Beowulf

1. Beowulf By ?

2. English History and Beowulf • England was conquered by many groups throughout history. • English history typically begins in 449 with the invasion of the Angles, Saxons, Jutes, and Geats. Before this invasion England was inhabited by the Celts. • Settled in southern England. (Angle-land) • Each invading group left a mark on the language spoken in England. • Being king didn’t have to do with heredity. It was about winning battles and leading your tribe. • Beowulf and the other characters in the story are not English. We study it because this epic was written down during the time when the Anglo-Saxons ruled England.

3. Old English • The English we speak today is not the same as the English spoken by the Anglo-Saxons. Old English is a combination of the language of the Celts, and the addition of the Germanic language of the Anglo- Saxons.

4. Old English • HWÆT, WE GAR-DEna in geardagum, þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon, hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon! oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum, monegum mægþum meodosetla ofteah, egsode eorlas, syððanærest wearðfeasceaft funden; he þæs frofre gebad,weox under wolcnum weorðmyndum þah,oð þæt him æghwylc ymbsittendraofer hronrade hyran scolde, gomban gyldan; þæt wæs god cyning!

5. Modern English • LO, praise of the prowess of people-kingsof 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 layfriendless, 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!

6. Beowulf “One of the most important remains of Anglo-Saxon literature is the epic poem Beowulf. Its age is unknown; but it comes from a very distant and hoar antiquity…It is like a piece of ancient armor; rusty and battered, and yet strong.” -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow • Beowulf is the first epic hero in the English language. There is no author for this epic. • Most scholars believe that this poem was composed between the mid-seventh century and the end of the tenth century. • The pieces of the story are believed to have been passed down by word of mouth and through “Scops”

7. Beowulf’s Family Tree

8. The Hero’s Journey“Monomyth” • The idea of “The Hero’s Journey” was introduced by a writer named Joseph Campbell in a book called The Hero With a Thousand Faces. He stole the term monomyth from James Joyce’s Finegan’s Wake. • “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” -Joseph Campbell

9. Birth • Fabulous circumstances surrounding conception, birth, and childhood establish the hero's pedigree and often constitute their own monomyth cycle.

10. The Call to Adventure • The hero is called to adventure by some external event or messenger. The Hero may accept the call willingly or reluctantly.

11. Helpers/Amulet • During the early stages of the journey, the hero will often receive aid from a protective figure. This supernatural helper can take a wide variety of forms, such as a wizard, and old man, a dwarf, a crone, or a fairy godmother. The helper commonly gives the hero a protective amulet or weapon for the journey.

12. Crossing the Threshold • Upon reaching the threshold of adventure, the hero must undergo some sort of ordeal in order to pass from the everyday world into the world of adventure. This trial may be as painless as entering a dark cave or as violent as being swallowed up by a whale. The important feature is the contrast between the familiar world of light and the dark, unknown world of adventure.

13. Tests • The hero travels through the dream-like world of adventure where he must undergo a series of tests. These trials are often violent encounters with monsters, sorcerers, warriors, or forces of nature. Each successful test further proves the hero's ability and advances the journey toward its climax.

14. Helpers • The hero is often accompanied on the journey by a helper who assists in the series of tests and generally serves as a loyal companion. Alternately, the hero may encounter a supernatural helper in the world of adventure who fulfills this function.

15. Climax/ Final Battle • This is the critical moment in the hero's journey in which there is often a final battle with a monster, wizard, or warrior which facilitates the particular resolution of the adventure.

16. Flight • After accomplishing the mission, the hero must return to the threshold of adventure and prepare for a return to the everyday world. If the hero has angered the opposing forces by stealing the elixir or killing a powerful monster, the return may take the form of a hasty flight. If the hero has been given the elixir freely, the flight may be a benign stage of the journey.

17. Return • The hero again crosses the threshold of adventure and returns to the everyday world of daylight. The return usually takes the form of an awakening, rebirth, resurrection, or a simple emergence from a cave or forest. Sometimes the hero is pulled out of the adventure world by a force from the daylight world.

18. Elixir • The object, knowledge, or blessing that the hero acquired during the adventure is now put to use in the everyday world. Often it has a restorative or healing function, but it also serves to define the hero's role in the society.