1. The English Epic that’s NOT English

2.  Anglo-Saxon heroic epic poem  3182 lines (compare this to The Odyssey, which has 12,110 lines)  Alliterative verse  Originally Scandinavian, but the only surviving copy is in Old English (Anglo-Saxon)  The only surviving original copy is in the Nowell Codex  Date written is unknown, but sometime between the 8 th and 11 th centuries.

4.  Most of the story takes place in Daneland.  It is important to note that Beowulf is NOT from Daneland.  The last part of the story takes place in Beowulf’s home, Geatland  Herot – The largest mead hall of its time (Daneland)  The swamp – Grendel and Grendel’s mother’s home (Daneland)  The dragon’s cave (Geatland)

5.  Beowulf (Kenning – Bee Wolf = Bear)  Geat  Strongest man on Earth  Father owes Hrothgar a debt  Honorable and good  Hrothgar  King of the Danes  Old, but good king  Unferth  Dane who is jealous of Beowulf  Wiglaf  Geat who is Beowulf’s cousin

6.  Grendel  A monster from the swamps of Daneland who attacks the Danes  Cannot be harmed by any weapon forged by man  Represents internal sin/evil  Grendel’s Mother  A monster from the swamps of Daneland  Represents external sin/evil  The dragon  A monster from Geatland  Represents fate

7.  Pronounced Ver Gilt  Anglo-Saxon word for “Man-Price.”  If a member of the clan is killed it’s the CLAN’S responsibility to either seek his worth in gold or kills who was responsible for killing him in the first place.  This led to many blood feuds in Anglo-Saxon society.

8.  The qualities of an Anglo-Saxon hero  What is good and what is evil to the Anglo- Saxons?  What do the Anglo-Saxon’s value?  The role of fate in the lives of the Anglo-Saxons  The importance of family, friends, and the clan in Anglo-Saxon society