath in Beowulf, the Chanson de Roland, and the Nibelungenlied." In Studies in Old English Literature in Honor of Arthur G. Brodeur. Ed. Stanley B. Greenfield. Eugene: University of Oregon. Rpt. New York: Russell and Russell, 1973. pp. 237-66.

Shows that in these three medieval tragedies the heroic oath as a solemn contract binding the hero who utters it constitutes a major determinative story element. But as one moves chronologically away from the primitive origins, increasing confusion and complexities surround the oath and its fulfillment.
Area: OE, OF, MHG, CP