1. eowulf and Old English Literature
Beowulf is the Oldest Surviving Northern European Epic

2. “Nothing stirred the poet’s imagination more than a sword or a ship.”
Gloomy
Fierce
Stalwart
“Nothing stirred the poet’s imagination more than a sword or a ship.”

3. Exceptions: Caedmon & Cynewulf
Mostly anonymous
Exceptions: Caedmon & Cynewulf
Old English Poetry
Oral Tradition
Scops and Gleemen: traveling poets/
minstrels
Two types of Poetry:
1. Heroic Epics
Definition: a long, narrative poem about the exploits of a hero who embodies the values of the culture
Example: Beowulf
2. Elegiac lyrics
Definition: a poem that reflects the poet’s thoughts & feelings, and that laments the loss of something
Example: “The Seafarer”

4. Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon Poetry
Alliterative
Unrhymed
Strong Beat
Unique Devices

5. Unique Devices Caesura Kenning
A pause in the middle of a line of poetry
Kenning
A compound noun that is colorful & descriptive
“whale road” = the sea
COLE WAS THE KING; HE WAS KEEN AND MERRY;
MIRTHFUL HE WAS; WITH MINSTRELS IN MEAD
HALL.
HE CALLED FOR HIS CUP; HE CALLED FOR HIS PIPE.
HIS FIDDLERS WERE THREE, AND FINE WAS THEIR
TRILLING.

6. Beowulf The Mystery, Puzzles, & Contradictions of The Mystery
Only one manuscript survives: the Cotton Manuscript
The Mystery
Almost destroyed by fire
Discovered in the 16th century but not published until 1815

7. A Puzzle:
Beowulf is the definitive English epic and the beginning of English literature,
BUT
The hero is a Geat (Yea-ot) or Swede, and none of the action takes place in England.
Why?

8. The challenges of Existence
In 449 AD Germanic tribes (Angles, Saxons & Jutes) invaded the British Isles; they brought this story with them.
AND
Beowulf embodies Anglo-Saxon values and celebrates the essence of a warrior society.
Bravery
Loyalty
Devotion
to the
community
The challenges of Existence
Weapons used
Festive Celebrations

10. encouraged intense loyalty to clan leaders. The
It is difficult to convey just how challenging the lives of the earliest Anglo-Saxons were. Every day was a battle to survive. The Anglo-Saxons lived in huts and dressed in animal skins to protect themselves against the miserable, bone-chilling dampness of the weather. They eked out an existence by farming the land, hunting, and venturing forth on dangerous, turbulent seas to fish. When
they weren't scraping together a skimpy existence, they were fighting neighboring tribes and clans. These tough conditions created strong ties within tribes and
encouraged intense loyalty to clan leaders. The
environment also contributed to the high esteem in which the inhabitants held individual bravery, a quality they honored above all others.

11. A Contradiction:
Beowulf also shows the influence of Christian culture.
Beowulf represents a violent warrior culture;
Belief in a higher power who rewards virtue, forgiveness, honesty
Trolls, monsters, & elves from Norse mythology
Old Testament Elements (Ex.: Cain)
Belief in Wyrd

12. The reason for this contradiction lies in the transmission history of the poem. . .

13. 597 AD Christian Conversion
Viking Invasions
Christian monks write down the spoken epic.
editor not` author
well-read
conscious role of poet
Oral Tradition: Beowulf-type stories are told. “The Bear Story”
Beowulf sung by scops
Anglo-Saxon Invasion

14. Monks in the Scriptorium: preservers and editors of Anglo-Saxon literature

15. The Story of

16. A King and Country in Trouble Hrothgar, King of the Danes
Beowulf’s Home
Hrothgar, King of the Danes

17. The Monster: A Descendant of Cain
Versus
The Young Hero from Geatland

18. FATE brings them to HEROT, the Mead Hall

19. The epic continues until Beowulf is an old king. . .
and he dies in his last battle with a dragon