Beowulf

Beowulf Danelaw (Vikings/ Norse) Alfred the Great Where Old English and Norse mixed Alfred the Great

Indo-European Group of Languages Beowulf Indo-European Group of Languages European Celtic Slavic Germanic Latin Irish Scottish Welsh Russian Polish Danish Dutch English Danish Dutch English French Spanish Italian

Beowulf

Beowulf

Beowulf

Beowulf History Religion Readings of Poetry Classic examples Enjoy this link!

Beowulf 449 A.D.: Angles, Jutes, and Frisians invade Britain Arturius = King Arthur? 12 words left from original Britons Huge ditch separates A/S from Wales; saves Welsh language

Beowulf 793 A.D.: Danes invade A/S and begin “The Dark Ages”

Beowulf Alfred the Great (of Essex?) Was pushed into SW corner of England where defeated Danes, saving A/S language. Commissioned A/S Chronicle Encouraged arts/literature

Beowulf 1066 A.D.: Duke William of Normandy (Viking Duke in northern France) defeats King Harold He brings French into English resulting in “Middle English”

Beowulf Resulting Literature A/S words: the, this that, through--and more, including the days of the week. A/S literature deals with themes of heroism, transcience of life, and dignity in defeat Latin and Greek influence

Beowulf History Religion Readings of Poetry Classic examples Enjoy this link!

Beowulf Religion Theories "F.A. Blackburn’s “The Christian Colouring in the Beowulf”: 1. Christian heard pagan stories and used them. 2. Christian used old lays as his material. 3. Heathen used old stories or old lays; later revised by Christian.

Beowulf Religion Theories Christian elements: 1. Biblical allusions: Cain, Abel, flood. 2. Disapproval of heathen ideas (see intro. to Danes) 3. References to Christian doctrines: heaven, hell, Day of Judgement (10 cases) 4. Allusions to Christian God (53 cases) Tweaked to be Pagan? Vice-versa? Unlike pagan “The Wanderer” or “The Seafarer,” w/ Christian “warnings” tacked onto ending, Beowulf has Christian elements throughout.

Beowulf Religion Theories Marie Padgett Hamilton’s “The Religious Principle”: Beowulf is about righteous living with reprobate(s) on earth. Wyrd is pagan concept given Christianized meaning. While Christian, there is little Christian doctrine. (References are only Old Testament and easily refigured from pagan equivalents.)

Religious Background Noah and the Flood (lines 1148-1157) Beowulf Religious Background Noah and the Flood (lines 1148-1157) “Giants” (KJV Bible)/“Nephilim” (New International Version Bible) Monster theories: Offspring of “Sons of God” and “Daughter of Men?” Separate race? God angry, so flood (22’ higher than highest mountains): Noah’s Ark: H x L x D: 45’ x 450’ x 75’, respectively 150 days after rains, ark landed in Ararat (Turkey) Noah’s family/animals left ark 375 days after entering.

Classic Poems Beowulf (epic) “The Wife’s Lament” (lyric) “The Seafarer” (lyric) “The Ruin” (lyric) Riddles (monk’s mental recreation) Click on image above to learn about The Exeter Book

The Exeter Book “a big English book about every sort of thing, wrought in song” First Bishop of Exeter, Loefric, presented it to the cathedral library in ~1070 A.D. Copied by a scribe earlier in ~975 A.D., it’s wide range of A/S poems: “The Wife’s Lament” (RARE love lyric) “The Ruin” 95 verse riddles Lyric poetry: short, focused on an emotion Was beer mat, cutting board, burned with firebrand (last 14 pages) No poem titles given

Beowulf Epic Recipe Rulers Evil Creatures Heroes Landmarks Timeline

Beowulf Internet Activity The Anglo-Saxon Village The Beowulf Electronic Project