Vocabulary Flashcards for Beowulf Unit

A collection of flashcards based on important vocabulary from the Beowulf unit.

What is a Kenning?

A metaphorical compound word or phrase used especially in Old English and Old Norse poetry.

What is an Allusion?

An implied or indirect reference to a person, place, thing, or idea of historical, cultural, literary, or political significance.

What is Alliteration?

The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.

What is a Caesura?

A pause in a line that is formed by the rhythms of natural speech rather than meter.

What is a Scop?

An Old English poet who traveled around the countryside visiting mead halls.

What does Wyrd mean?

A concept in Old English poetry representing fate, destiny, or doom.

What is Wergild?

Money paid to the relatives of a murder victim in compensation for loss and to prevent a blood feud.

What is a Diphthong?

A vowel where the speaker's tongue changes position while pronouncing it, sounding like a combination of two vowels.

Who were the Anglo-Saxons?

A cultural group that inhabited much of England in the Early Middle Ages and spoke Old English.

What is the Hero’s Journey?

A narrative archetype involving a hero who goes on an adventure, learns a lesson, and returns home transformed.

What is an Epic Poem?

A narrative poem that tells the story of a hero and their daring feats.

What is Symbolism?

A tool of figurative language where an image, object, idea, or symbol represents something other than its literal meaning.