“The Seafarer” Quiz
Please keep your answers covered
and your eyes on your own paper.
When you are finished turn your paper
over and sit quietly.
Introduction to Beowulf
SOL: 12.3, 12.5
Why do we read Beowulf?
It’s the first Heroes Journey tale in English
 The poem documents the values,
questions, and attitudes of the time and
explores themes that are still present
today.
 It relates the lifestyle of the Anglo-Saxon
period. Beowulf’s poet tries to recreate the
past for the reader; the poem is almost
nostalgic for those bygone pagan days.

Beowulf Intro. (pages 22-23)
Marks the beginning of English literature
 Recited by scops
 Beowulf has 3 major sections
 Oral recitation
 Based on legends of various Northern
Europeans

Setting
The time period of
the actual story
takes place in the
late 5th or early
6th centuries.
 In medias res:
story picks up
after 12 years of
Grendel attacking
Herot

Geats and Danes
 Beowulf
was a war leader of the
Geats, a group of people in what is
now southern Sweden
 Hrothgar was king of the Danes
Beowulf is one of the
oldest European
epics.
Have you read any
other epics?
Create a frame of reference that
answers the following:
What are some attributes
of a hero? a villain?
Discussion Questions
What does a hero look like?
 Can anyone be a hero?
 What does a villain look like?
 Where do these impressions come from?
Are these representations accurate?
 What does our popular culture and
media tell us about what a hero should
be like?

The Battle Between…
Good

Our Hero Beowulf
Loyalty
 Valor
 Unselfishness
 Sense of justice

Beowulf’s Name
Beowulf’s Name

Beowulf’s father– Edgetho

In most cases, the son is named after the father






Proves Beowulf is own individual with own powers and
abilities (and more important than his father)
Beo– Bear



Don
Donald (son of Don)
McDonald (son of son of Don)
McDonaldson (son of son of son of Don)
Bears are known as Great Protectors in Norse mythology
Strong
Wulf– Wolf

Wolves are also great protectors, but are also cunning and
speedy
Evil
Grendel the Monster
Do Now Vocab…Define the following
affliction
solace
mail
mead-hall
massive
loathsome
fetters
banner
Vocabulary
 affliction:
state of pain or misery
 solace: comfort, relief
 mail: flexible body armor
 mead-hall: banquet halls
 massive: big and solid
 loathsome: disgusting
 fetters: chains for the feet
 banner: flag
Epic
A long narrative poem that
recounts the deed of a largerthan-life hero that embodies the
values of a particular society
Elements of the Epic
An Epic Hero
 An Epic Conflict
 A Heroic Quest



A journey in search of something of value
Divine Intervention
Epic Hero
Influential position in society
 larger-than-life figure who reflects the
values and beliefs of the culture
 Superhuman
 often of mixed divine and human birth and
so possesses human weakness
 on a quest for something of great value to
him or to his people

Epic Conventions
Opening statement of theme, followed by
an invocation
 Appeal for supernatural/godly help
 in medias res
 Serious tone and an elevated style
 Long lists/catalogs
 epic similes
 kennings
