History

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Beowulf

• Why Beowulf?

• History

• Setting

• Poetic devices

• Terms

• Themes

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Why Study Beowulf?
1. Beowulf is the oldest poem in the English
language, so everything written since Beowulf
stems from it in some way
2. The story of Beowulf encompasses common themes
that we still see in English literature today
3. Beowulf is simply good writing
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Why Study Beowulf?
4. In some ways, it doesnt matter what you read,
but how you read it, sosince Beowulf came first,
you might as well start there.
5. Studying Old English improves your
understanding of modern English
6. Its a great story
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Beowulfs History
What we dont know

• who wrote it

• when exactly it was written

• how much, exactly, is based on historical truth

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Beowulfs History
What we do know

• Beowulf is the oldest surviving English poem.
  Its written in Old English (or Anglo-Saxon),
  which is the basis for the language we speak
  today.

• Some of the characters in the poem actually
  existed.

• The only copy of the manuscript was written
  sometime around the 11th century A.D. (1000s),
  however

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• The actual poem probably dates from the 8th
  century (700s) or so, and

• The story may be set even earlier, around 500 A.D.

• There are a lot of Christian references in the
  poem, but the characters and setting are
  Paganthis means a monk probably translated it.

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Beowulf
So why wasnt it written down in the first place?
This story was probably passed down orally for
centuries before it was first written down.
It wasnt until after the Norman Invasion (1066)
that writing stories down became common in this
part of the world.
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Beowulf
So whats happened to the manuscript since the
11th century?
Eventually, it ended up in the library of this
guy.
Robert Cotton (1571-1631)
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Beowulf
Unfortunately, Cottons library burned in 1731.
Many manuscripts were entirely destroyed.
Beowulf was partially damaged.
The manuscript is now preserved and carefully
cared for in the British Museum.
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Setting Beowulfs time and place
Although Beowulf was written in English, it is
set in what is now Sweden, where a tribe called
the Geats lived.
The story may take place as early as 400 or 500
A.D.
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Setting Beowulfs time and place
Insert Time of Beowulf
Europe today
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How we date Beowulf
Some Important Dates
521 A.D. death of Hygelac, who is
mentioned in the poem
680 A.D. appearance of alliterative verse
835 A.D. the Danish started raiding other
areas after this, few poets would consider
them heroes
SO This version was likely composed between 680
and 835, though it may be set earlier
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The Poetry in Beowulf
A few things to watch out for
Kennings
a. Compound metaphor (usually two words)
b. Most were probably used over and over
For instance hronade literally means
whale-road, but can be translated as sea
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The Poetry in Beowulf
A few things to watch out for
Other kennings from Beowulf
banhus bone-house body
goldwine gumena gold-friend of men generous
prince
beaga brytta ring-giver lord
beadoleoma flashing light sword
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The Poetry in Beowulf
A few things to watch out for
3. Litotes

• An ironic understatement

• Example

Hildeburh had no cause to praise the Jutes
In this example, Hildeburhs brother has just
been killed by the Jutes. This is a poetic way
of telling us she hated the Jutes absolutely.
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Some terms youll want to know
scop
A bard or story-teller. The scop was responsible
for praising deeds of past heroes, for recording
history, and for providing entertainment
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Some terms youll want to know
comitatus
Literally, this means escort or comrade
This term identifies the concept of warriors and
lords mutually pledging their loyalty to one
another
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Some terms youll want to know
thane
A warrior
mead-hall
The large hall where the lord and his warriors
slept, ate, held ceremonies, etc.
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Some terms youll want to know
wyrd
Fate. This idea crops up a lot in the poem,
while at the same time there are Christian
references to Gods will.
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Some terms youll want to know
epic
Beowulf is an epic poem. This means it has a
larger-than life hero and the conflict is of
universal importance. Theres a certain serious
that accompanies most epics.
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Themes and Important Aspects

• Good vs. Evil

• Religion Christian and Pagan influences

• The importance of wealth and treasure

• The importance of the sea and sailing

• The sanctity of the home

• Fate

• Loyalty and allegiance

• Heroism and heroic deeds
• The role of the female characters