Editing Chiastic structure (section)

===''Beowulf''===
In literary texts with a possible [[Oral literature|oral]] origin, such as ''[[Beowulf]]'', chiastic or ring structures are often found on an intermediate level, that is, between the (verbal and/or grammatical) level of chiasmus and the higher level of chiastic structure such as noted in the Torah. John D. Niles provides examples of chiastic figures on all three levels.<ref name="Niles">{{harvnb|Niles|1979|pp=924–35}}</ref> He notes that for the instances of ll. 12–19, the announcement of the birth of (Danish) Beowulf, are chiastic, more or less on the verbal level, that of chiasmus.<ref>{{harvnb|Niles|1979|pp=924–25}}</ref> Then, each of the three main fights are organized chiastically, a chiastic structure on the level of verse paragraphs and shorter passages. For instance, the simplest of these three, the fight with [[Grendel]], is schematized as follows:

A: Preliminaries
*Grendel approaching
*Grendel rejoicing
*Grendel devouring Handscioh
:B: Grendel's wish to flee ("fingers cracked")
::C: Uproar in hall; Danes stricken with terror
:::HEOROT IN DANGER OF FALLING
::C': Uproar in hall; Danes stricken with terror
:B': "Joints burst"; Grendel forced to flee
A': Aftermath
*Grendel slinking back toward fens
*Beowulf rejoicing
*Beowulf left with Grendel's arm<ref>{{harvnb|Niles|1979|pp=925–6}}</ref>

Finally, Niles provides a diagram of the highest level of chiastic structure, the organization of the poem as a whole, in an introduction, three major fights with interludes before and after the second fight (with Grendel's mother), and an epilogue. To illustrate, he analyzes Prologue and Epilogue as follows:

'''Prologue'''<br>
A: Panegyric for [[Scyld]]<br>
:B: Scyld's funeral
::C: History of Danes before [[Hroðgar|Hrothgar]]
:::D: Hrothgar's order to build [[Heorot]]

'''Epilogue'''<br>
:::D': Beowulf's order to build his barrow
::C': History of [[Geats]] after Beowulf ("messenger's prophecy")
:B': Beowulf's funeral
A': Eulogy for Beowulf<ref>{{harvnb|Niles|1979|p=930}}</ref>