Beowulf Review

epic

a long narrative poem written in an elevated style; it presents characters of high position in a series of adventures important to a people or nation.

caesura

break in the middle of the line

alliteration

repetition of original sound. Found numerously throughout the epic.

kenning

A metaphoric compound employed in Anglo-Saxon literature in which the name of a thing is replaced by one of its functions or qualities. e.g "word hoard"

Beowulf

protagonist, fights Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon

Hygelac

Beowulf's Uncle, ruler of Geatland

Wiglaf

Beowulf's one loyal soldier in the fight against the dragon also a relative of Beowulf and he is the successor to the throne

Hrothgar

King of the Danes

Unferth

a thane, advising King Hrothgar, he has a flyting with Beowulf.

Grendel

demon that terrorizes mead-hall

Grendel's mother

fought Beowulf in the mere (underwater lair)

Naegling

Beowulf's sword

Geats

Beowulf's kinsmen

Danes

Hrothgar's kinsmen

wyrd

old Anglo-Saxon term for fate

Hrunting

the sword given to Beowulf by Unferth that proves useless in the fight in the underwater lair

elegy

a poem that laments a death or loss

Mead-hall

a place of safety, warmth, and community in the Anglo-Saxon world

Mead

an alcoholic drink made from fermented honey

dragon

the last challenge faced by Beowulf, who dies fighting it. Guards a large treasure-hoard

swords

Beowulf has trouble with them as they always break, presumably because he is too strong

Heorot

The great mead-hall of the Danes

barrow

an Anglo-Saxon burial mound

Head of Grendel

takes four men to carry this

Hilt of sword

Beowulf brings this back from Grendel's lair

Mere

the lair of Grendel's mother

heroic narrative

the story of the deeds and actions of a courageous main character (like of Beowulf)

archetypal

characteristic of the original model or perfect example

oral tradition

stories passed down through generations by word of mouth

Heroic Code

The hero's moral rules of right and wrong

scop

storyteller and composer

Archetype

A detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response

Symbol

A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.

shadow-stalker, bane of the race of men, and hell serf

kennings for Grendel

tarn-hag, monstrous hell-bride, hell-dam,

kennings fro Grendel's mother

sky-plague, fire-dragon, sky-borne foe, hoard-guard, sky-winger

kennings for the dragon