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Home , Hygelac

By Anonymous v The longest complete epic poem in Anglo- Saxon (over 3,000 lines) v Anonymous writer v Dating back to the 5th-6th centuries (land of origin of the Anglo-Saxon populations) v Probably written down by monks in Northumbria between the 8th and 11th centuries q Layout: the regular presence of caesura in each line (= evident division of the line into 2 parts) q Sound devices: massive presence of alliterations e.g. gongan godes yrre baer (Grendel walking, God’s wrath he bore) q Figures of speech: (= compound words indicating someone or something) e.g. the ring-giver (the king); the sin-scather (Grendel); the protector of earls (=) q Beowulf, a Geat warrior, accepts to help , King of Denmark, to free his kingdom from the attacks of Grendel. q Beowulf manages to kill the monster and also his mother when she comes to take revenge on her son’s death. q As a result of these deeds, Beowulf is celebrated as a hero in Denmark and Geatland, where he becomes king on Hygelac’s death q After 50 years of wise rule, he decides to face a dragon that is ravaging his kingdom. He kills it but dies himself q The poem ends with Beowulf’s funeral and with the ’ mourning and fear for the future (Swedish imminent attack) q Denmark: - (Hrothgar’s hall) - Grendel’s cave + lake q Geatland: - Hygelac’s court - ’s den under the hill - the kingdom’s villages q Human: - Beowulf (the heroic warrior) - Hrothgar (King of the ) - Hygelac () - (Beowulf’s friend) q Non-human: - Grendel (half-human/half-ogre) - Grendel’s mother - the fire-dragon - the sea-creatures in the lake q The main values of the Anglo-Saxon military aristocratic society: - courage and strength - loyalty to the King - fighting for honour and glory - the urge of revenge - frequence of banquets, feasting - rewarding warriors’ deeds with gold and riches - the necessity to narrate the stories of heroes’ deeds to preserve the community’s history and identity q The combination of supernatural and Christian elements