1. Beowulf

2. Beowulf Danelaw (Vikings/ Norse) Alfred the Great
Where Old English and Norse mixed
Alfred the Great

3. Indo-European Group of Languages
Beowulf
Indo-European Group of Languages
European
Celtic
Slavic
Germanic
Latin
Irish
Scottish
Welsh
Russian
Polish
Danish
Dutch
English
Danish Dutch English
French
Spanish
Italian

4. Beowulf

5. Beowulf

6. Beowulf

7. Beowulf History Religion Readings of Poetry Classic examples
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8. Beowulf 449 A.D.: Angles, Jutes, and Frisians invade Britain
Arturius = King Arthur?
12 words left from original Britons
Huge ditch separates A/S from Wales; saves Welsh language

9. Beowulf
793 A.D.: Danes invade A/S and begin “The Dark Ages”

10. Beowulf Alfred the Great (of Essex?)
Was pushed into SW corner of England where defeated Danes, saving A/S language.
Commissioned A/S Chronicle
Encouraged arts/literature

11. Beowulf
1066 A.D.: Duke William of Normandy (Viking Duke in northern France) defeats King Harold
He brings French into English resulting in “Middle English”

12. Beowulf Resulting Literature
A/S words: the, this that, through--and more, including the days of the week.
A/S literature deals with themes of heroism, transcience of life, and dignity in defeat
Latin and Greek influence

13. Beowulf History Religion Readings of Poetry Classic examples
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14. Beowulf Religion Theories
"F.A. Blackburn’s “The Christian Colouring in the Beowulf”:
1. Christian heard pagan stories and used them.
2. Christian used old lays as his material.
3. Heathen used old stories or old lays; later revised by Christian.

15. Beowulf Religion Theories Christian elements:
1. Biblical allusions: Cain, Abel, flood.
2. Disapproval of heathen ideas (see intro. to Danes)
3. References to Christian doctrines: heaven, hell, Day of Judgement (10 cases)
4. Allusions to Christian God (53 cases)
Tweaked to be Pagan? Vice-versa?
Unlike pagan “The Wanderer” or “The Seafarer,” w/ Christian “warnings” tacked onto ending, Beowulf has Christian elements throughout.

16. Beowulf Religion Theories
Marie Padgett Hamilton’s “The Religious Principle”: Beowulf is about righteous living with reprobate(s) on earth. Wyrd is pagan concept given Christianized meaning.
While Christian, there is little Christian doctrine. (References are only Old Testament and easily refigured from pagan equivalents.)

17. Religious Background Noah and the Flood (lines 1148-1157)
Beowulf
Religious Background Noah and the Flood (lines )
“Giants” (KJV Bible)/“Nephilim” (New International Version Bible)
Monster theories:
Offspring of “Sons of God” and “Daughter of Men?”
Separate race?
God angry, so flood (22’ higher than highest mountains):
Noah’s Ark: H x L x D: 45’ x 450’ x 75’, respectively
150 days after rains, ark landed in Ararat (Turkey)
Noah’s family/animals left ark 375 days after entering.

18. Classic Poems Beowulf (epic) “The Wife’s Lament” (lyric)
“The Seafarer” (lyric)
“The Ruin” (lyric)
Riddles (monk’s mental recreation)
Click on image above to learn about The Exeter Book

19. The Exeter Book “a big English book about every sort of thing, wrought in song”
First Bishop of Exeter, Loefric, presented it to the cathedral library in ~1070 A.D.
Copied by a scribe earlier in ~975 A.D., it’s wide range of A/S poems:
“The Wife’s Lament” (RARE love lyric)
“The Ruin”
95 verse riddles
Lyric poetry: short, focused on an emotion
Was beer mat, cutting board, burned with firebrand (last 14 pages)
No poem titles given

20. Beowulf
Epic Recipe
Rulers
Evil Creatures
Heroes
Landmarks
Timeline

21. Beowulf Internet Activity The Anglo-Saxon Village
The Beowulf Electronic Project