HELP! I need somebody!
• Think of a time when you helped someone in need
or someone helped you OR a time when you did
NOT render help and wish you had. Give a brief
summary of the incident then answer the following
analysis questions:
– What was your/their motivation (why was help
rendered?)?
– What was the result?
– What would have happened if help was not
rendered?
– Did anyone else offer help? Why/why not?
Beowulf:
The Beginnings of English
Literature
Origins
Unknown author;
possibly one Christian
author in AngloSaxon England
Unknown date of
composition (roughly
8th-11th Century CE)
Conflict Christian Values and
Heroic Values
• This tension is at the
heart of the poem
• Pagan history and
myth are made to
point to a Christian
moral
• Beowulf is poised
between two value
systems
Mix of pagan and Christian Values
• Fate vs. choice of good
and evil
• Mythological monsters
vs. references to God
and Jesus
• Beowulf was a war
leader of the Geats, a
group of people in what
is now southern Sweden
• Hrothgar was king of the
Danes
The Epic Hero
Defeats his enemies using
A man of high social
status whose fate
affects the destiny of
his people
Physical strength
Skill as a warrior
Nobility of character
Quick wits
Is not modest – boasting is a ritual
Embodies the ideals and values of his
people
Is eager for fame
Because the Germanic tribes believed
death was inevitable, warriors sought fame
to preserve the memory of their deeds after
death
Old English
 Beowulf was written in Old English, an early
form of English
 Old English was spoken in the Middle Ages from
about 6th century to 11th century CE
 In 1066, William the Conqueror successfully
invaded England, bringing his Norman French
language with him; the nobility began to speak
French, and gradually Old English evolved into
Middle English (1100-1500): “Whan that Aprill,
with his shoures soote/The droghte of March
hath perced to the roote”
 Modern English has been spoken since the
Renaissance – Shakespeare is NOT Old English;
he is Early Modern English
Elements of an Epic
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Recounts a journey
Main character is a hero
Exaggerations are used
The setting covers multiple nations
Gods and the like are included in the plot
Story begins in the middle of things (in medias res)
Journey to the underworld
Use of the number 3
Typical theme of good vs evil
Long narrative poem
Literary Devices
Allusion: Biblical, Germanic oral tradition,
Norse myth and legend, historical AngloSaxon kings (eg. King Offa of Mercia)
Alliteration (eg. Scyld’s strong son)
Epic poetry: a long narrative poem written
in elevated style which celebrates the deeds
of a legendary hero or god.
Scop: Anglo-Saxon composers and
storytellers (like minstrels or bards)
Kenning: two-word metaphorical name for
something (eg. whale-road=sea)
Kennings
• A kenning is a poetic renaming for a
simpler, more concrete noun; for example,
storm of swords is a kenning for
• Examples of modern day kenning: gas
guzzler
Battle SUV = Old Car
Kennings
Compound
Words
Sky-candle
Whale-road
Ring-giver
Gold-ringed
Battle dew
Sea stallion
Prepositional
Phrases
Wolf of wounds
Winters of grief
Shepard of evil
Storm of swords
Guardian of the people
Path of the sea
Possessives
Seabird’s bath
Ocean’s face
Heaven’s joy
Arrow’s storm
Water’s chain
Battle’s torch
Warrior Code
Comitatus: Germanic code of loyalty
Thane: warrior – swears loyalty to the king
for whom they fought and whom they
protected
Kings: generous, protected thanes
Reputation: thanes were expected to be
loyal, brave, courageous; kings were
expected to be generous and hospitable
Wergild: “man-payment”; a fee paid to the
family of a slain man to atone for his
murder and to prevent the family from
seeking revenge.
2 Types of Epics
1. Folk
–
–
–
–
Told out loud first (usually by scops)
Unknown author
Unknown dates
(E.g.—Beowulf is a folk epic because we don’t know
who wrote it)
2. Literary
–
–
Known author
(E.g.– Paradise Lost, by John Milton is a literary
epic because we know who wrote it.)
Themes
• Good vs. Evil
• Forces of darkness—irrational
and menacing—are always at
work in society
• Life is a continuing struggle
• Actions speak louder than words
• Judge the greatness of a human
by the greatness of his deeds
and noble ancestry
• Help thy neighbor
• To be loyal is to selflessly make
sacrifices for a loved one.