WHO and WHAT is a hero? 3 movie examples: 3 literary examples: 3 real world examples: At least 5 character traits associated with above.

 30,000 lines of Anglo-Saxon (old English) poetry survive today  3, 182 (10%) of the lines are from Beowulf  Setting of epic– Modern day Denmark (“Danes”) and Sweden (“Geats”)  Author - Unknown, probably a monk  Composed in the 7 th /8 th cent. A.D ( )  Oldest surviving English poem

 Long narrative poem that recounts the adventures of a hero.  Elevated language  Invokes a muse (source of inspiration)**  Begins in media res**  Hero of well known origin, super strength, vulnerability, rite of passage (birth/death)

 Anglo-Saxon word Beo means “bright” or “noble”  Anglo-Saxon word wulf means “wolf”  Beowulf means bright or noble wolf  Other sources say Beo means “bear”

 Noble Birth  “Larger than life” strength (physical and mental)  National heroism – reputation at home  Great warrior – reputation abroad  Goes on a journey – vast settings  Human – extreme humility, still flawed  Supernatural foes AND help

 Belief in fate (Wyrd)  Accumulated treasures amount to success  Fame and fortune zealously sought after  Loyalty to one’s leader crucial  Importance of pagan, Germanic, and Christian ideals to people whose lives were often hard and uncertain

 Fierce, hardy life of warrior and seamen  Strength, courage, leadership abilities appreciated  Boisterous yet elaborately ritualized customs of the mead-hall  Expected the hero to boast

 Good defeats evil  Wergild--restitution for murder or expect revenge from victim’s relatives  Boasts must be backed with actions.  Fate is in control  Fair fights are the only honorable fights

 Chant-like effect of the four-beat line  Alliteration  Caesura-pause or break in a line of poetry(“Oft to the wanderer - weary of exile”)  Enjambment-one line of poetry continues on to the next, without pause  Kenning-metaphorical phrase used instead of a name (“whale-road”, “battle-dew”, “ring giver”; more modern examples “gas-guzzler” or “head- hunter”)  Hyperbole-exaggeration

Setting: Beowulf’s time and place Europe today Insert: Time of Beowulf

Some terms you’ll want to know scop A bard or story-teller. The scop was responsible for praising deeds of past heroes, for recording history, and for providing entertainment Wergild: “man payment” for respect

thane A warrior mead-hall The large hall where the lord and his warriors slept, ate, held ceremonies, partied, etc. Terms: Thane and Mead-Hall

 Epic hero  Geat (from southern Sweden)  Nephew of Higlac (King of Geats at story’s start)  Sails to Denmark to help Hrothgar

 Danish king  Builds Herot (mead hall) for men  Tormented by Grendel for 12 years  Loses many men to Grendel  Joyless before Beowulf’s arrival

 Referred to as demon and fiend  Descendant of Cain  Lives below the sea in a cave with mother  Attacks and kills Hrothgar’s men night after night in the mead hall

 Referred to as “she- wolf”  Lives under a lake  Challenges Beowulf

 Lives in a cave in Beowulf’s kingdom  Woken up when a slave stole a gem studded cup  Guards countless treasures

Who and what are monsters? Monsters from movies: Monsters from literature: Real life “monsters”: What are other words associated with the term “monster”? What do monsters symbolize? In what ways are monsters beneficial or necessary to the world?

What are words/phrases associated with Grendel? (5 textual examples) What does Grendel symbolize to the Danes? Explain. What does Grendel symbolize to Beowulf? Explain. What do Grendel’s actions reveal about him? What is something positive that comes from Grendel’s presence?