Epic Beowulf

Open Ended

What are some common traits that all super-heroes have?

Open Ended

Why are super-heroes or the concept of super-heroes, so important to a society?

What is an epic poem?

• A long, serious, poetic,

narrative poem

• Recounts the adventures of

the epic hero

• Before writing, epic poems

were memorized and helped
keep record of the great deeds
and history of a culture

• Examples: Gilgamesh, The

Odyssey, Beowulf

Characteristics of Epic Poetry

• Long narrative poem

• Hero embodies ideals of nation/culture

• Hero also showcases weaknesses of nation/culture

• Struggle symbolizes a value of the culture

• Heroes are aided by divine or supernatural forces

• Written in an elevated style

• Descriptions of armor: aspects of physical appearance, history, magical powers

Multiple Choice

What type of literary work is an epic?

• A poem

• A novel

• A short story

• A song

Multiple Choice

a long narrative poem about a hero

• epic

• wyrd

• mail

• muse

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an epic?

• It's a long, narrative poem

• It's about heroes doing great deeds

• It's based on real life events

• It's written in formal, elevated language

The Epic Hero

• Possesses superhuman strength,

craftiness, and confidence

• Helped or harmed by gods or fate
• Embodies qualities valued by the

culture

• Overcomes perilous situations
• Has extraordinary abilities but

also human frailties

• Examples: Odysseus, King Arthur,

Harry Potter

Multiple Select

Epic heroes are often capable of great abilities, such as...

• strength

• flying

• invisibility

• intelligence

Multiple Choice

"My father Was a famous soldier, known far and wide As a leader of men. His name was Edgetho. His life lasted many winters; Wise men all over the earth surely Remember him still." This Quote is an example of

• The characteristics of an Epic Poem: The Ordinary World

• The characteristics of an Epic hero: Supernatural foes

• The Characteristsics of an Epic Poem: Call to adventure

• The Characteristics of an Epic Hero: Noble Birth

The Epic Plot

• Depicts a long, strange journey filled

with such complications as:

• Strange creatures
• Treacherous weather
• Divine intervention- Gods/goddesses

often intercede on behalf of the hero

• Large-scale events
• Other supernatural challenges

• Centers around the epic hero
• Has an outcome that greatly affects

the destiny of a nation or group of
people

Epic Setting

• Includes fantastic or exotic

lands

• Involves more than one

nation or culture

• The action spans not only

geographical but also often
cosmological space: across
land, sea, into the
underworld, or thru space or
time etc.

Archetypes

• Characters and situations

recognizable across times and
cultures

• Brave hero
• Sea monster
• Suitor’s contest
• Evil temptress
• Loyal servant
• Buried treasure

Epic themes:

• Reflect universal concerns,

such as:

• Courage
• Loyalty
• Beauty
• The fate of a nation
• Life and death
• A homecoming

• Expect more than one theme

to be developed in an epic

Other “Epic” Elements:

• Alliteration: alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds

throughout a phrase or sentence and usually at the beginning of
each word. (Ex: “Sailing the seven seas”)

• Rhyme: Pretty sure I don’t need to explain this one (Ex: “Night

of fright”).

• Imagery: Using sensory words (any words that describe how

something sounds, looks, feels, smells, and tastes) to evoke an
image (Ex: ”The sea exploded into the rocky shore”)

Other “Epic” Elements:

• Similes: an epic simile is more elaborate than in a short poem. It

does more than make a comparison, it conveys an idea about
what is being described.

• Epithets: renames a person or thing with a descriptive phrase,

often used to correctly complete the rhythm or meter in a line of
poetry. (Ex: Odysseus= “son of laertes” or “raider of cities.”

• Allusion: Reference to a literary or historical person, place,

event, or composition. (Ex: ”This is the way the court of Zeus
must be”)

Multiple Choice

Events that involve a long journey full of complications.

• epic plot

• epic theme

• archetype

• epithet

Multiple Choice

where the journey takes place, usually more than one place.

• epithet

• epic plot

• allusion

• epic setting

Multiple Choice

a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by grand events. (Protagonist of Epic Poetry)

• Epic Simile

• Epic Setting

• Epic Hero

• Epithet

Multiple Choice

message of the story that reflects a universal idea

• Epic Poetry

• Epic Theme

• Epic Setting

• Epic Plot

Multiple Choice

Events that involve a long journey full of complications.

• epic plot

• epic theme

• archetype

• epithet

Multiple Choice

a very typical example of a kind of person or thing

• Archetype

• Epic Plot

• Allegory

• Epithet

Pagan vs Christian

• There is debate about when Beowulf was written and who wrote it.

• Although the manuscript dates from around 1000, the poem was composed much earlier.

• Certain references in the text suggest that the author was a Christian who modeled the story after pagan tales of Norse heroes of the past.

• The writer was probably either a monk or a poet connected to a nobleman's court in England.

Religion in Beowulf: Allusions

• Pagan: holding religious beliefs other than Christianity.

• Christian: a believer in Jesus Christ and his teachings.

Christian references

• Cain + Abel: Children of Adam and Eve, the first people on Earth according to the Bible. Cain killed Abel because God favored Abel’s sacrifices. Cain punished eternally

• Mentions of the Great Flood, wherein Noah has to build a ship to survive with select animals.

• Beowulf frequently references a God and a savior

Multiple Choice

Why was Beowulf thought to have biblical and Christian allusions?

• It was taken from the Bible

• It was thought to be written by a Christian Monk

• It was told by Jesus Christ

• It was a bedtime story for Christian children

Multiple Choice

 The Anglo-Saxons were once ____ who believed in ____

• christians/God and the bible

• Pagans/many gods, lucky charms

• Germans/law and order

​Historical Background

• Although the Beowulf manuscript was written in about 1000 A.D. it was not discovered until the seventeenth century. Scholars do not know whether Beowulf is the sole surviving epic form a flourishing Anglo-Saxon literary period that produced other great epics or whether it was unique even in its own time.

• Many scholars think that the epic was written sometime between the late seventh century and early ninth century. However, other scholars think that the poet's favorable attitude toward the Danes must place the epic's composition after the Viking invasions and at the start of the eleventh century.

​Who owned the Beowulf manuscript?

The first-recorded owner of Beowulf is Laurence Nowell (died c. 1570), a pioneer of the study of Old English, who inscribed his name (dated 1563) at the top of the manuscript’s first page. Beowulf then entered the collection of Sir Robert Cotton (died 1631) before passing into the hands of his son Sir Thomas Cotton (died 1662), and grandson Sir John Cotton (died 1702), who bequeathed the manuscript to the nation. The Cotton library formed one of the foundation collections of the British Museum in 1753, before being incorporated as part of the British Library in 1973.

Three Important Houses

​House of Hrethel

The royal family of Geatland, in Southern Sweden. The tribe Beowulf's mother belongs to. Through her, he has the royal blood of Geatland running through his veins, and his kingship comes from her line.

​ -Hrethel

-Hygelac + Hygd (his wife)

​ -Heardred

​

House of Scyld

The Royal family of Denmark.

-Beow Healfdane

​ -Hrothgar (King of Heorot) + Weltheow (his wife), Heorogar, Halga, Yrse

​ -Hrethric Hrothmund Freawaru

​

House of Waegmundings

The line of Beowulf's father. Though his royal blood comes from his mother's side, the warriors traced their lineage through their fathers. You will often hear Beowulf referred to as a 'son of Ecgthow.'

-Ecgtheow-hero's dad

-Beowulf-our hero

​ -Wiglaf-best friend

Key Concepts

• ­A warrior’s success was measured in gifts from his king and from fame earned in battle.

• Fame and gifts were legacies, what let them achieve a form of immortality. What they left behind was what they were remembered by.

• The Anglo-Saxons believed that “wyrd” or fate controlled lives. There was a sense of inevitability to their stories, with the understanding that everyone, regardless of status, deed, wealth, or fame died eventually.

• The perfect Anglo-Saxon was loyal and brave. He was a warrior who took care of his own.

Ring-Giver and Thanes

• Ring-Giver: The king supplied his warriors with food, shelter, land, and weapons.

• Thanes: Warriors were bound by oaths of loyalty (Anglo-Saxon code of the comitatus) and obedience to the king. They must defend their king to their deaths

​The epic emphasizes values that were important to Norse warriors, such as courage, loyalty to one's king and comrades, and honor for those who fight and die bravely.

The Scop

• The story was most likely told in taverns and campfires for hundreds of years. Not a realistic story, but probably based on real Norse or German King and Heroes.

• Scop - A bard - a singer of tales. They often carry a lyre, or small harp

Multiple Choice

a storyteller

• muse

• kenning

• wyrd

• scop

Weregild: What is a life worth?

• The story of Beowulf features a basic concept in early Germanic societies called wergild (man payment): a price set on a person's life, based on that person's value to society.

• If an individual was killed, the family received wergild to compensate for the loss.

Wergild in Beowulf

• In Beowulf, Hrothgar presents Beowulf with wergild for the Geatish warrior killed fighting Grendel.

• According to Germanic law, the system of wergild appeared as an alternative to seeking revenge for the loss of a loved one.

• Since a major feature for these stories was blood debt, wergild was a method of preventing continuous cycles of death and revenge.

Multiple Choice

An amount of money paid by wrongdoers to the family of the person they had killed or injured is known as?

• Wergild

• Fief

• $50

• Vassalage

Main Characters

Match

Match up the character models with the definition below it.

• Protagonist

• Antagonist

• Tertiary

Main character/hero or heroine of story

Villain or force stopping the other

Not important, but moves plot forward

• Main character/hero or heroine of story

• Villain or force stopping the other

• Not important, but moves plot forward

Beowulf

• Epic hero
• Geat (from southern

Sweden)

• Nephew of Higlac

(King at story’s start)

• Sails to Denmark to

help Hrothgar

Hrothgar

• Danish king
• Builds Herot (banquet

hall) for men

• Tormented by Grendel

for 12 years

• Loses many men to

Grendel

• Joyless before

Beowulf’s arrival

Grendel

• Referred to as demon

and fiend

• Haunts the moors

(swampy land)

• Descendant of Cain
• Feasts on 30 men the

night of 1st attack

Grendel’s Mother

• Referred to as

she-wolf

• Lives under a lake
• Challenges Hrothgar

when she kills one of
his best men

Fire Dragon

• Lives in Beowulf’s

kingdom

• Wakes up when thief

steals cup

• Guards countless

treasures

Multiple Choice

A Geatish hero; the protagonist of the epic.

• Hrothgar

• Beowulf

• Wiglaf

• Unferth

Multiple Choice

A demon monster who preys on warriors in the mead-hall.

• Grendel

• Grendel's Mother

• The Dragon

• Hrothgar

Multiple Choice

An unnamed swamp-hag with a desire for vengeance. 

• Grendel

• Grendel's Mother

• The Dragon

• Unferth

Multiple Choice

The King of the Danes.

• Beowulf

• Hrothgar

• Unferth

• Wiglaf

3. The psychological aspects of human behavior.

   1. The Danish hero's welcoming speech shows jealousy of Beowulf; Beowulf's warriors in the dragon fight reveal their cowardice.

   2. Beowulf's attitude toward heroism reflects his maturity and experience; King Hrothgar's attitude towards life shows the experiences on an aged nobleman.

4. The poet exhibits a mature appreciation of the transitory nature of human live and achievements. Like in other major epics found in other cultures, Beowulf must create a meaningful life in a world that is often dangerous and uncaring.

​Appeal and Value

Beowulf interests contemporary readers for many reasons:

4. The poet shows a mature appreciation of the transitory nature of human lives and achievements.

   1. Like in other major epics found in other cultures, Beowulf must create a meaningful life in a world that is often dangerous and uncaring.

   2. Beowulf must accept the inevitability of death. He chooses to reject despair; instead, he takes pride in himself and in his accomplishments, and he values human relationships.

​Appeal and Value

Beowulf interests contemporary readers for many reasons: