Beowulf
Introduction to Leadership
Background Information
The Anglo-Saxon Period—A.D.449-1066
Before the Anglo-Saxons

Britain settled by the Celts

Migrated from continental Europe between 800 and 600 B.C.

Julius Caesar arrived in 55 B.C. to begin a 400 year occupation of Britain.

The Roman forces withdrew from Britain by the early 5th century.
Anglo-Saxon England

After the Romans withdrew, Britain became venerable.

In 449 A.D. Germanic tribes, mostly Angles, Saxons, and, Jutes began
invading Britain.

By the end of the 7th century, Anglo-Saxons had become one peopleThe English.

The modern name England comes from the word for “land of the
Angles.”
Christianity and Paganism

The Britons under Roman rule were Christian, the invading Germanic tribes
were pagan.

In 563 A.D. Saint Patrick began to reconvert the population beginning in the
north and working his way south.

In 596 A.D. Saint Augustine began in the south of the island and began working
his way north.

By the end of the 7th century, England had become Christian.
Monasteries

The missionaries brought literacy to England. They established libraries and
schools within their monastaries.

Roman alphabet was adopted. Importance of written word expanded.

Latin was used as the Literary and scholarly language.

Literature moved from an oral tradition to a written tradition.
End of Anglo-Saxon Rule

In 1066 A.D. William, the duke of Normandy, invaded England, as he had been
promised the throne by King Edward.

Harold of Wessex had claimed the throne.

Harold was defeated and killed at the Battle of Hastings.

William became the first Norman kind of England.

The Anglo-Saxon period ended.
Beowulf

First masterpiece in English literature

Describes the adventures of a hero who came from the southern part of what
is now Sweden to aid a people living what is now Denmark.

Stories were part of a culture that a Germanic tribe bought with them when
they invaded and settled England after Hygelac's (actual Swedish king) death
in 521 A.D.

Anglo-Saxon minstrel, or scop, composed poetry in an oral form before an
audience

Handed down through generations in an oral form--not written down until
much later

Part of only 4 surviving Anglo-Saxon manuscripts
Beowulf Poet

Between 725 A.D. and 1000A.D. someone took the folk epic Beowulf as it had
been orally passed down and wrote it down in Anglo-Saxon (Old English)

The Beowulf-poet has absolute knowledge of the customs, traditions, and
values of the Anglo-Saxon society

He knows the Hebrew scriptures, as he refers to the Biblical story of Cain and
Abel

May have been familiar with Latin literature, i.e. Virgil's Aeneid

Loved words and language

Ultimately interested in the nature of success, true friendship, the final value
to be found in life and in death, not just heroic adventures akin to fairy tales

Combines both Christian and Pagan aspects in the poem
Beowulf’s appeal

Outstanding adventure story

Beowulf is an appealing hero
knowledge
Boar’s Head Crest
•
possesses skill, courage and
•
devotes his life to making the world a better place
•
chooses to risk death to help others
•
faces his own death with heroism and dignity
Iron Helmut
Beowulf’s appeal (cont.)

Interested in the psychological aspects of human behavior
* cowardice, jealousy
* courage nobility

Anglo-Saxon Necklace
Exhibits a mature appreciation of the transitory nature of human life and
achievement
* We, too, must create a meaningful life in a world full of danger
* Like them, we must adopt a code of behavior that allows us to take pride
in ourselves, our accomplishments, our relationships with others
Shield Mount
Germanic Hero

Involved groups of warriors who served princes or kings
* War was a customary occupation
* warriors slept with armor at their side
* spent time defending their own country or raiding other countries for wealth

King provided warriors with food, drink, weapons and armor, land, and jewels
•
warrior was obligated to fight to the death to defend his king
•
only justice was retributive, i.e. death for death
•
•
monetary value (wergild) was placed on the life of an individual
payment could be demanded upon death
Germanic Warriors cont.

Pagan warriors believed in wyrd (unalterable fate)

Immortality could only be achieved through fame which lasted beyond one’s
death

Since life was so hard, one had to take pleasure in what good life had to
offer so, eating, drinking, receiving gifts and achieving fame and honor, were
highly valued.
Sutton Hoo—Anglo-Saxon burial ship
discovered 1939
Literary Terms for Old English
 Epic:
a long verse narrative in an elevated
style, presenting characters of high position
in adventures
Examples: The Iliad, The Odyssey,
Gilgamesh, and Beowulf
Characteristics of an Epic
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The hero is a figure of imposing stature
The setting is vast, covering great nations or
worlds
Action consists of deeds of great valor or require
super human strength
Supernatural forces are evident
A styled of sustained elevation and grand
simplicity
The poet recounts deed of the hero with a
measure of objectivity
Served warrior cultures by boosting tribal pride
and teaching later generations a code of values
Elements of an Epic
The poet opens by stating the theme
2. The poet then invokes a muse
3. Opens the narrative in media res
(literally means “in the midst of
things”)
4. Has extensive use of epic similes
1.
Folk Epic
 An
epic without certain authorship
 Folk, or popular, epics are believed to
have developed from the orally
transmitted folk poetry of tribal bards
or other authors; they were eventually
transcribed by anonymous poets. Wellknown examples of the folk epic are
the
Epic Simile

an elaborated comparison. Differs from the ordinary
simile by being more involved and ornate. A secondary
object is developed into an independent aesthetic object

Example:
“Then the great sword, eaten with blood of battle
Began to soften and waste away
In iron icicles, wonder of wonders,
Melting away most like to ice
When the Father looses the fetters of frost
Slackens the bondage that abinds the wave,
Strong in power of times and seasons;” (1086-92)
Kenning

An elaborate metaphor used in Old English
poetry as a synonym for a simple noun
Example: whale-road
Litotes

a form of understatement and a characteristic
of Old English poetry
Example:
“Twas a weary while! twelve winter’s time”
Epithets

descriptive phrases that may be repeated
over and over. Frequently, several
epithets are used in the same sentence
Example: “Prince of the Danes, protector
of Scyldings, Lord of nations, and leader
of men,…
Alliteration

Repetition of the first sounds of words.

Used to help scops remember the poem and to create
unity within a piece.

Used to help unify poem and create complete, balanced
lines

Example:
 “Marauding
monsters and menacing trolls” (71)
Caesura

Pause in a line of verse, usually near the middle

Natural pause

Each line of verse is divided into two half-lines

Example:
“Success in battle; retainers bold
Obeyed him gladly; his band increased” (39-40)