Beowulf vocab

Mead

Fermented drink made from honey

Equivalent of “mead” today

Alcohol

Mead Hall

Nordic King’s structure, center of the community, a place for feasting with ample brewed beverages (mead).

Scop

The person in a tribe/clan whose job it is to keep the clan’s history and stories alive.

What kinds of people/jobs are responsible for being a “Scop” today?

Teachers, historians, movies, books.

Beot

A ritualized boast in a mead-hall, not so much a negative sign of arrogance but a positive sign of determination and character.

What activites lend itself to Beot today?

Sports teams and other competitions where participants exhibit confidence and pride in their abilities.

Wyrd

The Anglo-Saxon concept of fate mostly seen in a hero’s willingness to test fate by matching his courage against heavy odds.

What word demonstrates “Wyrd” today

Bravery

Comitatus

Anglo-Saxon’s “social contract” where a clan is bound together by ties of honor and interdependence.

Modern equivalent of Comitatus?

Loyalty between friends, family, teammates.

Wergild

A “man price” where a monetary value was established for a person’s life to be paid as a fine or as compensatory damages to the person’s family if that person was killed of injured by another.

Lof

Deserved/earned praise; fame after death

Alliteration

A poetic device where consonant sounds are repeated at the beginning of words in close proximity, often used in Old English poetry.

Allusion

A reference to a person, place, or event, often from literature or history, used to enhance meaning or context in writing.

Figurative language

Language that uses figures of speech, such as metaphors and similes, to convey meanings in a more imaginative way.

Foreshadowing

A literary device used to give an indication or hint of what is to come later in the story. It creates anticipation and prepares the reader for future events.

Connotation

The implied or associated meaning of a word that goes beyond its literal definition, often influenced by cultural or emotional associations.

Canto

A section of a longer poem, often used in epic poetry, that is similar to a chapter in a book.

Enjambent

The continuation of a sentence or clause beyond the end of a line in poetry. It creates a sense of movement and urgency.