Beowulf reading guide

							Beowulf, is an embodiment of the Anglo-Saxon ideals. He is a warrior hero who fights the unending
battle of good versus evil; he is a champion of freedom and justice; he is devoted to duty, loyal to
family, and courageous. He shows superhuman strength as he fights sea demons and monsters. All of
these qualities make him an epic hero.


Beowulf is the greatest literary work that has survived from the Anglo-Saxon age, and it is most
often considered the beginning of English literature. In the poem-story, both pagans and Christians
are present. The character of Beowulf is a blending of old pagan legends and Christian beliefs. In
the text you will see how the belief in Wyrd was often confused with Christian doctrine. The author
is unknown and because of the many Christian references he may have been an early Christian, or
the Christian references may have been added later by monks when they copied the manuscript.


Beowulf is a national hero. He was a Geat, a member of an ancient tribe in what is today southern
Sweden. It is possible that Beowulf, or someone his story is based on, really did live because the
Geat King Higlac and the Danish King Hrothgar were real-life sixth century kings.


Beowulf was composed in the oral tradition sometime around the eighth century and was kept alive
by the scops until sometime in the late tenth century when a scribe wrote down the story. The
manuscript has survived over the years, despite a fire that destroyed some of it. The surviving
manuscript consists of 3,200 lines conprising some eighty to ninety printed pages (Don't panic—you
won't have to read it all).


The sections you will read are divided into five parts:

1. The Coming of Grendel

2. Beowulf to the Rescue

3. Beowulf's Battle with Grendel

4. Beowulf's Battle with Grendel's Mother

5. Beowulf's Battle with the Dragon and His Death

The monsters that Beowulf fought were horrible sea demons, giants, and fire-breathing dragons.
These demons represented threats to goodness, peace, and the Anglo-Saxons' established way of
life. We, as a country, now face a terrible monster that also threatens goodness, peace, and our
established way of life. That monster is terrorism. The fight, according to our president, will be
long and difficult. In the story of Beowulf, the threats to peace did not end with the death of
Grendel. Once Grendel was dead, other monsters appeared to continue the fight.
It is important that you know the meaning of certain words before you begin your reading,
especially when you are reading something historical. In this case it is difficult to figure out a
word's meaning by reading it in context. Through the years words change or the words refer to
something that no longer applies to our lives.


A "mead hall" is an example. When you realize that a mead hall to the Anglo-Saxons was somewhat
like a hunting lodge is to hunters today, you have a better understanding of the term. However, it
would be difficult to know that comparison from just reading that the men were gathered in a mead
hall. That's why you need to pay particular attention to the glossary provided with this lesson.


1. alliteration—the repetition of nearby consonant sounds, usually at the beginning of words; for
example: "True is the tale I tell of my travels" from "The Seafarer." Note the repetition of
the t sounds.


2. caesura—a pronounced pause in a line of poetry, usually near the middle; for example: "I promise
you this: // she'll find no shelter No hole in the ground, // no towering trees.—Beowulf


3. riddles—elaborate word puzzles



4. onomatopoeia—words that sound like their meanings



5. Alfred the Great—Anglo-Saxon who promoted education

6. gleeman—singer of tales

7. lyric poem—poetry in which a speaker expresses personal thoughts and feelings. These poems are
usually short and can take many forms

8. heroic epic—a long narrative poem that recounts, in grave and stately language, the adventures of
a larger-than-life hero who usually embodies the ideals of the culture that produced him.



9. oral tradion—Anglo-Saxon literature


10. kenning—In Old English poetry, an imaginative metaphorical or descriptive phrase used in place
of a simple noun; for instance: "The Seafarer" contains the kenning "whales' home" to mean the sea,
and Beowulf contains the kenning "swan road" to mean the sea.

11. Ecclesiastical History of the English People—important early document by Bede
12. mead—alcoholic beverage of fermented honey and water to which malt, yeast, and spices are
added.

13. Beowulf—the earliest English story; an epic poem about a great hero, Beowulf

14. Herot—great mead-hall built by King Hrothgar for the Danes

15. reparation—making up for wrong or injury

16. solace—comfort; relief from suffering

17. chain mail—flexible body armor made of linked metal

18. moors—barren stretches of land where nothing will grow

19. spawned—produced

20. Cain—a son of Adam and Eve; as told in the Bible (Genesis 4), he killed his younger brother Abel

21. lair—the den of a wild animal

22. lament—an outward expression of grief; crying or wailing

23. relish—to enjoy something

24. purge—to cleanse or remove

25. linden shield—a shield made from the wood of a linden tree

26. threshold—the wood fastened on the floor beneath a door

27. talon—a claw

28. infamous—having a very bad reputation

29. writhing—twisting or turning in pain

30. taut—stretched tightly

31. ancestral—inherited from ancestors

32. pilgrimage—a long journey to a holy or historical place

33. epic—a long narrative poem that celebrates the deeds of a legendary heroic figure

34. Unferth—Danish warrior who had questioned Beowulf's bravery before the battle with Grendel

35. Esher—King Hrothgar's closest friend
36. Wiglaf—Beowulf's brave young cousin, Wiglaf's father is Wexton

37. boar-headed helmets—The boar, a wild hog known for its fighting ability, was often depicted on
the fighting gear of the Danes and other Germanic tribes.

38. Edgetho's brave son—Beowulf. Beowulf's father, Edgetho, was the brother-in-law of Higlac,
king of the Geats.

39. hoary—grayish, white

40. Hrunting—name given to Unferth's sword

41. Nagling—name given to Beowulf's sword; means "that which nails"

42. Geats' ring-giver—Beowulf, who as king would be the one to bestow golden rings on those who
swear allegiance to him

Characters in Beowulf


The Danes


Hrothgar [hroth' gar]: king of the Danes and builder of the great hall of Herot [ha' rot]


Welthow [wal' tho]: Hrothgar's wife and queen

Esher: Hrothgar's closest friend and adviser

Unferth: one of Hrothgar's courtiers and his chief spokesman

The Geats

Beowulf: nephew of Higlac, king of the Geats; later he himself becomes king of the Geats

Wiglaf: one of Beowulf's kinsmen



The Monsters

Grendel: the first of the monsters to attack Herot

Grendel's mother: the second of the monsters to attack Herot

The Fire-Breathing Dragon: the last monster that Beowulf faces
The tale of Beowulf relates the stories of the heroes of two clans, the Danes and the Geats, who
lived in Scandinavia. The introduction of the tale explains that Hrothgar, king of the Danes, built a
great and wonderful mead-hall, which he called Herot. The mead-hall probably looked like a huge
hunting lodge with antlers and other trophies adorning the walls.

In the passage you are about to read, Grendel, the fierce cursed monster, invades the mead-hall
and begins his reign of terror.

Hint for Reading:
Don't pause at the end of each line. Keep reading as if you are reading a regular prose narrative, or
story, instead of a poem. Read as if you were reading a paragraph written like this:

"A powerful monster, living down in the darkness, growled in pain, impatient as day after day the
music rang loud in that hall, the harp's rejoicing call and the poet's clear songs, sung of the ancient
beginnings of us all, recalling the Almighty making the earth, shaping these beautiful plains marked
off by the oceans; then proudly setting the sun and moon to glow across the land and light it; the
corners of the earth were made lovely with trees and leaves, made quick with life, with each of the
nations who now move on its face."

See how much easier that is to understand when you read it like a story!