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Introduction to Beowulf

Introduction to Beowulf. Classics to Contemporary Literature Heroism Unit Classical Selection. Background on Beowulf. 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

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Introduction to Beowulf

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  1. Introduction to Beowulf Classics to Contemporary Literature Heroism Unit Classical Selection

  2. Background on Beowulf • 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

  3. Characteristics of an Epic • 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.

  4. Characteristics of an Epic • 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.

  5. Setting of Beowulf • Denmark (Danes) • Geatland (A “tribal” area in Sweden) • Heorot (Herot) – the Mead Hall where the Danes Live

  6. Major Characters • 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

  7. Night One: Grendel

  8. Night Two: Grendel’s Mother

  9. Years Later -Three: The Dragon

  10. Is it Fiction or Nonfiction? • 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.

  11. Balance of Religion: Paganism • 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

  12. Wyrd

  13. Wyrd

  14. Balance of Religion: Christianity • 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

  15. Social Codes of the Anglo-Saxons • The family line – only in the case of men • A Man’s Worth • Blood for Blood • Women as Peace-Weavers

  16. Important Literary “Devices” • 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.”

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