2.  Unknown author; possibly one Christian author in Anglo-Saxon England  Unknown date of composition (roughly 8 th -11 th Century CE)

3.  5th Century (400s A.D.) England  Constant invasions from tribes  No unity  War and sickness killed scores of people  The Need for a Hero  Gives people reassurance  Yankees in Oct. 2001  Gives country unity  “300”, “Braveheart”

4.  Paganism  Life is controlled by fate  Monsters lurked in the dark outside the mead hall (Grendel)  Christianity  Belief in a single deity (God)  Individuals can control their destiny (Beowulf)  Clear definition of good and evil

5.  Allusion: Reference to something else.  EX: Biblical, Germanic oral tradition, Norse myth and legend, historical Anglo-Saxon kings (eg. King Offa of Mercia)  Alliteration: T he commencement of two or more stressed syllables of a word group either with the same consonant sound or sound group.  EX: Scyld’s strong son  Kenning: two-word metaphorical name for something  EX: whale-road=sea

6.  Assonance: A lso called vowel rhyme. Rhyme in which the same vowel sounds are used with different consonants in the stressed syllables of the rhyming words.  EX: Penitent and reticence.  Epic poetry: a long narrative poem written in elevated style which celebrates the deeds of a legendary hero or god.  Scop: Anglo-Saxon composers and storytellers (like minstrels or bards)

7.  Comitatus: Germanic code of loyalty  Thane: warrior – swears loyalty to the king for whom they fought and whom they protected  Kings: generous, protected thanes  Reputation: thanes were expected to be loyal, brave, courageous; kings were expected to be generous and hospitable  Wergild: “man-payment”; a fee paid to the family of a slain man to atone for his murder and to prevent the family from seeking revenge.

8.  Beowulf was a war leader of the Geats, a group of people in what is now southern Sweden  Hrothgar was king of the Danes

9.  Beowulf was written in Old English, an early form of English  Old English was spoken in the Middle Ages from about 6 th century to 11 th century CE  Modern English has been spoken since the Renaissance – Shakespeare is NOT Old English; he is Early Modern English

10. 1. Epic hero – an character with a trait or characteristic that is valued by his society. STRONG, ETHICAL, QUEST, GLORIFIED 2. Quest – A journey through which the character or the reader learns something 3. Valorous Deeds – Doing something bravely. 4. Divine Intervention – The hand of God (or gods) help the hero, proving his value. 5. Great events – The hero has a hand in something important in the history or mythology of a culture.

11. 1. Folk Told out loud first (usually by scops) Unknown author Unknown dates (Ex.—Beowulf is a folk epic because we don’t know who wrote it) 2. Literary Known author (Exg.– Paradise Lost, by John Milton is a literary epic because we know who wrote it.)

12. Interlaced with battles of monsters deals with human struggle Good vs. Evil Truth and light vs. dark powers Strength of heart and spirit Challenge is constant Death always awaits

13. Orally passed down stories often are subjected to many changes once they are written down Mistakes in translations Misunderstanding slang Political correctness Intentional changes: More Christianity edited into Beowulf.

14. Identity Ancestral heritage Individual reputation (Fame) Heroic acts Heroic glory Characteristics of good warrior Strength Loyalty Courage Characteristics of good king Hospitality Generosity Diplomacy Distribution of treasure King rewarded strong, loyal warriors Gold Horses Armor

15. Mead Hall: social, government, emotional center of the village Mead = honey-based wine Grendel: Superhuman monster Grendel’s mother: Less human than son Older, more animal-like evil Dragon: Oldest form of evil

16. Why do we create villains? We can focus our fear and hatred on one thing Bin Laden, serial killers, sharks They can justify greedy desires Crusades, Inquisition, Salem witch trials Deep down, we need them Police, soldiers Grendel Human-like monster from the steamy swamps Understands human speech and actions Bloodlust for humans stems from his observing how cruel we are to each other

17.  For the 5th century Briton?  Poverty and starvation  Plague  Invading tribes  No unity  For the 21st century American?  Terrorists  Poverty  Crime  Immigration  Nuclear war  Global warming

18.  What makes a good hero?  Cockiness vs. confidence (Kobe vs. MJ)  Warrior vs. common man (Rambo vs. single parent)  Reputation vs. proof (Joe Montana vs. Fran Tarkenton)  Beowulf  Legendary hero and king  One of the Geats (North Germanic tribe) located in Sweden  Superhero