 the conventional title of an Old English epic poem consisting
of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, possibly the
oldest surviving long poem in Old English and thus commonly
cited as one of the most important works of Old English
literature.

When was Beowulf composed?
Beowulf is set in the pagan world of sixth-century
Scandinavia, but it also contains echoes of
Christian tradition. The poem must have been
passed down orally over many generations, and
modified by each successive bard, until the existing
copy was made at an unknown location in AngloSaxon England.

How old is the manuscript?

Beowulf survives in a single medieval manuscript, housed
at the British Library in London. The manuscript bears no
date, and so its age has to be calculated by analyzing the
scribes’ handwriting. Some scholars have suggested that
the manuscript was made at the end of the 10th century,
others in the early decades of the eleventh, perhaps as
late as the reign of King Cnut, who ruled England from
1016 until 1035.

The most likely time for Beowulf to have been copied is the
early 11th century, which makes the manuscript
approximately 1,000 years old.
The events described in the poem
take place in the late 5th century,
after the Angles and Saxons had
begun their migration to England,
and before the beginning of the 7th
century, a time when the AngloSaxon people were either newly
arrived or still in close contact with
their Germanic kinsmen in Northern
Germany and Scandinavia and
possibly England. The poem may
have been brought to England by
people of Geatish origins.It has been
suggested that Beowulf was first
composed in the 7th century
at Rendlesham in East Anglia, as
theSutton Hoo ship-burial also shows
close connections with Scandinavia,
and also that the East Anglian royal
dynasty, the Wuffings, may have
been descendants of
Geatish Wulfings.Others have
associated this poem with the court
of King Alfred, or with the court of
KingCnut.
*The poem deals with legends, was
composed for entertainment, and does not
separate between fictional elements and
real historic events, scholars generally
agree that many of the personalities
of Beowulf also appear in Scandinavian
sources and some of the events.
*19th-century archeological evidence may
confirm elements of
the Beowulf story. Eadgils was buried
at Uppsala, according to Snorri Sturluson.
When Eadgils' mound was excavated in
1874, the finds supported Beowulf and the
sagas. They showed that a powerful man
was buried in a large barrow, c 575, on a
bear skin with two dogs and rich grave
offerings. These remains include
a Frankish sword adorned with gold and
garnets and a tafl game with Roman
pawns of ivory. He was dressed in a costly
suit made of Frankish cloth with golden
threads, and he wore a belt with a costly
buckle
Finds from Eadgils' mound, left,
excavated in 1874 at Uppsala,
Sweden, support Beowulf and the
sagas. Ongenþeow's barrow, right, has
not been excavated

Beowulf- The protagonist of the epic, Beowulf is a Geatish hero
who fights the monster Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a firebreathing dragon. Beowulf reign as king of Geats for 50 years.

King Hrothgar- The king of the Danes. Hrothgar enjoys military
success and prosperity until Grendel terrorizes his realm.


Grendel -A demon descended from Cain, Grendel preys on
Hrothgar’s warriors in the king’s mead-hall, Heorot. Because his
ruthless and miserable existence is part of the retribution
exacted by God for Cain’s murder of Abel, Grendel fits solidly
within the ethos of vengeance that governs the world of the
poem
Grendel’s mother -An unnamed swamp-hag, Grendel’s mother seems
to possess fewer human qualities than Grendel, although her
terrorization of Heorot is explained by her desire for vengeance—a
human motivation.

The dragon -An ancient, powerful serpent, the dragon guards
a horde of treasure in a hidden mound. Beowulf’s fight with
the dragon constitutes the third and final part of the epic.

Unferth - A Danish warrior who is jealous of Beowulf, Unferth is
unable or unwilling to fight Grendel, thus proving himself
inferior to Beowulf.

Wiglaf -A young kinsman and retainer of Beowulf who helps
him in the fight against the dragon while all of the other
warriors run away. Wiglaf adheres to the heroic code better
than Beowulf’s other retainers, thereby proving himself a
suitable successor to Beowulf.


Monsters- in Christian medieval culture, monster was the word
that referred to birth defects, which were always understood
as an ominous sign from God—a sign of transgression or of
bad things to come. In keeping with this idea, the monsters
that Beowulf must fight in this Old English poem shape the
poem’s plot and seem to represent an inhuman or alien
presence in society that must be exorcised for the society’s
safety. They are all outsiders, existing beyond the boundaries
of human realm.
The Oral Tradition -This emphasis on oral communication
explains the prevalence of bards’ tales, Beowulf itself
contributes to the tradition of oral celebration of cultural
heroes. Like Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Beowulf was passed
on orally over many generations before being written down.


The Mead-Hall -The mead-hall represented a safe haven for warriors
returning from battle, a small zone of refuge within a dangerous
and precarious external world that continuously offered the threat
of attack by neighboring peoples. The mead-hall was also a place
of community, where traditions were preserved, loyalty was
rewarded, and, perhaps most important, stories were told and
reputations were spread.
The Difference Between a Good Warrior and a Good
King
Whereas the warrior having nothing to lose, desires personal glory.
The king having much to lose, seeks protection for his people .

Beowulf is a classic tale of the triumph of good over evil, and
divides neatly into three acts. The poem opens in denmark,
where grendel is terrorising the kingdom. The geatish prince
beowulf hears of his neighbours’ plight, and sails to their aid with
a band of warriors. Beowulf encounters grendel in unarmed
combat, and deals the monster its death-blow by ripping off its
arm.
There is much rejoicing among the danes; but grendel’s
loathsome mother takes her revenge, and makes a brutal
attack upon the king’s hall. Beowulf seeks out the hag in her
underwater lair, and slays her after an almighty struggle. Once
more there is much rejoicing, and beowulf is rewarded with
many gifts. The poem culminates 50 years later, in beowulf’s old
age. Now king of the geats, his own realm is faced with a
rampaging dragon, which had been guarding a treasurehoard. Beowulf enters the dragon’s mound and kills his foe, but
not before he himself has been fatally wounded.
Beowulf closes with the king’s funeral, and a lament for the
dead hero.
How many alternative lines does the
Beowulf have?
 Who helps Beowulf against the dragon?
 From whom is Grendel descended?
 From about when does the only
existing Beowulf manuscript date?
 How long does Beowulf reign as king of
the Geats?


We are all heroes of our own life. Being
strong doesn't need to fight or fought
many people to test our strength.
Sometimes its enough that our problems
test our stability, we never know how
strong we are until being strong is the
only choice we have.