1. Beowulf and Epics

2. Basic Info on Epics Mead-halls—place for social gatherings; center of culture Thanes—nobles tied to lords Scops—entertainers Weapons-swords=inherited; greater the prior owner’s worth, the greater the sword is Christianity—came b/c of St. Augustine; incorporated into pagan/folk beliefs

3. Basic Info on Epics cont. Women—treated as equals; given greater status in the mead hall Monsters—considered opposite of good; part of life Giving of Gifts—thanes rewarded for work done; greater the deed=greater the reward

4. Basic Info on Epics cont. Beowulf=Folk epic; no known author; stories about heroes that were recited/sung before being written down Folk epics=evolves from the ppl and their lives; order out of chaos; set in short episodes

5. Basic Info on Epics cont. 1.Opens in media res 2.Setting is vast 3.Begins with invocation to diety/muse/audience 4.States theme at beginning 5.Includes epithets 6.Contains long lists 7.Long and formal speeches in it 8.Divine intervention 9.“Star” heroes who embody the civilizations’ moral and cultural values

6. Basic Info on Epics cont. Epic Hero—central character; larger-than-life; focuses battles on good vs evil; spurred by tragedy, fame, or fate to face evil Quest—mission the hero must go on to win honor and undying renown Valorous deed—actions that show the hero’s courage, strength, virtue Divine Intervention—help from supernatural forces for the hero Great Events—history or mythology events that provide themes & background for the epic

7. Things to Look for in Beowulf Dane & thanes—their bond Good vs. evil; dark vs. light Fate & Christianity combining together Hero—his strengths, weaknesses, heroic actions, quests etc.

8. Plot of Beowulf Part I: Battle with Grendel Begins w/ a Great Event—Shild and his heroics; establishes the lineage of Hrothgar (leader of the Danes Introduces Hrothgar—establishes how powerful and great he was; built Herot to represent his greatness; uses this to show how powerful Beowulf must be if a man like Hrothgar needs his help Herot was a place of happiness which upset Grendel, the son of Cain, who came and attacked the mead hall He did this for 12 years and the misery of Hrothgar and his people spread

9. Plot of Beowulf cont. Part I cont: Beowulf comes from Geatland (across the sea) to help Hrothgar b/c he is the best of all men and has earned the right to do something heroic When he meets Hrothgar, he boasts about his credentials (ran the giants from the world, fought a bunch of sea serpents etc) to show why he can solve the problems Herot is having Unferth—the foil of Beowulf—tries to make Beowulf look bad but ends up being called a coward, a kin killer and a drunk by Beowulf

10. Plot of Beowulf cont. Part I cont: In order to show his good sportsmanship, Beowulf decides to fight Grendel w/o sword or armor (to put him on even footing and to show that he won not his weaponry) Beowulf fights Grendel—swords were worthless against him b/c of his bewitched skin—and rips off his arm Beowulf is compared to Siegmund who was one of the greatest heroes (a great event) He is a foil for Hermod whose greed and envy destroyed his people

11. Plot of Beowulf cont. Part I cont: After the battle, Hrothgar presented Beowulf with many gifts to show his thanks—banners, horses, helmets, armor, ancient sword etc The story of Finn, Hnalf, and Hengest—shows how a thane should avenge his lord The selections ends with a foreshadow that something more is coming

12. Plot of Beowulf cont. Part II: Grendel’s mother comes to avenge her son— he takes Hrothgar’s closest friend & Grendel’s arm The men, including Beowulf, go to her lair—it is a desolate evil place He kills some of the evil monsters there, puts on his armor and jumps into the lake – Unferth lends Beowulf his sword in apology

13. Plot of Beowulf cont. Part II cont: Beowulf exhibits endurance, strength, bravery, and courage because he falls for hours in the water, fights many monsters and then finally gets to Grendel’s mother Unferth’s sword fails him, he uses the giant’s sword and kills her. He also beheads Grendel’s body and takes the head up

14. Plot of Beowulf cont. Part II cont: Beowulf leaves, he promises Hrothgar he will come back if he is ever needed, and he leaves to go home Find out that Higlac is Beowulf’s only family He goes home to his lord, Higlac, and his wife— he presents them with some of his rewards from Hrothgar Eventually, Beowulf became King of the Geats after Higlac’s death as a just reward for his greatness

15. Plot of Beowulf cont. PART III: Beowulf ruled the Geats for 50 yrs A slave stole a jeweled cup and woke up a dragon—the man who placed the treasure there did so when he lost all his kin Dragon destroyed Beowulf’s throne and hall He had a shield created and showed that he was still heroic by declaring he would fight the Dragon alone

16. Plot of Beowulf cont. PART III: Beowulf realizes he is old and fate is coming for him In order to prove his worth to fight the dragon Beowulf boasted about past victories such as killing Dagref by hugging him; his sword being all Higlac ever needed in defense of his country; his killing of Grendel & Grendel’s mother

17. Plot of Beowulf cont. PART III: As Beowulf started fighting the dragon, he was being defeated & his men ran and hid Wiglaf stayed behind & stabbed the dragon’s belly so it no longer breathed fire Beowulf took his dagger & cut the dragon in 2 Gives his throne & ppl to Wiglaf (the last of their far spread and all dead family)

18. Plot of Beowulf cont. PART III: Wiglaf punished the men who fled by sending them & their families into exile He arranges Beowulf’s funeral-a pyre & the building of a tomb so big that people will remember him whenever they see it The riches were buried in the ground again (the things that caused the dragon to awaken & Beowulf to die) 12 bravest Geats rode around Beowulf’s tomb & praised the greatness of the man now dead

19. Main Themes What makes a hero Tragedy & greatness & how they are connected Becoming immortal through deeds Conflict shaping daily lives Warriors and their place in society Heroics & how they differ Rewards for greatness Good versus evil Man versus man & how battles shaped society