Dermatology in Epic Poetry—From Beowulf to The Odyssey

Epic poems have captured the imaginations of readers, listeners, and artists alike for millennia. Michelangelo painted part of the Sistine Chapel after being inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy. Shakespeare's 1602 play, Troilus and Cressida, is based on The Iliad, an ancient Greek epic poem attributed to Homer. All told, epic poems are captivating tales full of wonder and adventure. Particularly, they have often integrated dermatology in their unique plots. Beowulf is an Old English poem (written circa ad 700-1000) that tells of the powerful Geat hero Beowulf, who visits the mead hall, Heorot, to kill the evil monster Grendel. Grendel, bothered by the sounds of joy, has gruesomely slaughtered Heorot's inhabitants for years. Owing to his magical gifts, no one has been able to slay him. Grendel not only possesses incredible strength, but his skin is also impenetrable to any blade: "Every nail, claw-scale, of that heathen brute…was like barbed steel. To pierced him through, no time proofed blade could cut his brutal, blood-caked claw." Beowulf notably does not use a sword, but rather kills Grendel by directly ripping his arm off, causing him to bleed to death. In the 13th century German epic poem Das Nibelungenlied (The Song of the Nibelungs), the skin of a main character is a weakness rather than a strength. In the beginning of the story, the knight Siegfried is said to have slaughtered a dragon and bathed in his blood—rendering him invulnerable to weaponry. However, a leaf from a linden tree fell between his shoulders during this bath, leaving that area untouched with blood. His wife, Kriemhild, mentions, "There one might stab him, and thence is my care and dole," indicating that this is his only weakness (similar to Achilles' heel). Unfortunately, Siegfried is later murdered by Hagen, who spears the unsuspecting knight while he is drinking from a brook. His death inspires Kriemhild's revenge, which is the focus of the second half of Das Nibelungenlied. The Odyssey, a Greek epic poem by Homer, details the legendary return of Odysseus to his home of Ithaca after the Trojan war. Arriving after 20 years, he discovers that multiple suitors are courting his wife, Penelope, presuming he is dead. Odysseus is then transformed by Athena (the goddess of war) into an old man as a disguise. However, his housekeeper, Eurycleia, identifies him because of a hunting scar on his leg: "She immediately recognized the scar; which once a boar inflicted upon him." This discovery demonstrates Eurycleia's loyalty and allows the Odysseus and Penelope to reunite. Together, they plot to kill the suitors and eventually restore peace to Odysseus' kingdom. Ultimately, epic poems are full of fantastic details and magical characters. Many tales involve the skin, demonstrating dermatology's unique significance in literature. Hopefully, epic poetry will continue inspiring many more for ages to come.

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