Beowulf
700 AD
by Anonymous
Epics
 Epic: A long narrative poem that tells the tale of a
society and its morals.
 Epic Hero: The hero within the epic that must:
A. Go on a journey
B. Fight supernatural creatures
C. Posses and use a weapon only he or she can weild
D. Has an extra-ordinary ability (his grip and
swimming/holding of his breath)
Epics Continued
 Beowulf is the one archetype that all heroes are based
on. He is the ideal that most authors base their own
heroes on. He is the original super-hero.
 The main characters and places are:
Beowulf- Geat Prince
Grendel- Villian
Hrothgar- Danish King
Wiglaf- Second in command to Beowulf
Herot- Mead Hall
Summary
 Answer the following question in a summary format:
 What makes a great leader? Pick one or two qualities
and then explain why in a summary. I will check it in 510 min.
Beowulf
 Beowulf starts “En Medias Res” or “In the middle.”
 The story begins after Grendel has been attacking
Hrothgar’s land and Mead Hall (Herot) for 12 years
killing 30 of his men.
 Beowulf, the Geat (Sweedish) Prince has come to
payback a “wergild” a blood pact. Even though there
was no murder or killing, Beowulf is there to payback
his father’s, Ecgtheow, blood oath/pact because of
Hrothgar’s help to his father.
Beowulf Continued
 Beowulf arrives and Hrothgar’s men automatically feel
threatened. Hrothgar is a great ruler and his second in
command, Unferth, questions Beowulf and tries to
humiliate him. Beowulf answers back and explains why
he abandoned his challenge with Brecca in the ocean
because of the tempest (ocean storm) and sea
monsters that began to attack them.
 He then boasts he will defeat Grendel without
weapons.
Beowulf Continued
 This is where we will start reading- It is when Beowulf
arrives in Demark with 11 of his best men to help
Hrothgar defeat Grendel- the descendant of Cain or the
“Damned One.”