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Qualities and Characteristics 2

A long narrative poem told in elevated style about the actions of a noble or semi-divine person 3

 Main character is of noble birth  Action is on a huge scale  God(s) come to the aid of the hero  Written in elevated style  En Medias Res (action starts in the middle of things)  Literary inventories (long family histories)  Descriptions of battle and weapons  Long speeches 4

Definition: the central character of an epic who has superior qualities and risks personal danger for the greater good 5

 Is important and glorified  Is on a quest  Has superhuman strength, intelligence and/or courage  Is ethical  Risks death for the good of society and for personal glory  Performs brave deeds  Is a responsible leader  Reflects the values of the culture 6 Gandalf is a B.A.

A few new ones and one you’ll recognize 7

 Composed extemporaneously by scops 8

Kennings = formula phrases that substitute for a noun; types of metaphors used to create alliteration and striking imagery Compound words, like “ring-giver” Prepositional phrases, like “winters of grief” Possessives, like “ocean’s face” 9

Repetition of similar consonant sounds at the beginning of words in a line of poetry Used in place of rhyme Used to unify ideas and for auditory pleasure Sally sold sea shells at the sea shore 10

A break or long pause in a line of poetry The poetic line in Anglo-Saxon poetry is broken in half, so the metrical unit is the half line. 11

1. Each half line must contain 2 stressed syllables and any number of unstressed syllables. 2. Either 1 or 2 stressed syllables in the first half line must alliterate with 1 stressed syllable in the 2 nd half line. 12

u / u / u / u / u He wove his words in a winsome pattern. 13

 Poets needed kennings (noun replacement words) to meet the alliteration needs of the poetry  Remember: kennings are nouns, not adjectives! 14