Where Did Beowulf Come from?
• Beowulf is an oral epic- a story about a
hero that was told aloud in long ago times
• We don’t know who made up the story; It
was probably more than one person
adding on to the story as time went by
• First hero story from Europe
• It was first written down about 1000AD
• It tells a story from about 500 AD
Beowulf
• The story mixes Christian and non-Christian world views
• The poem, filled with biblical allusions to the Old
Testament, is also influenced by Germanic oral tradition
and Old Norse myths and legends
• It was first published in modern times in 1815
• It is written in a style of writing known as “Old English”
Old English
• The Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian
peoples had invaded the island of Britain
and settled there several hundred years
earlier than Beowulf began, bringing with
them several closely related Germanic
languages that would evolve into Old
English.
• Old English is nothing like modern English!
Old English Prologue from Beowulf
Sample text in Old English (Prologue from Beowulf)
Modern English version
Which Means…
• Lo, praise of the prowess of people-kings
of spear-armed Danes, in days long sped,
we have heard, and what honor the athelings won!
Oft Scyld the Scefing from squadroned foes,
from many a tribe, the mead-bench tore,
awing the earls. Since erst he lay
friendless, a foundling, fate repaid him:
for he waxed under welkin, in wealth he throve,
till before him the folk, both far and near,
who house by the whale-path, heard his mandate,
gave him gifts:
Which Really Means…
• Listen to my story! We have heard of the longago years, of the glory of the Danish kings. We
have heard how they swung their mighty swords
in brave deeds. In those days Scyld Scefing
made slaves of enemy soldiers and terrified their
nobles. The Danes had found him helpless as a
child. He had been floating on the sea in a ship,
surrounded by gifts, a strange kingchild. He
grew tall, sailed the seas, rode through the land,
till other kings sailed the whale-paths to seek
him, offer him gold and bow to him. He ruled
lands on all sides. That was a brave king!
Literary Devices in Beowulf
• Beowulf is noted especially for three
literary devices : caesura, alliteration and
kenning
• Remember that a literary device is a
way of writing to produce a special
effect
Caesura
• A break or a pause in the middle of a
verse
• Helps in reading and give special effects
to a word or phrase- often marked with a
double line (ll)
• Example from Beowulf
Hwæt! we Gar-Dena || on geardagum
("Lo! we Spear-Danes, in days of yore).
Alliteration
• the repetition of similar sounds, especially the
initial consonant sound of a word or of a
stressed syllable
• Examples from Beowulf (there are three
alliterations in every line )
• Now Beowulf bode in the burg of the Scyldings,
Leader beloved, and long he ruled In fame with
all folk since his father had gone . . .
Kenning
• two-word metaphorical name for something
• Examples in Beowulf
• Ship: "the bent-necked wood," "the ringed prow,"
"the foamy-necked," "the sea-wood," "the sea-farer"
• Sea: "the swan-road" "the whale-road" "the seabird's baths"
• Sword: "the leaving of the file" "battle-lightning“
• Dragon: "the twilight-spoiler“
• Battle: "the storm of swords"
• Queen: "peace-bringer among nations"
• Lord/king: "the protector of warriors;" "ringgiver;" "dispenser of treasure
Beowulf Themes
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Goodness conquers evil. Beowulf, of course represents
goodness; the three monsters that he slays represent evil.
Actions (Beowulf's) speak louder than words (Unferth's).
Judge the greatness of a human being by the greatness of his
deeds and his noble ancestry.
Help thy neighbor. (Beowulf risks his life to help a neighbor, King
Hrothgar, in trouble.)
Forces of darkness–irrational, menacing–are always at work in
society.
Life is a continuing struggle. After Beowulf defeats Grendel,
Grendel's mother seeks revenge. Beowulf kills her. Eventually, in
old age, he faces still another challenge, this time from a dragon.
He kills the dragon, too, but suffers a mortal wound. After he dies,
new troubles loom on the horizon in the form of wars with
neighboring tribes.
Beowulf Pronunciation Guide
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Beowulf Pronunciation Guide
It might be of some help in reading Beowulf to know how to pronounce some of the names. The accent always falls on the first syllabus of a
name. The "sc" that starts many of the names is pronounced "sh." The "e" is usually pronounced as an independent vowel, so "Beowulf"
sound like "Bay'-oh-wolf," "Heorot" is "Hay-oh-roht," and "Geats" are Gay'ahts." The letter "h" at the beginning of a name is aspirated
(strongly-breathed). Old English Name: Pronounciation:Ælfhere alf hair uh
Æschere ash hair uh
Beanstan bayan stahn
Dæghrefn day hreven
Eadgils ayad gils (hard g)
Eanmund ayan mund
Earnaness er nuh ness
Ecgtheow edge thayo
Eofor ayo ver
Freawaru fraya wah roo
Geat gayat
Geatas gayat as
Hæthcyn hath kin
Healfdene half day nuh (pronounce the l)
Heardred har dred
Heorogar hair uh gar
Heorot hay oh roht
Herebeald hair uh bald
Heremod hair uh mode
Hildeburh hil duh burch
Hnæf hnaff
Hoc hoke
Hreosnabeorh hrayos nuh bairch
Hrothgar hroth gar
Hronesnes hron us ness
Hygelac hee yuh lahk
Nægling nail ing
Ohthere ocht hair uh
Ongentheow on gen thayo (hard g)
Scefing shay ving
Scop shope
Scyld shay ld
Wealhtheow walch thayo
Weohstan wech stahn
Wiglaf wee lahf
Quick Summary
• Written: Between down around 1000 A.D., in
England; had been a story told out loud for
centuries
• Author: Unknown
• Type of Work: Epic poem
• Setting: in Denmark and Geatland ( what is now
southern Sweden) in about 500 A.D.
• Tone: Exciting, action, foreboding
• Protagonist: Beowulf
• Antagonist: Grendal, Grendal’s mother