INTRODUCTION TO BEOWULF
Beowulf is an epic. What is an epic? Epics are difficult to define, but all
epics have most or all of the following characteristics:
1. It is a long narrative poem.
2. Its hero embodies the ideals of a particular nation or culture.
3. It usually appears in the early stages of nationalistic or cultural
consciousness.
4. Its subject is a struggle for something that symbolizes a value of
the culture.
5. Its heroes are aided by divine or supernatural forces.
6. It is serious and written in an elevated style.
Epics also employ the following conventions:
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An invocation to the muse.
Catalogs—long lists of warriors, ships, etc.
Descriptions of weapons or armor—such aspects as their
physical appearance, magical powers, and previous history.
Address to the host—a stirring speech made by the leader to
inspire his men to heroism in battle. This is also referred to as
arming for battle.
Descent into the underworld—the hero learns something he can
find out in no other way; the trip may symbolize facing the fact
of death.
A hero that is larger than life.
Battles with monsters or the supernatural. These elements
attempt to undo or destroy the hero.
The story begins in media res.
Epithets—characters or gods are renamed using phrases or
metaphorical expressions.
The settings are vast and the hero embarks on perilous journeys.
Epic similes—long, in-depth, complex comparisons
Background Information:
Even though Beowulf is considered the first piece of early British literature,
written in about 725 A.D., the story takes place in Daneland (modern
Denmark) and Geatland (modern Sweden). The poem was written by the
Anglo-Saxon settlers of the British Isles about their Scandanavian
predecessors. The manuscript that survives is from about 1000. Beowulf
exemplifies the development of a national, cultural, and political identity.
The events in the poem take place shortly after the first Germanic invasion
of England. See the map below.
The version of Beowulf we will read in class has been translated from the
Old English into modern English by Seamus Heaney, a Nobel Prize winning
Irish poet. See the link below for an audio of Ben Slade reciting a section of
Beowulf in Old English. The translation is provided on the right hand side of
the page.
http://www.beowulftranslations.net/benslade.shtml
In 1939, archaeologists discovered the largest Anglo-Saxon burial of a high
status Anglo-Saxon dating back to the early seventh century. Sutton Hoo is
the largest Anglo-Saxon excavation ever performed in Britain. The
excavators uncovered 41 items of solid gold, a 27 meter long ship, 37 coins
The treasures discovered at Sutton Hoo are on display in the British
Museum, London. The links below include interactive tours and pictures of
the treasures from Sutton Hoo.
http://www.suttonhoo.org/
http://www.csis.pace.edu/grendel/projs4a/sutton.htm
http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/eliot/722/Sutthoo.htm
Beowulf and the excavation at Sutton Hoo are of historical importance
because they have helped historians and scholars understand the AngloSaxon culture and its customs. While you read Beowulf, enjoy the story, but
also pay attention to the descriptions, ceremonies, and themes. The themes
that you have identified in the Anglo-Saxon elegies and riddles studied are
also illustrated in Beowulf.
* Much of the information about epics and Beowulf as an epic was taken
from the following source:
Fleming, Margaret, ed. Teaching the Epic. Urbana, IL: National Council of
Teachers of English, 1974.