intro and coming of beowulf

the land of the Danes (Spear-Danes)

what is the primary setting for the first part of the story, featuring Hrothgar and Grendel?

Heorot

what is the name of the magnificent mead-hall built by King Hrothgar?

12 years

for how many years does Grendel terrorize the Danes before Beowulf arrives?

Cain

Grendel is described as being a descendant of which biblical figure?

Hrothgar’s throne (protected by God)

what is the one item in the mead-hall that Grendel cannot touch or approach?

Geats

Beowulf is a warrior of the ___?

Ecgtheow

who is Beowulf’s father?

the coast guard/watchman

when Beowulf first arrives on the Danish shore, who is the watchman who challenges him?

thirty

Beowulf claims he has the strength of how many men in his hand-grip?

the happiness and creation songs of men

the poet suggests that Grendel attacks the mead-hall because he is tormented by __________?

he tells of killing sea monsters

what specific evidence does Beowulf offer to prove his past heroic deeds?

to fight Grendel using only his bare hands

what is Beowulf’s plan for fighting Grendel?

treasure and riches

what does Hrothgar promise Beowulf if he defeats Grendel?

fearful and silent

what is the mood of the Danes and Geats within Heorot before the battle?

the joyful sounds of the Danes singing and celebrating

what enrages Grendel when he first enters Heorot?

the evil and misery he brings to the community

what does the description of Grendel’s attack as a “darkness” symbolize?

Christian

what kind of cultural elements are infused into the story when Hrothgar speaks of the “Almighty”?

fame and glory (lof)

what primarily drives Beowulf’s motivation for sailing to help the Danes?

in distant shelters/chambers

where do the Danes sleep after the initial slaughter?

they were overwhelmed, terrified, and scattered

why do the Danes initially make no effort to fight or stop Grendel after his first attack?

sleeping

when Grendel first attacks, he always finds the Danish warriors doing what?

Grendel is a force of evil and is cursed by God

why does the narrator state that “God’s brightness” never touches Grendel?

the Danes are melancholy and drunk, the Geats are cheerful and eager

what is the primary difference in mood between the Danes and the Geats during the feast before Grendel’s attack?

fourteen

how many of his best men does Beowulf select to accompany him to Denmark?

because Cain committed the first murder, symbolizing all evil

why does Grendel’s lineage (descendant of Cain) mark him as an eternal enemy of mankind?

he entrusts the great hall, Heorot, to Beowulf’s keeping

what is Hrothgar’s last action before the Geats and Danes leave him alone to rest after the feast?

mourning and fleeing the hall

after grendel’s first murderous attack on the Danes, their best course of action is described as __________?

power and success

before Grendel’s nightly attacks, the mead-hall Heorot symbolized Hrothgar’s _______?

alliteration

what literary technique is most clearly at work in the quote describing Grendel as “God’s outcast”?

the water burns and a mist hangs over a mere

Hrothgar describes Grendel’s lair as a frightening, unknown place where __________?