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The hag
Grendel’s mother
Wiglaf
the only faithful one to help Beowulf fight the dragon
Beowulf
Swedish hero who came to Denmark to help
Hrothgar
King of the Danes
Hygelac
Beowulf’s uncle; king of Gaetland (Sweden)
Heorot
the mead hall of Hrothgar
Unferth
Hrothgar’s man who challenged Beowulf’s story and gave him a sword
Wergild
life insurance, the value of a man’s life
folkmoot
an assembly of landowners and free men in a given area
Comitatus
warrior band, the king’s bodygaurds
Kenning
a compound term that replaces an ordinary term
Churl
a farmer
Bard
a storyteller
Bede
a monk who transcribed 40 books
Thane
landowners in rank under the king
Witan
the king’s advisors, meeting of the highest council
Mead Hall
where the thanes slept to protect the king, central place for the community
Scribe
someone who copied manuscripts
Lady of the Lake
the person who allowed Arthur to receive Excalibur
Green Knight
challenges the knights to a Christmas Game, seemingly immortal
King Arthur
once and future King of Britian
Mordred
Arthur’s son and nephew, both kills and is killed by Arthur
Morgan le Fey
mother of Mordred and half-sister of Arthur
Lancelot
best knight of the round table
Guinevere
wife of King Arthur, destined to love Lancelot
`Uther Pendragon
Arthur’s father
Igraine
Arthur’s mother
Sir Bedivere
did not want to throw Excalibur in the lake
Merlin
a sorcerer and Arthur’s advisor
Sir Gawain
Arthur’s nephew, accepts the Green Knight’s challenge
Excalibur
the name of Arthur’s last sword
Pardoner
traveling religious showman with phony artifacts, handed out favors
Parson
good man who travels on foot to preach to the poor
Knight
honorable man, received land and status in exchange for his service
Wife of Bath
married 5 times, and expert on love
Squire
playboy and good son of the Knight
Miller
“golden thumb”, played the bagpipes, told nasty stories
Cook
had an ulcer on his knee, famous for his creamy white sauce
Friar
the opposite of what a good monk would be, paid off the women he got pregnant
Nun
prioress, pretended to be born a lady
Yeoman
outdoorsman, served the Knight, always had a bow and arrow
Franklin
“santa”, wealthy, opened his house to all and loved good food
Manciple
was illiterate but made more money than his superiors
Merchant
talked as if he knew everything but was in debt
Oxford Cleric
professional student, very poor but knowledgable
Plowman
hard worker, brother of the Parson, paid his tithes
Innkeeper
set up the game, all travelers assembled at his business before the journey
Sergeant at the Law
the best lawyer, not as busy as he seemed to be
Monk
fake lisp, wore a tunic made of fur, very rich
Skipper
sailor who made people walk the plank, couldn’t ride a horse
Doctor
cared more about money, had an arrangement with the pharmacists
Summoner
a black mailer, carried a cake, sores on his face, spoke rubbish latin phrases
Narrator
Geoffrey Chaucer, gave descriptions of each character
Reeve
old man, very thin, knowledgable about buying and selling farm products
Chivalry
code of behavior governing the knights
Code of Chivalry
God, King, and Country, widows and ladies, children, only fight for honorable causes
Ballad
a poem meant to be sung
Lyric Ballad
appeals to emotions
Narrative Ballad
tells a story
Serf
a peasant
chattel
property of any kind
Theme
idea that the writer wants you to walk away with
Chorus
repeated part of a ballad
Petrachan Sonnet
ABBA ABBA DCE CDE, Italian, octet and sextet
English Sonnet
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, Shakespearean, ends in a couplet
Sonnet
a 14 line poem in iambic pentameter with a definite rhyme scheme
Sonnet Sequence
a group of sonnets written on the same topic or to the same person
Stanza
divisions of a poem
Couplet
two rhyming lines at the end of a sonnet
Note 
Flashcard (201)