Beowulf test

Who is Beowulf?

hero of the poem. Waegmunding and Geat. Son of Ecgtheow.

Who is Hrothgar?

Danish king. Builder of Heorot. Married to Wealhtheow. Son of Healfdene. His children are Hrethric, Hrothmund, and Freawaru.

What is Heorot?

Meadhall built by Hrothgar and attacked by Grendel

Who is Hygelac?

King of the Geats. Uncle of Beowulf.

Who is Breca?

A childhood friend of Beowulf, known for competing in a swimming contest against him.

Who is Unferth?

Hrothgar’s bard, essentially. Challenges Beowulf.

Who is Wealhtheow?

Hrothgar’s queen.

Who is Wiglaf?

Weohstan’s son. Fought along Beowulf against the dragon. Beowulf’s successor.

Who is Aeschere?

Hrothgar’s counselor. Killed by Grendel’s mother.

Where is the Mere?

A lake where Grendel and his mother live.

Where is the dragon’s lair?

A cave on the cliffside.

What project does Hrothgar order undertaken to ensure his fame? What is the name of that construction project?

The project is the construction of Heorot, a great meadhall.

What does the bard sing about inside the hall early in the narrative? Why does this anger grendel?

The bard sings about history and the creation of the world, which angers Grendel since he is left out of the joy as a descendent of Cain.

According to the story, from what famous person does Grendel trace his monstrous lineage?

Cain, the biblical figure.

How many warriors does Grendel eat on the first night he attacks Heorot?

30.

How long does Grendel haunt Heorot until Beowulf comes to help the Danes?

12 years

What is the one thing in the mead-hall Grendel is unable to touch or ruin?

Hrothgar’s throne

What king does Beowulf serve? Why does he leave this king to help out Hrothgar?

Beowulf serves Hygelac. He helps Hrothgar because he hears about Grendel and feels a sense of duty to help

What qualification or achievements does Beowulf have that make him suitable for fighting Grendel?

He’s known for his incredible strength and bravery.

When Beowulf fights Grendel, what special weapon does he use to dispatch the monster?

He fights Grendel with his bare hands.

What is Unferth’s reaction to Beowulf showing up to save the day? How does he challenge Beowulf?

He doubts Beowulf’s ability to fight the monster, saying that he isnt as strong as he claims.

How is Beowulf’s story of about the swimming match with Breca different that Unferth’s version of the tale.

Unferth says that he lost match because he was a bad swimmer, while Beowulf says that he and Breca were separated, and he stayed in the ocean during a storm and fought monsters.

What does Beowulf do to Grendel that mortally wounds the monster?

He grabs his hand, and when he doesn’t let go, Grendel rips his own arm off.

What decoration or trophy does Beowulf stick on a spike over the entry-way to Heorot?

Grendel’s arm.

Who comes to avenge Grendel’s death?

His mother.

Grendel’s mother kills whom in retaliation for her son’s death?

Aeschere.

Where does Grendel’s mother live?

In the mere.

Who loans Beowulf a sword initially to go fight Grendel’s mother?

Hrothgar lends him his sword, Hrunting.

What happens when Beowulf uses the first borrowed sword to strike Grendel’s mother?

It does nothing

Where does he find a second weapon?

In the lair, while fighting Grendel’s mother

According to the text, who made this weapon?

Giants

When Beowulf retells his battle to Hrothgar, he lets us know what happened to the sword after it penetrated the monster’s skin. Although the hilt survived, what happened to the blade itself?

It was melted by her blood.

How long does Beowulf rule as king over the Geats?

50 years.

What arouses the dragon’s wrath and lures it from it’s lair?

A cup being stolen by a slave.

What are the similarities in Beowulf and The Hobbit?

It’s a cup being stolen that awakens the dragon and causes it to destroy things, there are 13 people who go to face the dragon.

Where does the dragon make its lair?

In the side of a cliff

Give a brief blow-by-blow of Beowulf’s fight with the dragon

Dragon blasts Beowulf with fire, Beowulf retreats a little, tries to strike the dragon and breaks his sword. Wiglaf comes out to help Beowulf, and his shield gets burned. The dragon bites Beowulf on the neck, and Wiglaf stabs the dragon in the stomach, and Beowulf draws another weapon and cuts the dragon’s head off.

Who is the one warrior who remains loyal to Beowulf when the other thanes run away?

Wiglaf

After Beowulf appoints Wiglaf king, what is Beowulf’s last dying request?

He wants to see some of the treasure from the dragon’s lair

What does he ask to be done with his body when it comes to burial?

He asked to be burned in a massive pyre and to have a lookout/tower built in his honor

What punishment does Wiglaf order for those men who fled from the scene of battle?

He orders for them to be stripped of all their belongings and titles.