BeowulfBeowulf Notes Notes

Contributions Of Anglo-Contributions Of Anglo-SaxonsSaxons1.1. Heroic QualitiesHeroic Qualities

• BraveryBravery• LoyaltyLoyalty• SternnessSternness• WarlikeWarlike• Love of GloryLove of Glory2.2. Worshipped Worshipped

ancient Germanic ancient Germanic GodsGods

• Tiu = God of War & Tiu = God of War & Sky (Tuesday)Sky (Tuesday)

• Woden = Chief of Woden = Chief of Gods (Wednesday)Gods (Wednesday)

• Fria = Wodens Wife/ Fria = Wodens Wife/ goddess of home goddess of home (Friday)(Friday)

• Valhalla- heavenValhalla- heaven

3.3.Pagan BeliefsPagan Beliefs• Life was believed Life was believed

to be in the to be in the hands of fate hands of fate ((Wyrd = Goddess Wyrd = Goddess of Fateof Fate))

• Ruling warlords Ruling warlords descended from descended from godsgods

• Sought revenge Sought revenge & treated & treated household cruellyhousehold cruelly

4. 4. Runic Runic AlphabetAlphabet

Literary DevicesLiterary DevicesOral TraditionOral Tradition

(Characterizations of (Characterizations of Anglo-Saxon Anglo-Saxon PoetryPoetry))

Used for memorizingUsed for memorizing

• Strong rhythm Strong rhythm (a good beat)(a good beat)

• AlliterationAlliteration– Repetition of initial Repetition of initial

consonant sound consonant sound – (like a tongue twister)(like a tongue twister)

• Parallelism/ AnaphoraParallelism/ Anaphora– Repetition of a Repetition of a

grammatical patterngrammatical pattern– ““It is I who …It is I who …””

““It is I who …It is I who …””

• CaesuraCaesura– A pause in the middle of a A pause in the middle of a

poetic linepoetic line

• KenningsKennings– Metaphorical phraseMetaphorical phrase– One thing is spoken of as if One thing is spoken of as if

it were something elseit were something else– ““that long sleepthat long sleep””– ““sky-candlesky-candle””– ““whale-roadwhale-road””– ““foamy-throated sea-stalliofoamy-throated sea-stallio

nn ””• Unrhymed VerseUnrhymed Verse

– If it rhymes, it isnIf it rhymes, it isn’’t AS t AS poetrypoetry

• A scop would perform the poems at victory celebrations.

•He would be accompanied by a musician called the gleeman.

•The celebrations would be held in large banquet halls called “Mead-halls”

• Mead was a honey-like alcoholic beverage enjoyed by AS warriors.

• An Anglo-Saxon warrior was also called a thane.

BEOWULFBEOWULF• Epic Poetry (Epic Poetry (epos-epos-

““word speechword speech””))– Long narrative Long narrative

poem about a hero poem about a hero or heroic deeds/ or heroic deeds/ written in a written in a dignified styledignified style

• National EpicNational Epic– Epic poem relating Epic poem relating

the deeds of a hero of the deeds of a hero of a particular peoplea particular people

– Helps people define Helps people define their values, mores, their values, mores, social systems, and social systems, and relationshipsrelationships

RELATION TO LIFERELATION TO LIFE

Mystery Probed: LifeMystery Probed: Life’’s Directions Direction

• What are we called to do?What are we called to do?• What are our goals?What are our goals?• What is the good life?What is the good life?• What kind of life worth What kind of life worth

fighting for?fighting for?• What does it mean to live life What does it mean to live life

heroically?heroically?• Who are our heroes?Who are our heroes?

Essential Questions:Essential Questions:

Conventions of Epic PoetryConventions of Epic Poetry

• Begins Begins in medias resin medias res

• InvocationInvocation of the of the musemuse

• Statement of Statement of theme theme or purposeor purpose

• SupernaturalSupernatural interventionintervention

• Epic questions- Epic questions- answered by the poetanswered by the poet

• Formal, long Formal, long speechesspeeches

• Epic Catalogues Epic Catalogues of of names (warriors, names (warriors, ships, armies)ships, armies)

• Repetitions of Repetitions of epithetsepithets & & kenningskennings

• Action= heroic deeds Action= heroic deeds and and journeyjourney

• Epic Similes-Epic Similes- lengthy lengthy comparisonscomparisons

Epic Hero TraitsEpic Hero Traits

• Performs great, Performs great, superhuman superhuman deedsdeeds

• NationNation’’s fate s fate rests rests on outcome of on outcome of herohero’’s adventuress adventures

• Representative of Representative of most admired most admired traits traits of cultureof culture

• DescendsDescends into into lower regions lower regions during questduring quest

• Remains Remains mortalmortal (not a god)(not a god)

• BoastsBoasts of of accomplishmentsaccomplishments

• Extremely Extremely generousgenerous & & loyalloyal

EPIC GENRE: ESSENTIAL EPIC GENRE: ESSENTIAL ACTIONACTION

• Mimesis Mimesis = imitation of an action= imitation of an action

• Action Action = movement of the spirit= movement of the spirit

•the call / the call / thethe goal goal

IndInd’’l in isolationl in isolation

Living for Living for himselfhimself

Has powers but Has powers but does not know does not know what they are what they are forfor

•the the battle / battle / the the strugglestruggle

Discovery of Discovery of purposepurpose

Acceptance of Acceptance of heroic task heroic task (journey (journey and/or battleand/or battle

•the the establishmeestablishmentnt

Part of a Part of a communitycommunity

Result: Leaves a Result: Leaves a legacylegacy

BeowulfBeowulf Notes Notes

• Setting is 6Setting is 6thth century Scandinavia century Scandinavia (present day Sweden and Denmark)(present day Sweden and Denmark)

• Author is unknown because the story Author is unknown because the story passed through oral traditionpassed through oral tradition

• Juxtaposes both Pagan and Christian Juxtaposes both Pagan and Christian elementselements

Characters of Characters of BeowulfBeowulf

• Hrothgar: King of the Danes (Denmark) Hrothgar: King of the Danes (Denmark) • Grendel: a monster who terrorizes the DanesGrendel: a monster who terrorizes the Danes• Higlac: BeowulfHiglac: Beowulf’’s king (King of the Geats - s king (King of the Geats -

Sweden)Sweden)• Beowulf: A Geat who comes to help the Beowulf: A Geat who comes to help the

DanesDanes• Herot: The greatest of all Mead Halls in the Herot: The greatest of all Mead Halls in the

land of the Danesland of the Danes• Unferth: one of HrothgarUnferth: one of Hrothgar’’s mens men• Brecca: a friend of BeowulfBrecca: a friend of Beowulf’’s when he was a s when he was a

young manyoung man

Create Annotation ChartCreate Annotation Chart• 3 columns: landscape view3 columns: landscape view

– Literary devicesLiterary devices– Epic hero traitsEpic hero traits– Epic conventionsEpic conventions

• For each numbered section of the reading, For each numbered section of the reading, you are responsible for adding ONE you are responsible for adding ONE quotation in ANY of the three categories. quotation in ANY of the three categories. Simply write the page and line number(s) Simply write the page and line number(s) for the quotation and briefly explain it. for the quotation and briefly explain it.