The Song of Beowulf
- the most famous Old English work, an anonymous heroic epic of 3200 verses
- pagan tradition is blended with Christian elements
- it was written around the year 1000, it was composed after 700
- the poem is set in 6th century Scandinavia
- the subject matter is stated even older (Germanic tribes in Scandinavia)
- Beowulf (a courageous pagan hero of royal blood) sails to Denmark
- the Danish king Hrothgar built a great hall Heorot for feasts
- the monster Grendel found the feast hall and comes at times to eat food and men
- Beowulf settles in the hall with his warriors, everyone except for him falls asleep
- when Grendel comes Beowulf manages to cut one of Grendel’s arms
- the monster disappears and later dies
- Grendel’s mother wants to revenge him, comes to a ball, eats some soldiers and goes away
- Beowulf goes after her to the marshes and kills her with a magic sword
- everybody lives happily after this
- 50 years later, when Beowulf is already old, his own country is attacked by a fire-breathing dragon
- Beowulf manages to kill it with his soldiers, but he is wounded and dies
- the end is Beowulf’s funeral
- the name Beowulf appears often i other sagas and epics (in Scandinavian literature)
- around 1000, when Beowulf was recorded, some controversial Christian elements appeared
-
an Anglo-Saxon heroic epic poem, the most important and famous work of OE literature, 1st major
poem written in a European vernacular language = narrative secular poetry. The only surviving
manuscript in the British Museum. It was written in the West Saxon dialect and it is believed to date
from late 10th century.
-
foreshadowing, noble tone
-
generally considered the work of an 8th century Anglican poet who fused Scandinavian history and
pagan mythology with Christian elements. It represents and oral tradition that had been used for
centuries.
-
Consists of 3182 lines. Each line with four accents marked by alliteration and divided into 2 parts by a
caesura.
-
The sombre story is told in vigorous, picturesque language.
-
metaphors ‘whale road’ = sea, no rhymes, appears in other Scandinavian poems, interesting picture of
life that time and culture, it describes fierce battles and brave deeds, the speeches of the leaders and
the suffering of the men. mythology alongside Christian teaching, description of an ideal Behaviour
-
a character of royal blood, sails to Denmark, wants to help the Danish king Hrothgar in his struggle
against Grendel – a monster eating men. Hrothgar built a lovely feasthall Heorot on their honour, all
fall asleep, Beowulf not, Grendel catches some, eats one, Beowulf beats him, they drink mead,
Grendel had mother, she comes at night and takes one away, Beowulf goes after her, it is the first part
of the poem.
-
After many years his country is attached by dragon but Beowulf is old, everybody is afraid, he is
going alone, long description of the fight, fights it but is very seriously wounded, later dies. Long
funeral scene.
- the name of Beowulf appear in many Scandinavian epics, famous hero, such poems were to encourage
the warriors
The Exeter Book
- a manuscript collection of Anglo-Saxon poetry transcribed about 975
Seafarer
-
a lyrical poem, an Old English elegy,
-
about the hardships of sailors’ life, about storms, hunger, isolation, but he longs for the sea, despite
the difficulties he wants a chance to set again, vivid descriptions and rich periphrases,
- it shows some Christian elements, the narrator suddenly come to the conclusion that the life here is
nothing against the life after death
The Wanderer, Wulf and Eadwacer, Christ The Phoenix, The Ruin
- the poems are characterized by their use of alliteration
- typical is the philosophic blend of Christian values and Germanic fatalism
- verse - regular stress, free rhythm, use of conventional figures of speech called kennings
Religious poetry - both pagan and Christian poetry flourished in the 7th and 8th centuries
Caedmon – (7th century) considered the earliest of the Anglo-Saxon Christian poets
-
very shy, couldn’t sing, an angel appeared to him, to sing in God’s pride,
-
Caedmon’s Hymn – the ‘Hymn of Creation’, found in many sources, very popular, appeared in
Latin work written by Venerable Bede – at the beginning of the 7th cent., only parts of it can be
definitely attributed to him
-
Genesis, Exodus, Daniel - paraphrastic poems which have been attributed to him