Grade 10 Honors Mr. Esner

 Oldest recorded English myth.  First recorded in the 8 th century, is set in the 7 th century, but is thought to be much older.  Told by scops, or Anglo- Saxon poets.  Highlights a transition from Celtic/Norse pagan religious beliefs to the growing monotheistic beliefs of Christianity.

 Good vs. Evil  Hero vs. Villain  Light vs. Dark  Pagan vs. Christian  Old vs. New  The Hero’s Quest. The role and growth of the hero.  The Comitatus or bond between warriors and kings.  Role of fate and the ability to overcome it.

 Scop: An Anglo-Saxon poet  Epic: An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero.  Alliteration: Repetition of consonant sounds.  Kenning: A figurative, usually compound expression used in place of a name or noun, especially in Old English and Old Norse poetry; for example, storm of swords is a kenning for battle.  Caesura: A pause in a line of verse dictated by sense or natural speech rhythm rather than by metrics.  Monomyth: Joseph Campbell’s model for the hero’s quest present in every culture.

 Beowulf  Hrothgar  Unferth  Higlac  Wiglaf  Grendel  Grendel’s Mother  The Dragon

 Herot is built by the wealthy and powerful king of the Danes, Hrothgar.  The is much celebration that creates a disturbing noise to Grendel.  Grendel comes in the night murdering thirty men.  Grendel continues his reign of terror for twelve years

 Word of Herot’s plight reaches Beowulf in Geatland (Southern Sweden).  Beowulf, desirous of fame, asks his king, Higlac, to take a party of Geatish warriors (Thanes) to aid the Danes.  Beowulf and his men set out for Herot and the Danish shore.

 Unferth, an aid to king Hrothgar, doubts the ability of Beowulf to rid the Danes of their monster.  He recalls a swimming match with Brecca that Beowulf was unable to win.  Beowulf responds in his famous boast that he did not win because he was too busy killing sea monsters.  He also notes that Unferth is in no position to speak given his murderous past. Oh snap!

 Because Grendel does not use them, Beowulf chooses to fight without a sword or armor.  Grendel comes to Herot in the night expecting another feast of Danish warriors but is startled to find sleeping Geats.  Something grabs hold of his arm and for the first time Grendel is afraid.  After a struggle, Grendel escapes but not before Beowulf tears off his arm.  The arm is tacked to the wall in Herot as a trophy and all celebrate the destruction of the monster.

 Grendel’s Mother, upset by the murder of her son, comes to Herot in the night to have her revenge and retrieve her son’s arm.  Beowulf and his men follow her trail back to her underwater layer.  Beowulf dives in and after hours of swimming finds her underwater cave.  The two characters fight and Beowulf is nearly defeated.  After his sword breaks he finds a large sword made by giants which he uses to decapitate the monster.  He takes the head of Grendel as a trophy.

 Beowulf returns to Geatland with a wealth of treasure given in thanks by Hrothgar.  Higlac dies in battle some time later and Beowulf is elevated to King.  Beowulf reigns as king for fifty years.  Then some dummy finding a cave full of treasure, which is guarded by a dragon, steals a piece of gold.  This enrages the dragon which begins to terrorize the Geats.  Beowulf, now an old man, is called back to action.

 Beowulf, attempting to fight the dragon alone, finds the for the first time fate is against him. Shield melts, sword breaks, etc.  Beowulf suffers a wound to the neck from the poisonous tusk of the dragon.  Wiglaf, alone, comes to the aid of Beowulf citing all the greatness and glory that Beowulf has bestowed on their people.  The two fight together and with the aid of Wiglaf, Beowulf is able to defeat the dragon by cutting it in half.

 Before dying Beowulf makes to requests.  The first is that Wiglaf retrieve the dragon’s treasure.  The second is that a tower be built in his honor on the coast so that all sailors can be reminded of him.  Beowulf is burned on a funeral pyre as his people lament his passing.  A tower is built in his honor by the sea for passing sailors to acknowledge.