Beowulf’s Origins
 Composed anywhere from the eighth to
eleventh century.
 Composed in oral tradition of poetry.
 Filled with biblical allusions to the Old
Testament.
 Influences by Germanic and Old Norse
myth and legend.
 Plays
on the same concept of epic poetry
and the epic hero. So what is poetry?
 Epic
poetry is a long, narrative poem,
written in an elevated style, which
celebrates the deeds of a legendary hero
or god.
 Epic
hero is a superhuman hero or god of
an epic.
Literary Devices
 Beowulf
is
noted
especially for
other literary
devices:
 Alliteration
 Allusion
 Epithet
 Foreshadowing
 Kenning

Alliteration the use of repeated consonants/
stressed syllables, especially at the beginning of
words.

Allusion reference to a literary or historical person,
place, or event or another literary work.

Epithet a word or phrase used to describe a
persons attribute. Ex. “Lord of all Life”

Foreshadowing hinting at future events to come in
the story.

Kenning a two-word metaphorical name for
something, such as “sea-road” for ocean.
 Anglo-Saxon
tradition involved a scop.
Scops were both composers and
storytellers who traveled from court to
court — the entertainers of Anglo-Saxon
times.
Comitatus and Wergild
 The
Germanic code of loyalty.
 Thanes, or warriors, swore loyalty to their
king, for whom they fought and whom they
protected.

Wergild is a “man-payment.”
 Practice
of paying a slain man’s family to
atone for the deed and to prevent them from
taking revenge against the manslayer.
Beowulf in a Nutshell
 Since
its publication and translation two
centuries ago, Beowulf has captured the
attention of scholars and audiences alike,
becoming a keystone of English literary studies
as well as the basis of several popular film and
TV adaptations.
 Tolkien
also used many elements from Beowulf
as inspiration for his famous "Lord of the
Rings" trilogy.
Did You Know?
 In
1939, excavations at Sutton Hoo (in Suffolk,
England) uncovered a royal treasure-filled ship
buried in the seventh century—not long before
Beowulf was composed.
 The
ship is thought to be the burial site of an
early Anglo-Saxon king. The treasures found
there were much like those described in
Beowulf that scholars suggest Beowulf.
Did You Know?
 Beowulf
contains one of the earliest instances
in English of a flyting—a dispute, or an
exchange of personal abuse, in verse.
 In part 2, the Danish warrior Unferth calls Beowulf a
“boastful fool” and taunts him for undertaking and
losing a reckless swimming match.
 Beowulf responds by telling how the match really
went, accusing Unferth of fratricide, and faulting him
for lacking the heart to confront Grendel.
 What
are your
first impressions
of Beowulf?
How it All Goes Down…
 King
Hrothgar, the ruler of the Danes, is
troubled by the rampages of a demon named
Grendel. Every night, Grendel attacks King
Hrothgar's wealthy mead-hall, Herot, killing
Danish warriors and sometimes even eating
them.
 Hrothgar
was a great warrior in his time, but
now he's an old king and can't seem to protect
his people. Fortunately, a young Geat warrior
named Beowulf travels to Herot Hall from his
own lands overseas to lend a helping hand –
literally.
A Look Back: Grendel’s First
Attack and Beowulf’s Arrival
this section, Hrothgar’s ancestors are
briefly described. Herot is constructed,
and Grendel attacks it. Beowulf hears of
the troubles at Herot and decides to help
Hrothgar. Once he arrives, he is
welcomed and feasted.
 In
challenges Beowulf ’s reputation.
Beowulf defends himself and attacks
Unferth’s reputation. Hrothgar makes note
that before now he has never entrusted
his hall to a stranger. Beowulf stays
awake, waiting for Grendel, as the rest of
the hall settles into sleep.
 Unferth
 Ralph
Waldo Emerson said that, "A hero
is no braver than an ordinary man, but he
is braver five minutes longer.”
 Do you agree or disagree with his statement and
why? Are heroes just ordinary men who do
something when other men have already given up?
Courage in Beowulf

Courage - the foundation 
of the warrior culture that
underlies the story of
Beowulf.
 a true warrior's bravery 
comes from a
completely fatalistic

attitude toward life and
indifference to death.
 Someday, he will die and
be defeated. Everything
happens as God wills it.
All the warrior can do is
meet every challenge
fearlessly, increasing his
own reputation.
When he dies - renowned
for his bravery.
There are a lot of cowards
in Beowulf…or, if that's a
little harsh, people who
aren't willing to live by this
fatalistic code of honor.
The Last Battle

Beowulf has triumphed over all his enemies –
finally there comes a day when he has to face
his last and most difficult adversary: the dragon.
Da da DUM!

Beowulf makes his last boast.

Boasting - a formal part of warrior culture and
important for great men. Beowulf's last boast is
that he won battles in his youth and that in his
old age he is going to fight the dragon "for the
glory of winning.”
 Wishes
he could fight
the dragon hand-tohand, the way he
fought Grendel when
he was young, instead
of using a sword.
 He
shouts out a
challenge and the
dragon, recognizing a
human voice, bursts
forward, breathing fire.
 Why
do you think Beowulf wants to fight
the dragon alone?
 What
do Beowulf’s followers do when
they realize he is losing the battle? What
does Wiglaf do?
 Beowulf
is caught in a crazy battle scene.
Beowulf's sword fails for the first time; he
has to retreat. He's humiliated.
 The
dragon keeps hitting Beowulf with
fire. Beowulf’s men break ranks and begin
to flee. Wiglaf stays.
enters the battle at Beowulf’s side.
He encourages Beowulf and Beowulf is
inspired to keep fighting.
 Wiglaf
 The
dragon attacks, but Beowulf angers it
by swinging his sword. It snaps!
 It
attacks again, biting Beowulf in the
neck. Blood spurts everywhere. Wiglaf
jumps forward stabbing the dragon in the
in the belly.
 Beowulf
stabs the dragon in the side with
a knife. This finally kills the dragon.
The Denouement
 Beowulf
is mortally
wounded, but manages
to kill the dragon and
win its treasure.
 It's
a double-whammy:
Beowulf will die, but so
does the dragon. After,
it's obviously all
downhill, so this is
definitely the
denouement.
Gilt- Bronze Winged Dragon: Swedish, 8th Century
Portrayed designs of real or mythical animals. Liked to create
complex, abstract patterns. Also appeared in Christian art.
Gilt-Silver Brooch:
Pre-Viking Scandinavia
Scandinavia made
many artifacts highly
decorated. Called
barbarian art
influenced by Near
Eastern origin. Snake
forms have been
traced to ancient
Mesopotamia.
Popularity of Beowulf: Eighth
Century

Beowulf was written down about A.D 1000, but
became popular before that.

Stories like Beowulf became popular because the
legends were the roots of their day, telling who
their ancestors were.

A scholar taught by Bede wrote questioned some
of the characters in the poem, specifically Ingeld,
the pagan King, in Beowulf.
The Spoils and The Farewell
 The
dragon has been defeated, but Beowulf's
wound is getting worse – he realizes that it's
poisoned. He finds a place to sit, looking at the
massive structure.
 Beowulf
realizes he's dying and says the last
things he needs to say. He explains to Wiglaf
that he would have wanted to bestow his armor
on his son, but he doesn't have a son.

Beowulf recalls his long
reign over the Geats: he's
been king for fifty years.

Beowulf orders Wiglaf to
go into the barrow, and
bring back some treasure
for him to see before he
dies.

Beowulf is alive but
bleeding profusely. Wiglaf
cleans the king's wounds
again as Beowulf gazes
on the treasure.

The Geats build Beowulf's funeral pyre, stacking it
high with precious armor and treasures. They light
the fire and Beowulf's body burns while his people
wail and mourn him.

After the pyre burns, the Geats build a barrow
over it. The barrow is a memorial to Beowulf which
takes ten days to build, and can be seen from the
sea.

They bury jewels, gold, and treasures in the
barrow to honor Beowulf. Twelve warriors ride
around the tomb singing dirges, honoring Beowulf
by describing his heroic deeds.
Silver Pendant of
Vendel:
Early Viking Period,
10th Century.
Warriors and
conquerors
celebrated courage
and skill in battle.
Pendant shows a
face similar to that on
Viking helmets, and
buckles.
The Oseberg Ship: Viking Artifact
The best known artifact of Viking times. Boat was buried along with the remains
of a princess and a number of sacrificed dogs, horses, and oxen. The rudder
was at the side rather than in the stern.
Themes
 Good
vs. evil
 Identity
 Strength
 Religion
 Courage
 Mortality
 Supernatural
and skill
 Traditions
customs
and
 Were
you surprised by the conclusion of
Beowulf?
 How
would you have ended the poem?
Why?