Then an extraordinary
wail arose . . . ,
a God-cursed scream and strain of catastrophe,
the howl of the loser, the lament of the hell-serf
keening his wound.

Here's the advice that Beowulf gives us for when, like Grendel, we feel torn apart:  Don't pretend that it doesn't hurt or try to cope by telling yourself it was just a game.  After all, our hearts have just been  broken.  Let the loss drag you into a dark mire, let it pound at your chest armor with its knife.  This is a time for grieving.  We can worry about swimming to the surface later.

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This is not specifically Colts-related but, in my never-ending quest to prove that literature is relevant to our lives, I promised yesterday to write about the insights that Beowulf can give us into the Collective Bargaining Agreement, including the demand by NFL owners that players take an 18 percent pay cut and face a potential lockout (i.e., no football) in 2011.

The 8th century Anglo-Saxon poem is, among other things, a warning of the monsters that prosperity can generate.  The NFL is at the height of its popularity and prosperity, but so is King Hrothgar’s court when the troll Grendel shows up and so is King Beowulf when the dragon attacks.  I’m thinking that the new Cowboys Stadium is a good modern equivalent of the great hall Heorot that Grendel invades and that Grendel, who is the spirit of fratricidal jealousy, is making his appearance in the disputes between owners and players and between rich owners and not-so-rich owners. 

Beowulf is able to get a “grip” on the situation with his mighty hand, essentially showing up so forcefully that jealousy falls apart and order is restored.  The kingdom is saved and football will be played in 2011.   That is, if Roger Goodell (or some outsider) can play the role of Beowulf.

The dragon is the spirit of greedy leaders , who destroy their societies by refusing to circulate the wealth that their warriors provide them.  Jerry Jones, Dan Snyder, and Al Davis are all good examples of dragons.  (By contrast, Colts owner Jim Irsay [from what I’ve been able to make out] comes closer to the Anglo-Saxon ideal of a good leader, plowing much of his own money into the club.)    In the poem, the only way that the dragon can be killed is through collaboration.  Beowulf’s nephew Wiglaf (think of him as the NFL Player’s Union) skirts the dragon fire and comes to Beowulf’s aid.   Beowulf, who originally told Wiglaf to stay away, now accepts his help and together they slay the dragon and release the treasure, which can circulate freely through the land.  The happy ending we all want.

So will the monsters or the heroes prevail?  That's a drama we can begin watching after the Colts beat the Saints.

A longer version of this essay is at www.betterlivingthroughbeowulf.com/?p=2443

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As someone who teaches English, I’ve been fascinated by the fact the James Caldwell was an English literature major as an undergraduate.  I’ve written an essay on the subject which is too long to post here but you can read it if you go to the website listed below.  Basically what I argue is that Caldwell has a poetic understanding of language which he uses with great effectiveness—whether it involves using metaphors that inspire the players (“the hunter, not the hunted”) or compressing a lot of meaning into a few potent words that operate with talismanic power (and that the players keep secret from the rest of us).  Caldwell also draws on literature to keep himself focused in the face of adversity, such as the poem “Invictus.”

 Writing about Caldwell led me to view his decision to not go for a perfect season in terms of the Jorge Louis Borges short story “Death and the Compass.”  Sometimes, Borges writes, the most difficult labyrinth to negotiate is the line from a to b, which in this case was from the regular season to the Super Bowl.  Whatever one thinks of Caldwell’s decision—and by now it appears it was Caldwell’s call rather than Polian’s or Irsay’s—one has to be impressed with the dignity and conviction behind it.  He preferred a simple and elegant straight line to a dramatic narrative.

 I’m looking for stories of other literary works that Caldwell is drawn to.  The essay I wrote on this subject can be found at www.betterlivingthroughbeowulf.com/?p=2424

 Coming tomorrow: The insights that the epic Beowulf gives us into the fight between owners and players over the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

I've written the following piece of doggerel (light comic verse) in praise of the Colts.  If you want to see how it ends, you can read the rest at www.betterlivingthroughbeowulf.com/?p=2405. Colts fans will recognize all the references although I probably should note that "Oakley" is a reference to Austin Collie's high school (Oak Ridge).   And as a French minor in college, I had to get in some reference to the cedille in Garcon's name.  Anyway, here's the poem:

Ballad of the 2009 Colts

At the start of the season

Experts saw little reason

To believe that “the Horse”

Would compete as a force.

But the Colts remained calm

And their words were like balm:

“Lose our Coach Dungy?

We’ll rebound like a bungee;

No Marvin Harrison?

We’ll refortify the garrison

With a man from Cedille

Always good for a thrill

And a Mormon from Oakley

Who reminds us of Stokley;

There’s a way if there’s will,

And besides we’ve got Bill

Who a dynasty crafted

With players undrafted,

Like small Gary Brackett

Who they thought couldn’t hack it.

And of course there’s “the One”

With an arm like a gun—

When it comes to our Peyton,

You don’t wanta be hatin’;

And lighting-like Freeney,

That pass-rushing meanie,

And Dallas and Reggie,

Who make corners edgy,

So we should be okay—

Now let’s go out and play.”

The year began tight

Against Jacksonville’s might . . .

I've been thinking about the Colts-Jets games in terms of Beowulf recently (I'm an English teacher) and have concluded (from my biased point of view) that Peyton can be seen as a Beowulf, Rex Ryan as a Grendel (and also as an Unferth, the bullying warrior who challenges Beowulf when he shows up at the court of King Hrothgar).  Both Grendel and Unferth rely on intimidation tactics, creating a dark aura that intimidates everyone who steps up.  As a result, Grendel especially seems 10 feet tall and impossible to subdue (warrior swords can't bring him down).  Ryan has monstrous proportions as well. 

Beowulf's strength lies partly in his ability to cooly assess a situation, figure out the most effective response, and then step up to the challenge.  In his fight with Grendel he looks at how the fight will unfold (the way Peyton will test out the other team in the first couple of sets of downs), then lets the fight come to him (think of it as a Jets blitz), and then uses the weapon he has, his mighty arm, to seize Grendel.  Grendel feels Beowulf's strength and the confidence, panics, and ultimately tears himself free of his arm to escape.  (Think of this as a team falling apart under Peyton's relentless pressure.)

Of course, Ryan is more good-humored than Grendel and in fact has been cast as the epic hero by Jets fans, the brash young warrior brandishing his sword in face of the imperious Colts.  But as a Colts fan, I can't allow this reading.

I muse further on this subject in my literature and life website at www.betterlivingthroughbeowulf.com/?p=2327 if you're interested.