1. Beowulf
Why Beowulf?
Provenance
Setting
Poetic devices
Terms
Themes

2. Why Study Beowulf?
1. Beowulf is the ___________in the English language, so everything written since Beowulf stems from it in some way.
2. The story of Beowulf encompasses ___________that we still see in English literature today.
3. Beowulf is simply good writing.

3. Why Study Beowulf?
4. In some ways, it doesn’t matter what you read, but how you read it, so…since Beowulf came first, you might as well start there.
5. Studying ________________improves your understanding of modern English.
6. It’s a great story.

4. Beowulf’s Provenance What we don’t know: ______ wrote it
______ exactly it was written
how much, exactly, is based on _____________

5. Beowulf’s Provenance What we do know:
Beowulf is the ________________________. It’s written in ___________(or _________), which is the basis for the language we speak today.
________ of the characters in the poem actually existed.
The _______ copy of the manuscript was written sometime around the ____________A.D. (________’s), however…

6. The actual poem probably ______ from the _____ century (____’s) or so, and…
The story may be ____ even earlier, around _____ A.D.
There are a lot of ________ references in the poem, but the _________ and ________ are ________…this means a ______ probably translated it.

7. Beowulf’s Provenance So why wasn’t it written down in the first place?
This story was probably _____________ (________________) for centuries before it was first written down.
It wasn’t until after the _____________(_____) that writing stories down became common in this part of the world.

8. Beowulf’s Provenance
So what’s happened to the manuscript since the 11th century?
Eventually, it ended up in the library of this guy.
____________( )

9. Beowulf’s Provenance
Unfortunately, ________’s library _______ in ______. Many manuscripts were entirely destroyed. _______ was partially damaged.
The manuscript is now preserved and carefully cared for in the ___________________

10. Setting: Beowulf’s time and place
Although Beowulf was written in English, it is _____ in what is __________, where a __________ called the ________ lived.
The story may take place as early as __________________________

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

12. How we date Beowulf Some Important Dates:
521 A.D. – death of Hygelac, who is mentioned in the poem
680 A.D. – appearance of alliterative verse
835 A.D. – the Danish started raiding other areas; after this, few poets would consider them heroes
SO: This version was likely composed between 680 and 835, though it may be set earlier

13. A few things to watch out for
The Poetry in Beowulf
A few things to watch out for
1. Alliterative verse
____________ of initial sounds of words (occurs in every line)
b. Generally, ______ feet/beats per line
c. A _______, or _________, between beats two and four
d. No rhyme

14. A few things to watch out for
The Poetry in Beowulf
A few things to watch out for
Alliterative verse – an example from Beowulf:
Oft Scyld Scefing sceapena praetum,
Monegum maegpum meodo-setla ofteah;
Egsode Eorle, syddan aerest weard.

15. A few things to watch out for
The Poetry in Beowulf
A few things to watch out for
There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes,
A wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes.
The terror of the hall-troops had come far.

16. A few things to watch out for
The Poetry in Beowulf
A few things to watch out for
2. Kennings
a. Compound ___________ (usually two words)
b. Most were probably used over and over
For instance: hronade literally means “whale-road,” but can be translated as “sea”

17. A few things to watch out for
The Poetry in Beowulf
A few things to watch out for
Other kennings from Beowulf:
banhus = “bone-house” = _______
goldwine gumena = “gold-friend of men” = ____________
beaga brytta = “ring-giver” = ____
beadoleoma = “flashing light” = _______

18. 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

19. Some terms you’ll want to know
________
Literally, this means “______” or “________”
This term identifies the concept of _______ and _____mutually ____________to one another

20. Some terms you’ll want to know
thane
A _______
mead-hall
The _______where the lord and his warriors slept, ate, held ________, etc.

21. Some terms you’ll want to know
_______
_____. This idea crops up a lot in the poem, while at the same time there are _________ references to God’s will.

22. Some terms you’ll want to know
epic
Beowulf is an _________.
This means it has a ____________and the conflict is of universal importance. There’s a certain serious that accompanies most epics.

23. Some terms you’ll want to know
elegy
An elegy is a _____ that is ____ or _____. The adjective is elegiac.
homily
A homily is a written ______ or section of the poem that gives ___________

24. Themes and Important Aspects
Good vs. ______
Religion: _________ and ______ influences
The importance of ________and treasure
The importance of the sea and sailing
The _______ of the ______
Fate
Loyalty and _________
Heroism and heroic deeds