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Literary notes about wyrm (AI summary)

Wyrm is employed in literature to evoke images of serpentine, awe-inspiring creatures whose nature can range from the literal snake or worm to the more grandiose dragon. In early texts, the term is used interchangeably with snake and serpent ([1], [2]), while later passages imbue it with mythic attributes, often linked with treasure hoards and mighty battles as seen in heroic narratives ([3], [4]). Additionally, wyrm appears in compound formations that underscore its fearsome qualities and dynamic behavior—coiling swiftly or even melting under its own heat—thereby highlighting its dual role as both a symbol of natural menace and a marker of extraordinary power ([5], [6]).
  1. v. 2, et alibi ), snake, serpent, wyrm , A.S.
    — from The Shakespeare-Expositor: An Aid to the Perfect Understanding of Shakespeare's Plays by Thomas Keightley
  2. [OE. wyrm, wurm, serpent , ME. worm, wurm, NE. wurm.]
    — from A Gothic Grammar, with selections for reading and a glossary by Wilhelm Braune
  3. wyrm-hord , st. n., dragon-hoard : gen. pl. wyrm-horda, 2223 .
    — from I. Beówulf: an Anglo-Saxon poem. II. The fight at Finnsburh: a fragment.
  4. Beowulf , 2705: forwrāt Wedra helm wyrm on middan .
    — from Beowulf: An Introduction to the Study of the Poem with a Discussion of the Stories of Offa and Finn by R. W. (Raymond Wilson) Chambers
  5. tô-somne ( together ), 3123 ; þâ se wyrm ge-beáh snûde tô-somne ( when the dragon quickly coiled together ), 2569 .
    — from I. Beówulf: an Anglo-Saxon poem. II. The fight at Finnsburh: a fragment.
  6. hât , adj., hot, glowing, flaming nom sg., 1617 , 2297 , 2548 , 2559 , etc.; wyrm hât gemealt, the drake hot (of his own heat) melted , 898 ; acc.
    — from I. Beówulf: an Anglo-Saxon poem. II. The fight at Finnsburh: a fragment.

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