Beowulf

Kennings are metaphorical compound words, and they were used to great extent in Old English and Old Norse poetry. They function as a way to make an ordinary noun more descriptive or awe inspiring....

Beowulf embodies several traits that make him a textbook epic hero. Some of these traits include his larger-than-life physical strength, his courage in the face of extreme danger, and his loyalty...

Beowulf is the story, in epic poem form, of a great Geat warrior who came to the aid of the Danish King Hrothgar in defeating a monster that was terrorizing his people. The monster, Grendel, was a...

Beowulf is above all courageous and loyal. These two traits inform most of his actions over the course of the poem. He is courageous in that he is willing to face monsters that give even other...

As other contributors have already pointed out, Grendel is acting out of envy and spite. Miserable, he lashes out at the Danes, jealous of the happiness which human beings can enjoy. In this sense,...

A kenning is basically a two-word description in place of a more common one-word noun or name. Kennings are often seen in Anglo Saxon poetry, which was originally transmitted orally. In Beowulf, as...

Beowulf is in search of glory and he hears of the terrible mess Herot and Hrothgar are in and is determined to make a name for himself. He states that he will fight this monster without weapons,...

Grendel suffers a fatal wound during his battle with the revered warrior Beowulf in Heorot Hall. While the warriors sleep inside of the magnificent Heorot Hall, Grendel arrives with bloody...

In chapter XXII of Beowulf, Grendel's mother's lair is described (as Beowulf descends into the cave to destroy her). (On a side note, many epic heroes were required to make a journey into the...

Grendel is a supernatural villain, the first of three monsters that Beowulf must fight in the epic poem. He is first described as "a fiend out of hell" who "began to work his evil." He is said to...

The dramatic showdown between the great hero Beowulf and Grendel takes place in the magnificent Herot Hall, which Grendel has been terrorizing for twelve consecutive years. The audience has been...

Grendel is described as a very large, very strong, bloodthirsty, and cannibalistic creature. Beyond that, we get little physical description. He has been attacking Heorot, the mead hall, for twelve...

A kenning is a distinctive feature of Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse poetry. Essentially, it is a type of metaphor, but particularly it is a compound expression which would have a generally understood...

Grendel's mother lives in a cave beneath what is called a mere. A mere is a 12th Century term for a standing body of water. The Old English term can mean a lake, but given the amount of time it...

Grendel and his mother in Beowulf are both what critics call "flat" characters. They do not have any great degree of psychological complexity but instead exist purely as antagonists to Beowulf....

Beowulf asks Wiglaf to build him a tower as a tomb to signify that he, Beowulf, was the greatest warrior of all time.Wiglaf explains: He was still himself, Alive, aware, and in spite of his...

Anglo-Saxon poets certainly have a way with words. One of their favorite means of adding linguistic interest to their poems is the kenning. A kenning is a compound word or short phrase that stands...

Examples of alliteration, epithets, hyperbole, kennings, and litotes occur throughout the Old English epic poem Beowulf, and often many of these traits appear together. Notice, for instance, how...

The moral of Beowulf is that it is better to die young with heroism and virtue than to grow to a ripe old age being cowardly and avoiding your responsibilities. Beowulf shows great courage and...

Beowulf, the hero of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem of the same name, and Grendel, the villainous monster whom Beowulf must slay, certainly have some similarities, despite their opposing roles. They...

Caesura, in verse, is a pause in a line that exists where a person would naturally pause while speaking. This pause can come at the beginning of a line (called initial); at the end of the line...

Envy and revenge are both central themes to Beowulf, and they're both addressed in numerous ways. Envy: The clearest example of envy can be seen in Grendel's response to Heorot's happy, rowdy, and...

According to poets.org, an epic poem is: a long, often book-length, narrative in verse form that retells the heroic journey of a single person or a group of persons. Elements that typically...

Beowulf is an archetypal hero, which means he represents the ideal qualities for his culture and in fact for many cultures. In the Anglo-Saxon world, the idea of warrior-king was highly revered,...

Beowulf's extraordinary strength is made most plain when he fights Grendel in the first third of the poem. He battles with his own bare hands as opposed to using a weapon, which displays both his...

The sword that Beowulf uses to kill Grendel's mother is the sword that he discovers in her lair once he gets there and faces almost certain defeat at her hands. This sword is described as having...

In short, Beowulf travels to Herot to challenge and vanquish the monster Grendel, who he has heard is wreaking havoc and horror upon Hrothgar's kingdom. Hrothgar is too old to fight and his sons...

Here, Beowulf is boasting that he is just as strong as Grendel, if not stronger. Hrothgar has already made it clear that, despite possible initial reservations, he ultimately trusts Beowulf to...

The first encounter Beowulf has with monsters is presented in retrospect, taking place before the main action of the epic. This involves a swimming contest during which Beowulf encounters and...

The main plot of Beowulf involves his heroic quests and lasting legacy as a revered warrior and king of Geatland. On Beowulf's first heroic quest, he travels overseas to help Hrothgar, king of the...

Grendel’s mother made her way to Heorot to avenge her son’s death after the monster sustained a fatal wound during the fight with Beowulf. Grendel attacked the Thanes in the mead hall until they...

The moral lesson I'm always struck with in Beowulf is selflessness. Hrothgar has been plagued by the ravages of Grendel for a long time; when Beowulf finally hears of it, he simply gets ready to...

Herot or Heorot Hall was commissioned by King Hrothgar to be built as a mead hall for his warriors. In the poem, the mead hall is called the "greatest of hall-buildings." It is where King Hrothgar...

Nearly everything that Beowulf does over the course of his grand exploits and adventures is done for the sake of loyalty. Indeed, loyalty is perhaps one of Beowulf's most defining characteristics...

While it is true the mood changes a number of times throughout Beowulf, to answer what mood the poem conveys overall requires consideration of its form. This is an epic poem: long, narrative, and...

Beowulf "oozes" skill. His bravery, his combat skills, and his strength are evident in the way that he walks, carries himself, talks, and dresses. A good example of this occurs when Beowulf is on...

The death caused by Grendel’s mother was far too close and personal for Hrothgar. Grendel’s mother took Aeschere, a warrior and close confidant of the king. Grendel’s mother was on a mission to...

The first way Beowulf demonstrates courage is to take the initiative to sail across the sea with his fighting men to confront the monster Grendel. Although his family does owe Hrothgar a debt from...

Several key attributes define this location. First of all, it is far from human habitation. Second, it is on the monster's home ground. Remember that Grendel had intruded into where the men were...

Hrothgar, king of the Danes, built the mighty mead hall Herot for several reasons, both of which reflect the context in which the epic poem Beowulf was composed. Hrothgar wanted to build the hall...

The character Beowulf in the epic has numerous characteristics that can place him in the supernatural realm. He often displays superhuman strength, which is shown by ripping off Grendel’s arm, and...

This question is surprisingly difficult to answer, for three reasons: Beowulf is an old tale, surviving in a lone manuscript, written after (presumably) a long life as an oral tradition, long...

Although Grendel attacks Hrothgar's mead-hall, Heorot, when he hears the laughter and celebrations of Hrothgar's men, the motive for Grendel's attack, and the origin of his hatred for men, is...

In the first chapter of the story, it is established that Grendel lived close to the mead hall because he was able to hear the merrymaking activities in the hall. It was also stated that the...

The Latin word "comitatus" refers to a feudal relationship between a lord or king and a free warrior who fights for him. Comitatus is an important concept in Anglo-Saxon warrior culture and imposes...

When he faces the dragon as an old and wise king, Beowulf knows that his death is very likely imminent. Take, for instance, the following quote from Seamus Heaney's translation of the poem: After...

When Beowulf enters Hrothgar's Herot, he wants to present himself as the warrior who is going to free the Danes from Grendel's terror. Never one to be timid, Beowulf touts his own accomplishments...

Oral epics tended to function to pass on cultural traditions and values in societies lacking both literacy and widespread systems of schooling. Although a small number of monastic schools taught...

On arrival at the Danish sea shore, a warrior of the Danes asked Beowulf and his team to state their origin and purpose for visiting their lands. Beowulf responded by stating that they were from...

Beowulf has ruled as the King of the Geats for fifty years when a dragon starts to threaten the land as revenge for a slight against him (a desperate man has stolen a golden cup from the dragon's...