BEOWULF The Original Superhero

Composition  mid 7th to end of 10th century  Old English  It’s a heroic narrative  Written IN England About Scandanavia  mid 7th to end of 10th century  Old English  It’s a heroic narrative  Written IN England About Scandanavia

Summary  Beowulf was great Geat warrior  Goes to help Danes with their monster, Grendel.  Fights Grendel, then his Mom, then a Dragon  Beowulf was great Geat warrior  Goes to help Danes with their monster, Grendel.  Fights Grendel, then his Mom, then a Dragon

Main Idea  Society governed by a heroic code of honor  Getting a name as a warrior was more important than worry about the soul’s destiny in the afterlife  Society governed by a heroic code of honor  Getting a name as a warrior was more important than worry about the soul’s destiny in the afterlife

Three Agons  Agon = conflict; esp. the dramatic conflict between chief characters in a literary work  3 encounters w/ monsters  3 archetypal sites of fear:  Barricaded nighthouse  Infested underwater current  Reptile haunted rocks of the wilderness  Agon = conflict; esp. the dramatic conflict between chief characters in a literary work  3 encounters w/ monsters  3 archetypal sites of fear:  Barricaded nighthouse  Infested underwater current  Reptile haunted rocks of the wilderness

Back Then  Honor bound - blood stained society  Laws of the blood feud  King’s halls  Honor bound - blood stained society  Laws of the blood feud  King’s halls

Beowulf and Now  “The Geat woman who cries out in dread as flames consume the body of her dead lord could come straight from a late twentieth- century news report, from Rwanda or Kosovo; her keen is a nightmare glimpse into the minds of people who have survived traumatic, even monstrous events and who are now being exposed to a comfortless future…We recognize her problem and we are better for having them expressed with such adequacy and dignity and unforgiving truth.“

Alliterative Verse  Wall-hangings that were a wonder to behold, (2758)  Lift and limb losses I avenged (2005)  Glittering gold spread across the ground (2757  Wall-hangings that were a wonder to behold, (2758)  Lift and limb losses I avenged (2005)  Glittering gold spread across the ground (2757

Kennings  Descriptive compounds  Poetic synonyms  Descriptive compound that replaces a noun  “the Almighty’s Enemy”  Sin-stained demon  Clan-cheifs  Gold-shining hall  Descriptive compounds  Poetic synonyms  Descriptive compound that replaces a noun  “the Almighty’s Enemy”  Sin-stained demon  Clan-cheifs  Gold-shining hall

The EPIC Poem  An epic is a long narrative poem that celebrates the deeds of a legendary hero.

Characteristics of an Epic  The Epic Hero  Main character  Noble character – of high birth  Larger-than-life  Fights evil  The Epic Hero  Main character  Noble character – of high birth  Larger-than-life  Fights evil

Characteristics of an Epic  A quest or journey  Mission taken by the hero  Hero must prove himself  Valorous deeds  Serious tone and lofty style  A quest or journey  Mission taken by the hero  Hero must prove himself  Valorous deeds  Serious tone and lofty style

Anglo-Saxon Warrior Culture  Fighters become leaders  Immortality and glory in the afterlife are achieved through great deeds in life  Family lineage and honor is crucial  Constant testing – physically and morally (character)  Fighters become leaders  Immortality and glory in the afterlife are achieved through great deeds in life  Family lineage and honor is crucial  Constant testing – physically and morally (character)

Anglo-Saxon Warrior Culture  Gold and treasure  Used to secure and retain power  Goes with the warrior into the afterlife  Heroic code guides behavior  Boasting  Comitatus – bond of loyalty unites warriors to leaders, followers must be faithful to the leader to the death, must be willing to die for leader, and the leader must protect followers and reward them  Eye for an eye society  Gold and treasure  Used to secure and retain power  Goes with the warrior into the afterlife  Heroic code guides behavior  Boasting  Comitatus – bond of loyalty unites warriors to leaders, followers must be faithful to the leader to the death, must be willing to die for leader, and the leader must protect followers and reward them  Eye for an eye society

Work Consulted Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.