Beowulf
BEOWULF
Beowulf , written in Old English
sometime before the
tenth century A.D.,
describes the adventures of a
great Scandinavian warrior
of the sixth century.
A rich fabric of
fact and fancy,
Beowulf is the
oldest
surviving epic in
British literature.
Beowulf exists in only one manuscript.
This copy survived both the wholesale
destruction of religious artifacts
during the dissolution of the monasteries
by Henry VIII and a disastrous fire
which destroyed the library of
Sir Robert Bruce Cotton (1571-1631).
Beowulf
Of the founder of the Danish house
Prelude.
1
15Bw
Beowu
lf
Alliteration
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: a good king he!
To him an heir was afterward born,
a son in his halls, whom heaven sent
to favor the folk, feeling their woe
that erst they had lacked an earl for leader
so long a while; the Lord endowed him,
the Wielder of Wonder, with world's renown.
Famed was this Beow*
*Not, of course, Beowulf the Great, hero of the epic.
far flew the boast of him,
son of Scyld, in the Scandian lands.
So becomes it a youth to quit him well
with his father's friends, by fee and gift,
that to aid him, aged, in after days,
come warriors willing, should war draw nigh,
liegemen loyal: by lauded deeds
shall an earl have honor in every clan.
Forth he fared at the fated moment,
sturdy Scyld to the shelter of God.
Then they bore him over to ocean's billow,
loving clansmen, as late he charged them,
while wielded words the winsome Scyld,
the leader beloved who long had ruled....
In the roadstead rocked a ring-dight vessel,
ice-flecked, outbound, atheling's barge:
there laid they down their darling lord
on the breast of the boat, the breaker-of-rings*,
by the mast the mighty one.
Kenning
*
for king or chieftain of a comitatus: he breaks
off gold from the spiral rings -- often worn on the arm -- and so
rewards his followers.
Many a treasure
fetched from far was freighted with him.
No ship have I known so nobly dight
with weapons of war and weeds of battle,
with breastplate and blade: on his bosom lay
a heaped hoard that hence should go
far o'er the flood with him floating away.
No less these loaded the lordly gifts,
thanes' huge treasure, than those had done
who in former time forth had sent him
sole on the seas, a suckling child.
High o'er his head they hoist the standard,
a gold-wove banner; let billows take him,
gave him to ocean. Grave were their spirits,
mournful their mood.
No man is able
to say in sooth, no son of the halls,
no hero 'neath heaven, -- who harbored that freight!
Beowulf I
Now Beowulf bode in the burg of the
I.
Scyldings,
leader beloved, and long he ruled
in fame with all folk, since his father had gone
away from the world, till awoke an heir,
haughty Healfdene, who held through life,
sage and sturdy, the Scyldings glad.
Then, one after one, there woke to him,
to the chieftain of clansmen, children four:
Heorogar, then Hrothgar, then Halga brave;
and I heard that -- was --'s queen,
the Heathoscylfing's helpmate dear.
To Hrothgar was given such glory of war,
such honor of combat, that all his kin
obeyed him gladly till great grew his band
of youthful comrades.
It came in his mind
to bid his henchmen a hall uprear,
a master mead-house, mightier far
than ever was seen by the sons of earth,
and within it, then, to old and young
he would all allot that the Lord had sent him,
save only the land and the lives of his men.
Wide, I heard, was the work commanded,
for many a tribe this mid-earth round,
to fashion the folkstead. It fell, as he ordered,
in rapid achievement that ready it stood there,
of halls the noblest: Heorot* he named it
.
*That is, "The Hart," or "Stag," so called from
decorations in the gables that resembled the antlers
of a deer . The building was rectangular, with
opposite doors -- mainly west and east -- and a
hearth in the middle of the single room.
whose message had might in many a land.
Not reckless of promise, the rings he dealt,
treasure at banquet: there towered the hall,
high, gabled wide, the hot surge waiting
of furious flame.*
*Fire was the usual end of these halls. See v. 781
below.
English Literature begins with Beowulf.
It is England’s heroic epic, its Odyssey.
The poem shapes and interprets
materials connected with the tribes of
northern Europe: Angles, Saxons,
Jutes.—who invaded England in fifth
century.
Beowulf is a history of festering pride, loud
talk, and drunken violence, of spies, bloody
borders, and raids.
Beowulf is a history in which a stranger
comes openly to help rather than covertly to
kill and loot, in which eating and drinking
and speaking and gift-giving are natural
ceremonies .
Beowulf is a history of heroic strength
that is wise and generous .
Beowulf is based on unwritten stories
passed from generation to generation by
word of mouth.
Beowulf, like all epic poems, is about a hero ,
larger than life, who becomes leader of his
people
Beowulf is about good versus evil, a belief in
the power of Fate (Wyrd) to rule human
destiny, and the resignation to the certainty
of death.
Finally
Beowulf, is a suspense-filled story
sung by traveling scops, filled with
lyrical alliteration and metaphoric
kennings, boasts and bloodshed,
heroes and monsters, hospitality and
horror, light and darkness, imagery
and imagination.
Beowulf, though often difficult to
decipher because of the Old English
vocabulary, is a timeless tale, one
worth reading and studying because...
... Beowulf has served as an inspiration for many
later writers, among them J.R.R. Tolkien, author of
the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
End Day 1
Danes
Shield
Grain
Healfdene
Halga
Married a Swede
Hrothgar King
of Danes
Wealhtheow,
Hrothar’s
Queen
Monsters
Cain, punished for murdering his brother
Monsters, elves, zombies, giants who fought
with God and caused the great flood
Grendel’s mother
Grendel
Geats
Ecgtheow, Hygelac’s
thane and brotherin-law
Hygelac, King of Geats
Heardred
Beowulf
Thanes:Great warriors who
pledged their loyalty to king in
exchange for land
Wiglaf-son of a great warrior
who passed on chain mail forged
by Giants.
Both Hygelac and Heardred both
killed in battle with the Swedes.
Beowulf became King of Geats
for 50 years until…
Battle with the Dragon
Episode #12 “The Death of Beowulf”
Cain and Abel:
A Brother’s Bloodshed
the Germanic Warrior
Day 2
Monsters and Beasts
End Day 2
Scops: Good Story-tellers
•lurid details to keep the listener
interested:
Spawned in slime
Murderous creatures banished by God
Blood dripping behind them
No savage assault quenched his lust for evil
Hell-forged hands
Alone, bloodthirsty, and horrible
kennings:
•mankind’s enemy-Grendel
•that shadow of death-Grendel
•Healfdene’s son-Hrothgar
Match the kenning with the correct
character/place.
Wanderer of the
wasteland
Grendel
Sea-weary ones
Geats
Giver of the
rings
Hrothgar
So the living sorrow of Healfdane’s son
(Hrothgar) simmered, bitter and fresh, and
now no wisdom or strength could break it:
that agony hung on king and people alike,
harsh and unending, violent and cruel, and
evil
The Coming of Grendel...
thanes: free men who were given land
and spoils of battle for military service
to their King. They were expected to
follow their lord to their death.
In his far-off home Beowulf, Hygelac’s
(king of Geats) follower and the strongest of
the Geats---greater and stronger than anyone
anywhere in this world--heard how Grendel
filled nights with horror and quickly
commanded a boat...proclaiming that he’d
go to the ...king...and would sail across the
sea to Hrothgar, now when help was needed.
Geats
Danes
Herot
The Coming of Beowulf
Mail
Armour
Mail shirt
How do you think some of the Dane warriors
may have felt about Beowulf’s arrival and
boasts of conquering Grendel? Which warrior
was envious of Hrothgar’s attention to
Beowulf and Beowulf’s fame?
Unferth
•Look for similarities
with the Greek epic the
Odyssey
•Watch how Beowulf
rebukes the Danes
•Alliteration/assonance
•Kennings
•light vs darkness
imagery
•Listen for elements of the fantastic
•See how the poet underscores the
power of words and a hero’s
determination
alliteration/light-darkness/lurid
details to create suspense/
End Day 3
Danes
Shield
Grain
Healfdene
Halga
Married a Swede
Hrothgar King
of Danes
Wealhtheow,
Hrothar’s
Queen
Geats
Ecgtheow, Hygelac’s
thane and brotherin-law
Hygelac, King of Geats
Heardred
Beowulf
Thanes:Great warriors who
pledged their loyalty to king in
exchange for land
Wiglaf-son of a great warrior
who passed on chain mail forged
by Giants.
Element s of an Epic: The Battle with Grendel
•Suspense puts listeners on the edge of their seats,
around the fire ring, waiting for what is to
promised to come– “…let God decide who shall be
taken by death…”
•Lurid details to create suspense— “will carry my
corpse, dripping with blood…”
•Vivid imagery/strong action words– “hall warriors
…swept away in Grendel’s horror.
•Kennings-- memorable phrases that shape a
character’s personality– “the brave one”
•Alliteration to create rhythm and to tie ideas
together– “ward off whales”
Small Group Work: (10 pts) Flip chart.
Find 2 examples of each of the four
element of an epic in any of the 4episodes.
•Suspense
•Lurid details
•Vivid imagery/strong action verbs
•Kennings
•Alliteration
End of Day 4
Episode 5: Understanding the Lineage of the
Old Trouble
The inclusion of this story of Finn gives the reader
an idea of how a story like Beowulf might have
been presented.
• 60 warriors of the Half-Danes (Division of the
Danes) are visiting King Finn(Frisians) at this
fortress. (see map)
•King Hnaef leads the Half-Danes. His sister,
Hildeburh, is married to Finn. (the marriage was
arranged to settle a feud)
Geats
Danes
Finn
Herot
• For some unclear reason, the Frisians attack the
hall where the Half-Danes are sleeping.
•Danes lose the bloody battle to Finn.
•Danish leader, Hnaef, (Finn’s wife’s brother) is
killed in combat.
•Hildeburh’s son, a Frisian warrior, is also killed.
•Queen Hildeburh’s grief is immense. This had
been a place of great happiness, now turned to
sorrow. She orders that her son’s and brother’s
bodies be laid side by side on the funeral pyre.
•Finn’s troops are so decimated that he cannot
continue to attack the hall
•The Danes are on foreign soil and
unable to break out to a victory.
•A truce is reached. Finn offers to take in
Hnaef’s thanes as his own.
•Recognizing defeat, Danes strike a truce.
Agree to live separately, but under common
rule and equal treatment.
•They are forced to stay the winter because of
rough, icy seas.
•Hengst, Hnaef’s top thane and now
the Half-Danes’ leader, thinks more
about vengeance than he does about
returning home.
•Springtime, one of the Danish warriors presents
him with a sword symbolic of leadership and
implies revenge.
•Finn is defeated and slain.
•Hildeburh is returned to her family, the Danes
Day 5: Review Game
1. Divide class into 5 teams
2. Each power point slide contains review
questions pertaining to the elements of a
story
3. On each slide, there will be 2-point
questions in two-levels of difficulty.
4. Each team member must take a play card
before answering. The play cards will give the
player an option for answering. Some will take
the turn away.
5. The team with the most amount of points
after two completed rounds of play gets 6
bonus points for the day. Second place gets 4
bonus points. Third gets 3 . Fourth gets 2.
Fifth gets 1 bonus point. HOWEVER, your
team must have at least 1 point on the board
to qualify for any bonus points.
6. There will be NO TALKING during the
play time. EXCEPTION—if your play card
says you make confer with a member(s) of
your team.
Day 5: Reviewing Characters
Level 2
Level 1
Hygelac
Beowulf
Ecgtheow
Hrothgar
Brecca
Grendel
Sigemund
Wealhtheow
Unferth
Grain
Healfdene
Reviewing Setting
Level 1
Whose home was
referred to as a lair?
Mode of
Transportation?
Geatland: What
direction from Danes?
Buildings for social
gatherings and meals
Time period of Beowulf
3Level 2
Furthest north:
Jutes or Danes?
Sea north of Geats
Sea East of Geats
Curved prow of
Geat ship like a …?
Person who lived with
both Geats and Danes
Reviewing Plot
Level 2
Level 1
Orphan who prospered and
became a good king
Payment to the giants who had fought
with God in the beginning.
Years Hrothgar suffered
Grendel before Beowulf
Who moved into the mead-hall
once Hrothgar’s men gave up?
Who took the Geats to
Hrothgar?
Who helped Hrothgar build his mead
hall?
How did Hrothgar know that the
first men killed by Grendel had tried
to escape?
What had Hrothgar heard of
Beowulf’s strength before his coming
to the Danes?
How had Hrothgar helped
Beowulf’s father?
First Dane to Challenge Beowulf
Episode #6: The Queen Speaks
•Wealhtheow is concerned about her aging
husband’s predecessor
•Narrator hints that trouble is brewing between
Hrothgar and his nephew
•Narrator explains about the fall of Hygelac in
battle and how the spoils of war included a
treasured neck ring, pilfered by the Frisians and
then the Franks.
What do you learn about the Germanic Culture:
1. Germanic custom required avenging death of
kinsmen
2. Winner of battles takes the spoils and leaves the
bodies lie
3. Germanic concept of a hero:
•Role model to the young
•Faithful t o his king
•Mild in spirit
•Always ready for war
•Ready to sacrifice his life for the king
Epic Style:
•Kennings
•Vivid Imagery
•Heroic Qualities: Faithful to His King, Mild
in Spirit, Brave (choose one)
•Suspense
•Culture
•Themes: Vengeance
Episode 7: The Expedition to Grendel’s Mere
Group Work:
1. Constant Awareness of Death pervades this epic
poem--Find direct quotes throughout the poem
that depict a life full of death and the threat of
death that loom over every life, both human and
monster. Find three quotes for each.
2. Adherence to the same vengeance –demanding
code-Find two quotes for each-monsters and
humans.
3. Beowulf’s superhuman, heroic abilities : Find two
quotes in Episode 7.
Episode 8: Beowulf Returns to Herot
Theme: Great Warrior is blessed by God
• “His men rushed toward him(Beowulf),
thanking God they saw him safe.
•“The battle (with Grendel’s mother) would have
ended quickly if God had not protected me.”
Theme: Bad /Evil warrior s are punished
•“When the grim-hearted being (Grendel), God’s
adversary, guilty of murder, left this world …
•“…the ancient heirloom(magic sword)…slew the
race of giants…a race foreign to the Eternal
Lord…Almighty gave them a final reward through
the water’s surging(flood).
•“Heremod …waxed not to their (Danes) help
but to their slaughter…he cut down his bosom
friends…his spirit grew blood thirsty…he gave no
rings…he who shoots his bow with evil--- mighty
God…distributes land/rank..controls all--intent…is hit in the heart, beneath his armor…
Epic Style: vivid imagery
The helmet of night turned black, dark over
the warriors, The men arose. The grayhaired one would seek his bed, the old Dane
What is being compared to a helmet?
Why does the metaphor work?
The hall reached high, vaulted and adorned in
gold. The guest rested within until the black
raven told heaven’s joy with a happy heart.
Then came the bright light, hastening over
the shadow
Episode 8 Group Activity: Group Choice
•Create one slide
•Give and example of either vivid
imagery, Good warriors blessed by
God, or Bad/Evil is punished by God
Be creative, using color and shapes, etc,.
to emphasize your message.
•Save on my R drive, under Myths/Beowulf
a. a pile of treasures
b. anyone who entered turned to stone c. anyone who looked upon the place lost all memory
Episode 9: Beowulf becomes King of the Geats.
Hygelac’s Family
Hygd(wife)
Heardred
(youngest son)
Beowulf
How the Dragon got the hoard…
In-class activity : Each person in your group is
responsible for composing a 11 X 8 size element of
your timeline . You will line up in front and present
your part of the timeline.
Group A: Create a time-line that details how , in the
old days, the hoard was first formed.
Group B: How the Dragon found the hoard and
claimed it as his home.
Group C: How the thief stole from the dragon
Group D: How the dragon avenged the thievery
The Fight with the Fire Dragon
Beowulf has grown old as king of the Geats. He
foresees his immanent death, but chooses to do battle
with the fire dragon who is wreaking havoc on the
villages in retribution for a thief who has stole part
of his treasure.
Beowulf’s comrades witness the battle from a
distance and the retreat in terror.
How did his comrades violate their duties as thanes?
In return for shares of loot and bounty, warriors
are to follow lord to death. Only Wiglaf fights.
The Burning of Beowulf’s Body...
Days of ...
•misery
•infinite sadness
•mourning
•fear and sorrow to come
Final Thoughts
“And then twelve of the bravest Geats
rode their horses around the tower,
telling their sorrow, telling stories of
their dead king and his greatness, his
glory...
...Praising him for heroic deeds, for
a life as Noble as his name...
Beowulf
...no better king had ever lived, no prince so
mild, no man so open to his people, so deserving
of praise.