Background and Important Terms

 First great work of the English national literature  First recorded in the 700s, but set in 449  Before it was written down, Beowulf was told and retold orally by bards, or scops  Bards/Scops were just as important to the Anglo- Saxon culture as warriors, hunters, and farmers

 During the 5 th century, the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain and wiped out the Roman empire  With the defeat of the Romans, Christianity lost popularity and the dark, Pagan religion of the Anglo-Saxons became dominant  However, Christian monks and missionaries still worked to spread Christianity

 Epic: a quest story on a grand scale, typically a long narrative (like Homer’s The Odyssey)  Epic hero: the central figure in an epic poem that reflects the values and heroic ideals of a particular society  Epic hero characteristics:  Superior physical strength  Supremely ethical

 Kennings and alliteration are essentials in Anglo- Saxon poetry like Beowulf  Kenning: a metaphorical phrase or compound word used to name a person, place, thing, or event indirectly.  Example: the word “whale-road” means the sea  Alliteration: the repetition of consonant sounds in words that are close to one another, typically occurs at the beginning of words  Example: “slimy, slithering snakes”—repetition of “s”  Symbol: a person, place, thing, or event that stands for itself and for something else  Example: a red rose symbolizes love and passion

 Beowulf  Higlac  Hrothgar  Wiglaf  Grendel  Grendel’s mother