ANGLO- SAXONS/BEOWULF

The Anglo-Saxon Period:

Understanding Context Historical Context : Historical context refers to the events and situations during the time a piece of literature was written or published.

Understanding Context  Social Context: This refers to the way a society would view the events or characters in a story. This can relate to past or present societies.

Understanding Context Cultural Context: This includes behaviors, ideas, and beliefs shared by individuals within a particular group of people. It can be based around age, ethnicity, or social standing. Culture is learned and it includes language, values, social norms, and customs related to that particular group.

The Epic Tradition Target: recognize major literary forms and their elements. Epic: a long narrative poem that celebrates a hero’s deeds. Many epics began as songs to tell a story (before all people could write). They are often based on historical facts. They were performed and provided entertainment and education.

Types of Epic Poetry Folk Epic: In ancient times, stories about heroes were recited or sung as entertainment and passed down orally from one generation to the next. These stories were eventually unified into folk epics and written down long after they were first composed. Examples: Beowulf (Anglo-Saxon) Gilgamesh (Sumerian) Mahabharata (Indian) Sundiata (West African)

Types of Epic Poetry Literary Epics: These epics are written by individual authors, drawing on the styles and conventions of the folk epic. Examples: Illiad and Odyssey by Homer Aeneid by Virgil Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri Paradise Lost by John Milton

Conventions of an Epic - Basics 1. Setting – a vast scope that often involves more than one nation. 2. Plot – complicated by supernatural beings or events and involves long journeys. 3. Dialogue – long, formal speeches by main characters 4. Theme – reflects timeless values (courage and honor) and encompasses universal ideas (good v. evil or life after death). 5. Style – Formal diction (writer’s choice of words and sentence structure). Tone (expression of the writer’s attitude toward the subject) is serious.

Conventions of Epic Poetry 6. The story begins in medias res (in the middle of things) and then has flashbacks to explain action leading up to that point. 7.Invocation of the Muse: The story begins with an invocation (prayer) to a god or gods. 8. The story uses catalogues of things and characters; there are many lists, both long and short.

Conventions of the Epic 9. There are long and formal speeches by many characters. 10. Epics frequently have epic digressions. These are passages that do not further the action of the story because they are asides or because they are repetitions.

Heroes of an Epic  character traits that express the ideals of society  performs courageous acts (sometimes even superhuman acts) that reflect the values of a society.  Performs actions that influence the fate of a nation or a group of people.

What makes a Hero? ARCHETYPAL Qualities: Brave Smart Strong Loved by the people Often begins as an orphan or an outcast

Traditions of Epic Poetry  Alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words (helps to unify the lines).  Greedy and grim, he grabbed thirty men  Assonance: the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words  You waded in, embracing water,/ taking its measure, mastering currents,/ riding on the swell.  Cesura: a pause dividing each line. Each part has two accented syllables to help maintain the rhythm:  He took what he wanted,// all the treasures

Traditions of Epic Poetry Stock Epithets: adjectives that point out special traits of a particular person or thing. In Homer’s Epic, The Iliad, stock epithets are often compound adjectives, such as “swift- footed” used to describe Achilles.

Traditions of Epic Poetry Kennings: poetic synonyms found in Germanic poems, such as Beowulf. Rather than being an adjective, like the epithet, a kenning is a descriptive phrase or compound word that SUBSTITUTES for a NOUN. For example, in Beowulf, “the Almighty’s enemy” and “sin-stained demon” are two kennings used in place of Grendel’s (the monster) name.

Modern Day Kennings  Gas-guzzler  Headhunter  Rug Rat  Couch potato

Literary Vocabulary  Characteristics: distinctive qualities  Traits: qualities  Ideals: honorable principles  Conventions: accepted practices  Vast: large, wide  Diction: choice of words

KEY CHARACTERS  BEOWULF: the hero, son of Edgetheow, Prince of Geats  HROTHGAR: the old, once great King of Danes, son of Healfdene, his Hall (Heorot) is attacked by Grendel  GRENDEL: monster of the moors who attacks Heorot; evil  GRENDEL’S MOM: more fierce than her son, she seeks revenge after Beowulf kills her son  DRAGON: guards the Great Treasure

Key Characters (continued)  WIGLAF: the bravest and most loyal of Beowulf’s warriors  DANES: originate in Denmark  GEATS: originate in Southern Sweden

Religious Implications the monk who copied down Beowulf was Christian, but he was aware of the culture’s Pagan past and attempted to describe it in great detail. Pagan Concepts:  elaborate Germanic sea-burial  celebratory feasts in mead-hall  Belief in wyrd (fate)  One’s destiny is controlled by one of the Wyrd Sisters (3 Fates)  material rewards Christian Concepts:  reference to Cain (used in reference to Grendel  reference to the Great Flood  “God’s will be done….”

Pagan Beliefs  Human life in the hands of fate (wyrd (weird)) - Sharp contrast to the Christian belief in an individual’s free will  Did not believe in an afterlife  Culture: Valued honor and glory  Honor: People were judged by their actions; To be respected and remembered was the goal of everyone’s life  Any injury/death must be avenged by the kinsmen

Themes in Beowulf Kinship:  close relationship between groups of men like the Danes and the Geats.  Men who are willing to sacrifice their lives for each other without hesitation or question. Consider groups in society today who are still putting their lives on the line…..

Themes in Beowulf Heroism:  Beowulf is the ultimate hero of his time demonstrating kinship and fearless leadership. How is heroism defined today?  Why is Beowulf still considered a hero?  Who are heroes in modern society and what qualities remain in common?

Themes in Beowulf Violence:  violence predominates in Anglo-Saxon society – it is revered and encouraged.  Epic poem is extremely graphic in nature What is the historical significance behind the violence in Beowulf?

Beowulf: The Setting  Setting (time) · The main action of the story is set around 500 a.d.; the narrative also recounts historical events that happened much earlier.  Setting (place) · Denmark and Geatland (a region in what is now southern Sweden)

Heorot  Heorot (pronounced /hay oh roht) is a mead hall described in the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf as "the foremost of halls under heaven."  It was built King Hrothgar.  Heorot means "Hall of the Hart" (male deer).

Beowulf: Main Conflict The poem essentially consists of three parts. There are three central conflicts:  Grendel’s domination of Heorot Hall  the vengeance of Grendel’s mother after Grendel is slain  the rage of the dragon after a thief steals a treasure that it has been guarding. The poem’s overarching conflict is between close-knit warrior societies and the various menaces that threaten their boundaries.

The Story Begins

Grendel  For 12 years, a huge man-like ogre named Grendel, a descendant of the biblical murderer Cain, has menaced the aging Hrothgar, raiding Heorot and killing the king’s thanes (warriors).  Grendel rules the mead-hall nightly.  He is jealous of the of the marry making and joys of the man as he is not a part of the society

The Coming of Beowulf  Beowulf, a young warrior in Geatland (southwestern Sweden), comes to the Scyldings’ aid, bringing with him 14 of his finest men.  Hrothgar once sheltered Beowulf’s father during a deadly feud, and the mighty Geat hopes to return the favor while enhancing his own reputation.

Grendel Arrives  While the Danes retire to safer sleeping quarters, Beowulf and the Geats bed down in Heorot, fully aware that Grendel will visit them.  He does. Angered by the joy of the men in the mead-hall, the ogre furiously bursts in on the Geats, killing one and then reaching for Beowulf.

The Battle with Grendel  With the strength of 50 men in his hand- grip, Beowulf seizes the ogre’s claw and does not let go.  The ensuing battle nearly destroys the great hall, but Beowulf emerges victoriously as he rips Grendel’s claw from his shoulder socket, sending the mortally wounded Grendel back to his mere (pool).

Revenge  Grendel’s mother—not quite as powerful as her son but highly motivated—climbs to Heorot that night, retrieves her son’s claw, and murderously abducts one of the Scyldings (Aeschere) while Beowulf sleeps elsewhere.  The next morning, Hrothgar, Beowulf, and a retinue of Scyldings and Geats follow the mother’s tracks into a dark, forbidding swamp and to the edge of her mere.

Fight Under Water  Near the bottom of the lake, Grendel’s mother attacks and hauls the Geat warrior to her dimly lit cave.  Beowulf fights back once inside the dry cavern, but the gift sword, Hrunting, strong as it is, fails to penetrate the ogre’s hide.  Beowulf wrestles with Grendle’s mother  The mother moves to kill Beowulf with her knife, but his armor, made by the legendary blacksmith Weland, protects him.

Magical Sword  Suddenly Beowulf spots a magical, giant sword and uses it to cut through the mother’s spine at the neck, killing her.  A blessed light unexplainably illuminates the cavern, disclosing Grendel’s corpse and a great deal of treasure. Beowulf decapitates the corpse.  The magic sword melts to its hilt. Beowulf returns to the lake’s surface carrying the head and hilt but leaving the treasure.

Return to Geatland  After more celebration and gifts and a sermon by Hrothgar warning of the dangers of pride and the mutability of time, Beowulf and his men return to Geatland.  There he serves his king well until Hygelac is killed in battle and his son dies in a feud.  Beowulf is then named king and rules successfully for 50 years.  Like Hrothgar, however, his peace is shattered in his declining years. Beowulf must battle one more demon.

Dragon  A fiery dragon has become enraged because a lone fugitive has inadvertently discovered is treasure-trove and stolen a valuable cup.  The dragon terrorizes the countryside at night, burning several homes, including Beowulf’s.

The Last Battle  Led by the fugitive, Beowulf and eleven of his men seek out the dragon’s barrow.  Beowulf insists on taking on the dragon alone, but his own sword, Naegling, is no match for the monster.  Seeing his king in trouble, one thane, Wiglaf, goes to his assistance.  The others flee to the woods.

The Farewell  Together, Wiglaf and Beowulf kill the dragon, but the mighty king is mortally wounded.  Dying, Beowulf leaves his kingdom to Wiglaf and requests that his body be cremated in a funeral pyre and buried high on a seaside cliff where passing sailors might see the barrow.  The dragon’s treasure-hoard is buried with him. It is said that they lie there still.

THE END