Beowulf additional ppt

1. Anglo-Saxon and Beowulf Background

2. Background Information

• 30,000 lines of Anglo-Saxon poetry survive
today
• 3, 182 (10%) of the lines are from Beowulf
• Setting - Denmark and Sweden
• Author - Unknown, probably a monk
• Composed in the 7th or 8th century
• Oldest surviving English poem

3. Title of Epic Poem

• Anglo-Saxon word Beo
means “bright” or
“noble”
• Anglo-Saxon word wulf
means “wolf”
• Beowulf means bright
or noble wolf
• Other sources say Beo
means “bear”

4.

Setting: Beowulf’s time and place
Europe today
Time of Beowulf

5. Main Characters

6. Beowulf

• Epic hero
• Geat (from southern
Sweden)
• Nephew of Higlac (King
at story’s start)
• Sails to Denmark to
help Hrothgar

7. Hrothgar

• Danish king
• Builds Herot (banquet
hall) for men
• Tormented by Grendel
for 12 years
• Loses many men to
Grendel
• Joyless before
Beowulf’s arrival

8. Grendel

• Referred to as demon
and friend
• Haunts the moors
(swampy land)
• Descendant of Cain
• Feasts on 30 men the
night of 1st attack

9. Grendel’s Mother

• Referred to as she-wolf
• Lives under the lake by
Heorot Mead Hall
• Challenges Hrothgar
when she kills one of
his best men

10. Fire Dragon

• Lives in Beowulf’s
kingdom
• Wakes up when thief
steals cup
• Guards countless
treasures

11. Beowulf

About 400 Anglo Saxon texts
live on from this era, including
many beautiful poems. Many of
these tell of wild battles and
heroic journeys. The famous
poem Beowulf tells the story
of a bloodthirsty monster
called Grendel. Beowulf is
much admired for the richness
of its poetry - for the beautiful
sounds of the words and the
imaginative quality of the
description.

12. Kennings

• About a third of the words in Beowulf are words
known as kennings. Kennings are words that are in
themselves metaphorical descriptions, and were a
typical feature of Anglo Saxon poetry.
• Kennings combine two words to create an
evocative and imaginative alternative word. By
linking words in this way, the poets were able to
play and experiment with the rhythm, sounds and
imagery of the poetry. Beowulf contains over a
thousand kennings.