I am beowulf!

TERMS TO NOTE: Comitatus- A term referring to a warriors intense loyalty. Warriors must defend their lord to the death. Wyrd- Fate. A warriors battle was left to fate so there was no need to be afraid as they believed the outcome was determined before the battle. Wergild-Anglo-Saxon Code of reparations. An Anglo-Saxon who killed someone outside of battle was required to pay a price to the family for this deed, otherwise the family would seek revenge. No such way of making amends existed for taking the life of one’s own kin. Chain-mail shirt- A shirt, or armor, composed of as many as twenty thousand small iron rings riveted or welded shut, creating a mesh-net effect. Bards or Scops- Skilled storytellers. Honored members of society who were gifted with the skill to preserve a warriors fame in poetry and song. Hall- Central gathering place.

Significant figures in Anglo-Saxon mythology One of the most important Norse gods was Odin, the god of death, poetry and magic. The Anglo-Saxon name for Odin was Woden (from which the term Wednesday originated, translating as Woden’s day). Woden could help humans communicate with spirits, he was associated especially with burial rights and ecstatic trances, important for both poetry and religious mysteries. Thunar or Thor was the Norse god of thunder and lightning (from which the term Thursday is originated, translating as Thor’s day). His sign was the hammer and possibly the twisted cross we call the swastika which was found on many Anglo-Saxon gravestones. Dragon- Almost always the protector of a treasure in Anglo-Saxon mythology. Seen as both a personification of “death the devourer” and the guardian of the grave mound, in which a warrior’s ashes and his treasure lie.

Significant figures in Anglo- Saxon mythology cont’d Draugar- Dead men of supernatural strength who walked at night, spreading evil and terror. Ketta or “She-cat”- The mother of a draugar, thought to be even more terrible than her offspring.

WARRIOR CULTURE The Anglo-Saxon culture was based on bravery, loyalty, generosity, and friendship. They did not believe in the Christian idea of an afterlife (heaven/hell). Only fame in battle and it’s commemoration in poetry provided a defense against death (allowing the warriors deeds to be translated to future generations). A warriors purpose in battle was to avenge his leader or lose his life.

manuscript First English literary masterpiece, one of the oldest European epics to be written in the vernacular, or native language, instead of literary Latin. Composed in Old English, sometime between 700-750, but depicts an earlier time, thought to be the early sixth century. The story is based on Celtic and Scandinavian folk legends. The manuscript was part of a volume of codex that contains four other works in Old English: The Passion of St. Christopher, The Wonders of the East, Alexander’s Letter to Aristotle and a fragment of Judith. The manuscript was found burned and stained in the eighteenth century. The single manuscript dates to around 1000 AD. The manuscript now resides in the British Museum in London. Among the volume found, Beowulf is the only character not found in actual history.

translation Part one was translated by American translator, poet, and teacher, Burton Raffel in 1963. Part two is translated by Irish poet Seamus Heaney, published in 2000.

Why do you think a writer does so anonymously? author The author of Beowulf is unknown The author is thought to be Northumbrian The author is thought to be Christian Why do you think a writer does so anonymously?