Beowulf-Literary Terms and Concepts

Example of kenning: sky-candle

• the moon

• the sun

• a star

• a cloud

A traumatic event leads to a quest

• The hero’s life is changed forever.

• The hero returns to their normal life.

• The hero gains a magical artifact.

• The hero becomes a villain.

Anti-Hero

• A character who embodies traditional heroic qualities.

• A character who is morally ambiguous and lacks conventional heroic qualities.

• A character who always follows the rules and upholds justice.

• A character who is purely evil and seeks to harm others.

Example of Stock Epithet: Gold-shingled

• Heorot, the great hall.

• Valhalla, the hall of the slain.

• Asgard, the home of the gods.

• Niflheim, the realm of ice.

Archetype

• A unique character trait found in a single story.

• A pattern found in literary works across time.

• A specific genre of literature.

• A narrative technique used in modern storytelling.

Example of Alliteration

• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers

• She sells seashells by the seashore

• How can a clam cram in a clean cream can?

• Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear

Kenning

• A type of poetic phrase used in modern literature.

• A poetic phrase substituted for the usual name.

• A form of rhyme used in traditional poetry.

• A narrative style that involves storytelling.

Example of Stock Epithet: Well-regarded Scylding warrior

• Wiglaf

• Beowulf

• Hrothgar

• Grendel

Alliteration

• Recurrence of initial consonant sounds in accented syllables.

• A figure of speech that involves a comparison between two unlike things.

• The repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words.

• A literary device that involves the use of exaggeration for emphasis.

Example of kenning: battle-sweat

• blood

• sweat

• battle

• warrior