Introduction to Beowulf
Classics to Contemporary Literature
Heroism Unit
Classical Selection
Background on Beowulf
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Oldest and longest
surviving poem in Old
English
The poem has an oral
tradition
Scops chanted the poem
– told in three sittings
over three evenings
Authorship is anonymous
Is considered an Epic
Poem
Characteristics of an Epic
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The hero, generally male, is of
noble birth
The hero performs courageous
and superhuman deeds
The actions of a hero
determine the fate of a nation
The setting is vast in scope
and involves more than one
nation.
The plot is complicated by
supernatural beings
It addresses universal themes
– such as good and evil and
life and death.
Characteristics of an Epic





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The hero, generally male, is of
noble birth.
The hero performs courageous
and superhuman deeds.
The actions of a hero determine
the fate of the nation.
The setting is vast in scope and
involves more than one nation.
The plot is complicated by
supernatural beings.
It addresses universal themes –
such as good vs. evil and life
and death.
Setting of Beowulf
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Denmark (Danes)
Geatland (A “tribal”
area in Sweden)
Heorot (Herot) – the
Mead Hall where the
Danes Live
Major Characters
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Beowulf – The Geatish
Hero
Hrothgar – the King of
the Danes
Wiglaf – a Geatish
soldier
Grendel – the first
monster
Grendel’s Mother – the
second monster
The Dragon – the third
monster
Night One: Grendel
Night Two: Grendel’s Mother
Years Later -Three:
The Dragon
Is it Fiction or Nonfiction?
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Fantasy Element: Dragons,
Giant Swords, and
Superhuman Feats
Hygelac (Hig-lack) of the
Geats, who is Beowulf’s
king, is a real person. He
appeared in historical
records of Gregory of Tours
in 521 AD.
The Vikings sacked the
monasteries in 790 AD.
Could be the origins of
Grendel.
Or, it could have been
brought over from Denmark
in 830 AD when the Danish
began to invade England.
Balance of Religion: Paganism
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Belief in more than one deity (gods/goddesses)
Oral Tradition
Incorporation of the Dragons as a source of knowledge
Deer and Stag Imagery – Celtic deity Cernunnos
Concept of “Wyrd” or Fate
Raven and Bird Imagery – Nordic deity Odin
“Wyrds” or “Norns” as Goddesses
Burial is completed via Funeral Pyre
Wyrd
Wyrd
Balance of Religion: Christianity
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Written and published –
changes were made
Incorporation of
references to one God (in
this case, masculine), the
Lord, and glory to God.
Allusion to the Cain and
Abel story and the
connection to Grendel
Dragon as a
snake/serpent
Social Codes of the Anglo-Saxons
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The family line – only
in the case of men
A Man’s Worth
Blood for Blood
Women as PeaceWeavers
Important Literary “Devices”
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Scops (again, people who chant the poem)
Example: “We have heard of those princes’
campaigns.”
Kenning – a hyphenated noun that replaces
another noun or a character’s name. Be careful
though, a kenning is NOT a replacement for an
adjective.
Example: “Each clan outlaying the coast –
beyond the whale-road.”
Example: “The Hall-Watcher’s hate.”