Beowulf Vocabulary Words 1. Beowulf was not originally written down. It would have been told to the people by a scop. scop – composers and storytellers of Anglo-Saxon poetry 2. The men aboard the ship moored it to the dock, so it would not float away. moored – secure a ship 3. The House of Seven Gables is named after a home in Salem that features seven of the architectural designs. gables – decorative triangular-shaped roofing structure

Beowulf Vocabulary Words 4.. During Anglo-Saxon times, a person could pay a wergild and be set free from punishment for a crime. wergild – a fine paid to the relatives of a murdered person to free the offender from further obligations or punishment 5. Often, halls would be accented with linden; the lighter wood was often used as a design element. linden – soft light wood 6. The men drank mead in celebration of their victories. mead – an alcoholic drink of fermented honey and water

Beowulf Vocabulary Words 7. I often become vexed when my students do not listen to my instructions. vexed – irritated, annoyed 8. Upon returning from battle, the warriors would gorge themselves on the banquets provided by the king. gorges – eats greedily 9. The sentinels would often have post at the top of the castle towers to watch for intruders or attacks. sentinel – a person or thing that stand watch

Beowulf Vocabulary Words 10. Eagles use their large talons to grab prey from the ground. talons – claws 11. Beowulf could hear the sinews in Grendel’s arm tearing as Beowulf ripped it free from the shoulder. sinews – tendons 12. They would bestow upon their hoary king all of the gleaming treasure from across the sea. hoary – gray or white with age

Beowulf Vocabulary Words 13. In Star Wars, Luke sets up a pyre for Darth Vadar after he dies fighting the Dark Lord. pyre – a bonfire for burning a dead body 14. My sister was known to hoard items as a child, this ranged from candy after Halloween to birthday money. hoard – a hidden or carefully guarded supply or accumulation of valuables 15. In movies, we often watch in slow motion as the warrior pulls his sword from his scabbard. scabbard – a sheath for a sword

Beowulf Vocabulary Words 16. The warriors would locate the town's hidden hoard, then head back to their ship, their sacks filled with golden chalices, and ancestral swords whose hilts, engraved with runic characters, told of ancient times. runic – consisting or set down in an ancient alphabet used for writing Germanic script, especially in Germanic languages, most often of Scandinavia and Britain from about the third to the thirteenth centuries 17. When my roommate has a bad day, I try to show her solace in an attempt to improve her mood. solace – to console or cheer

Beowulf Vocabulary Words 18. I skulked around the corner in an attempt to conceal my location from my niece so that I could surprise her. skulked – moved stealthily 19. You can tell a lot about people’s scruples by the way they treat people they feel are lower than themselves. scruples – morals or ethical considerations that restrain one’s behavior and inhibits certain actions 20. The comitatus between Hrothgar and his men was evident to Beowulf when he arrived. Comitatus – a bond between a king and his men