Wednesday, November 12, 2014 • Do now: In your notebooks, answer the following prompt: – What is a hero? Explain your definition and give examples.
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Wednesday, November 12, 2014
• Do now: In your notebooks,
answer the following
prompt:
–What is a hero? Explain your
definition and give examples.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
• Do now: In your notebooks,
answer the following
prompt:
–What is courage? How would
most people today define
courage?
Beowulf Themes
• Good vs Evil
• Identity
• Strength and
Skill
• Wealth
• Religion
• Violence
• Courage
• Mortality
• The
Supernatural
• Traditions &
Customs
Beowulf Motifs/Symbols
• Motifs
– Monsters
– The Oral
Tradition
– The Mead
Hall
• Symbols
– The Golden
Torque
(Rewards)
– The Banquet
(Celebration)
Beowulf Author
• Very little is known about the
author
– Male
– Educated
– Upper Class
– Anglo-Saxon / Christian
Beowulf Information
• Poem was composed (created) in
the 8th century
– Although it is English in language
and origin, the poem does not deal
with Englishmen, but their Germanic
ancestors (Danes & Geats)
– The Danes are from Denmark & the
Geats are from modern day Sweden
Beowulf Info (cont’d)
• Some of the original poem was
destroyed in the Ashburnham
House Fire, causing a number of
lines to be lost forever (1731)
• The poem is circular in that it starts
out with a young warrior, he grows
old, another young warrior saves
the day, etc. (comes full circle)
Beowulf Info (cont’d)
• Beowulf’s people are the Geats
• Hrothgar’s people are the Danes
• Beowulf reigned as king for 50
years
• According to legend, Beowulf died
at the age of 90 years old
• Beowulf takes place in Scandinavia
Beowulf’s Origin So why wasn’t it written
down in the first place?
This story was probably passed down orally for
centuries before it was first written down.
It wasn’t until after the Norman Invasion
(1066) that writing stories down became
common in this part of the world.
Beowulf’s Origin So what’s happened to the
manuscript since the 11th century?
Eventually, it ended up
in the library of this guy.
Robert Cotton (1571-1631)
Beowulf’s Origin
Unfortunately, Cotton’s library burned in
1731. Many manuscripts were entirely
destroyed. Beowulf was partially damaged.
The manuscript is now preserved and
carefully cared for in the British
Museum.
Beowulf
Manuscript
(Note the burn marks on the
top and sides—the
manuscript was severely
damaged in the fire)
The Poetry in Beowulf Like we discussed earlier, there are a few
things to watch out for… Kennings
a. Compound metaphor (usually two words)
b. Most were probably used over and over
For instance: hronade
literally means “whale-
road,” but can be
translated as “sea”
The Poetry in Beowulf
More kennings from Beowulf:
banhus = “bone-house” = body
goldwine gumena = “gold-friend of men” = generous prince
beaga brytta = “ring-giver” = lord
beadoleoma = “flashing light” = sword
The Poetry in Beowulf A few more things to watch out for
1. Alliterative verse
a. Repetition of initial sounds of words
(occurs in every line)
b. Generally, four feet/beats per line
c. A caesura, or pause, between
beats two and four
d. No rhyme
The Poetry in Beowulf
Alliterative verse – an example from Beowulf:
Oft Scyld Scefing sceapena praetum,
Monegum maegpum meodo-setla ofteah;
Egsode Eorle, syddan aerest weard.
Setting: Beowulf’s Time and Place
Although Beowulf was
written in English, it is set
in what is now Sweden,
where a tribe called the
Geats lived.
The story may take place as
early as 400 or 500 A.D.
Setting: Beowulf’s time and place
Europe today Time of Beowulf
How We Date Beowulf Some Important Dates:
521 A.D. – death of Hygelac, who is
mentioned in the poem
680 A.D. – appearance of alliterative verse
835 A.D. – the Danish started raiding other
areas; after this, few poets would
consider them heroes
SO: This version was likely composed between
680 and 835, although it may be set earlier
Anglo-Saxon Life
• Life was one of relentless hardship
• Life consisted of hunting, fishing,
sailing and feasting (when the work
was done)
• The land was covered by dark
forests, full of wild beasts and
savage men
• Women were well-respected
Anglo-Saxon Life (cont’d)
• Land was divided into districts
called shires
• Chief industries included trading,
shipbuilding and agriculture
• Anglo-Saxons played chess, told
stories, danced, sang, competed in
games, partied and feasted for fun
Anglo-Saxon Society
• Tribal society with kinship bonds and a
heroic code of behavior
– bravery
– loyalty to one's lord, one's warband
(comitatus), and one's kin
– willingness to avenge one's warband or
lord at all costs – death preferable to exile.
– generosity of lord to thanes and of hero to
warband and lord--gift-giving
– heroism (i.e., great deeds) brings honor,
eternal fame, and political power
Anglo-Saxon Values
• Loyalty
– Fighting for one’s king
– Avenging one’s kinsmen
– Keeping one’s word
• Generosity -- gifts symbolize bonds
• Brotherly love -- not romantic, but familial love
• Heroism
– Physical strength
– Skill and resourcefulness in battle
– Courage
• Public reputation, not private conscience
Anglo-Saxon Women
• Women make peace, bearing children who create blood ties
• Women pass the cup at the mead-hall, cementing social bonds
• Women lament loss, don’t avenge
Anglo-Saxon Religion
• Mix of pagan and Christian values--
often in conflict.
– Pagan (secular or non-religious) lineage
vs. Christian lineage
– Eternal earthly fame through deeds vs
afterlife in hell or heaven
– honor & gift-giving vs. sin of pride
(hubris)
– revenge vs pacifist view (forgiveness)
– Wyrd (Anglo-Saxon "Fate") vs God's will,
etc.
Map from C. Warren Hollister,
The Making of England, p. 64
Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms
Sutton Hoo
• Sheds light on a period of English history
– Focused on margin between myth, legend, & historical documentation
• Sutton Hoo (near Woodbridge)
– In English county of Suffolk
– The site of two 6th- and early 7th-century cemeteries
• Ship nearly 80 feet long
– Laden with treasures and everyday equipment (even if it is everyday equipment made of gold)
• Window into the early Anglo-Saxon world
•Site was used when Rædwald (ruler of the East Angles) held senior power among the English people
– Played a dynamic part in the establishment of Christian rulership in England
– Most likely the person buried in the ship
– Site has been vital in understanding the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia and the whole early Anglo-Saxon period
Sutton Hoo
• One finding contained an undisturbed ship burial including a wealth of Anglo-Saxon artifacts of outstanding art with historical and archaeological significance, now held in the British Museum in London
Purse
Lid
Sutton Hoo
Photos from British Museum
Sutton Hoo
Sutton Hoo
A whetstone
is a sharpening
stone used for
knives and
other cutting
tools
A scepter is a
symbolic
ornamental
staff
or wand held in
the hand by a
ruling monarch
Sutton Hoo
alliteration
• (n) repeating the beginning sound in a
phrase
– Purposely included in epics so that they
could be memorized and then retold by
bards easily
• Notice how the following consonant sounds
(b, f, h, s) are repeated at the beginning in the
following passage:
– Now Beowulf bode in the burg of the
Scyldings, leader beloved, and long he ruled in
fame with all folk, since his father had gone away
from the world, till awoke an heir, haughty
Healfdene, who held through life, sage and sturdy,
the Scyldings glad.
ancestral
• (adj) belonging to, inherited
from, or denoting an ancestor(s)
– Ex: “Now many an earl of Beowulf
brandished blade ancestral
Beowulf’s
sword, Hrunting
• (n) a member of
one of the
Germanic peoples,
the Angles, the
Saxons, and the
Jutes, who settled
in Britain in the
fifth and sixth
centuries.
Anglo-Saxon(s)
assonance
• (n) words with similar vowel
sounds creating internal rhyming
– Ex: Round about; folk awoke
• Dylan Thomas's "Do not go gentle into
that good night" is a great
example: "Old AGE should burn and
RAVE at close of DAY;
Rage, rage, against the dying of the
light.“ Notice how the long a sound is
repeated.
athelings
• (n) a prince or
lord in Anglo-
Saxon England
avenger
• (n) one who inflicts
punishment in
return for an injury
or offense
bane
• (n) a cause of great distress or
annoyance
• A person or thing that ruins or
spoils
– Gambling was the bane of his
existence.
banish
• (v) to send someone away from
a country or place as an official
punishment
• forbid, abolish, or get rid of
(something unwanted)
– Ex: Banish his fear by building a
larger barricade.
barrow
• (n) a large mound of
earth over a grave
• A burial mound
Battle of Hastings &
Norman Conquest
• Battle in which William the
Conqueror, also known as the
Duke of Normandy, defeated the
Saxons under Harold II, leaving
England vulnerable for the
Norman Conquest, which was
the 11th-century invasion and
occupation of England by an
army of Norman, Breton,
and French soldiers led by Duke
William II
Battle of Hastings &
Norman Conquest (cont’d)
• Largely removed the native ruling
class, replacing it with a foreign,
French-speaking monarchy,
aristocracy, and clerical hierarchy
• Brought about a transformation of
the English language and the
culture of England
Battle of Hastings &
Norman Conquest (cont’d)
• Had a huge impact on the
people and their culture, the
country and the world,
ultimately deciding the
future of the English
language
boastful
• (adj) showing excessive pride
and self-satisfaction in one’s
achievements, possessions, or
abilities
bridle
• (n) the headgear used to control
a horse, ocnsisting of buckled
straps to which a bit and reins
are attached
• (v) to put a bridle on a horse
bucklers
• (n) a small round shield held by
a handle at arm’s length
(usually worn on the left arm)
• (v) to shield or defend with a
buckler
byrnies
• (n) coat of mail
– A long (usually sleeveless) tunic
of chain mail formerly worn as
defensive armor
• Flexible armor worn during the
Middle Ages made of interlinked
metal rings
caesura
• (n) a pause marking a rhythmic
point of division in a melody
• Ex: “Oft to the wanderer
-- weary of exile”
• A pause or interruption
near the middle of a line
chainmail
• (n) coat of armor
– Armor made of small metal rings
linked together
– Worn by knights and soldiers in
the Middle Ages
comitatus
• Literally, this means “escort” or
“comrade”
• (n) a bond between a king and a
warrior based on the king’s
rewards and the warrior’s
loyalty
• This term identifies the concept
of warriors and lords mutually
pledging their loyalty to one
another
Danes
• (n) Hrothgar’s tribe or people
– From Denmark
din
• (n) a loud, unpleasant and
prolonged noise
– “The clashing of swords made an
awful din.”
• (v) to make a loud, upleasant,
and prolonged noise
elegy
• (n) a poem of serious reflection,
typically a lament for the dead
– poem that is sad or mournful
• The adjective is elegiac
Epic Hero
• Epic hero is the brave, noble
warrior in an epic poem
• The heroes were always
energetic, healthy-minded
young men who were brave and
did things for glory
– Not just for a reward
Epic Hero (cont’d)
• Is significant and glorified
• Has superior or superhuman strength, intelligence, and/or courage
• Is ethical
• Performs brave deeds
• Risks death for glory or for the greater good of society
• Is a strong and responsible leader
• Reflects ideals of a particular society
• Is on a quest
Epic Poem
• Epic poem usually very, very
looooooooooooooooooooooooong
• Developed orally (word-of-mouth) – Scop (an Old English poet or bard)
• Celebrates the deeds of a hero (usually
a man)
• Captures the culture and the religious
values of the people
• Has a larger-than life hero
Epic Poem (cont’d)
• Early epics were sung for many years
before being written down
• Often neglects historical fact because it
is based on myth and custom
• Composed of events in everyday life,
but exaggerates the mystery and
romance
• Conflict is of universal importance
• There’s a certain seriousness that
accompanies most epics
Important Factors in an Epic
• Hero battles forces that threaten his
world
– Unknown beasts or invaders
• Told in a serious way, with
elevated (or poetic) language
– Kenning – two words that rename a
person, place, or thing
– Caesura – rhythmic breaks
erst
• (adv) long ago; formerly
– “The friends whom erst you
knew.”
– An adverb is a word that
modifies an adjective, verb or
other adverb word group (i.e.
gently, quite, then, there, etc.)
exiled
• (n) the state of being barred
from one’s native country,
typically for political or
disciplinary reasons
• (v) to expel and bar someone
from his/her native country
fain
• (adj) pleased or willing under
the circumstances
– “The traveler was fain to
proceed.”
• (adv) with pleasure; gladly
– “I am weary and would fain get a
little rest.”
fell
• (n) a thin tough membrane
covering a carcass directly
under the hide
• (v) to cut down a tree or to beat
or knock down someone or
something
fen
• (n) a boggy wetland or marsh
• a low land that is covered
wholly or partly with water that
has peaty alkaline soil and
characteristic flora (sedges and
reeds)
foreshadow
• (v) to give a suggestion of
(something that has not yet
happened)
• to represent, indicate, or typify
beforehand
– “The hero’s predicament is
foreshadowed in the first
chapter.”
forged
• (n) a place where objects are
made by heating and shaping
metal
fratricide
• (n) the crime of murdering your
own brother or sister; a person
who has committed this crime
• (adj) – fratricidal – the act of a
fratricide
gable
• (n) a decorative triangular-
shaped roofing structure
gallows
• (n) a structure on which a
criminal who has been
sentenced to death is killed by
being hanged
Geats
• (n) people of the tribe of King
Hygelac
• From Geatland
gilded
• (v) to cover something with a
thin layer of gold
• (adj) covered thinly with gold
leaf or gold paint
– wealthy ad privileged people
gorge
• (v) to gorge is to eat greedily
• (n) a narrow valley between
hills or mountains, typically
with steep rocky walls and a
stream running through it
haste (hasten)
• (n) to make haste is to move
swiftly or quickly
– Excessive speed or urgency of
movement or action; hurry
– Verb form of haste is hasten
heirloom
• (n) a valuable object that has
belonged to a family for several
generations
helm
• (n) a tiller or wheel and any
associated equipment for
steering a ship or boat
• (v) to steer a boat/ship
• (v) to cover or furnish with a
helmet
heptarchy
• (n) a hypothetical confederacy
of seven Anglo-Saxon
kingdoms of the seventh and
eighth centuries
Herot
• (n) a mead-hall described in the
Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf as “the
foremost of halls under heaven.”
• Palace for King Hrothgar, a
legendary Danish king of the sixth
century
• Herot means “hart” – a strong, old,
male deer
hilt
• (n) the handle of a weapon or
tool, especially a sword, dagger
or knife
hoard
• (n) a hoard is a collection of
valuables, sometimes buried in
the ground (hidden)
hoary
• (adj) gray or white with age
• very old
homily
• (n) written sermon or section of
the poem that gives direct
advice
• A usually short talk on a
religious or moral topic
insidious
• (adj) causing harm in a way that
is gradual or not easily noticed
• Awaiting a chance to entrap
Kenning
• (n) a phrase replacing the name
of a person, place or thing
– A metaphorical expression used
in place of a noun
• Ex: Giver-of-Rings, whale-home,
whale-road, bone-house, word-
hoard, sea-road, bone-locks,
thought-seat, sky-candle, water-
ropes, swan’s-way
lamentation
• (n) an expression of great
sorrow or deep sadness
largesse
• (n) the act of giving away
money or the quality of a
person who gives away money
• another word for generosity
liegemen
• (n) a devoted follower
• A vassal (aka a holder of land)
who owes feudal service or
allegiance to a nobleman
linden
• (n) a soft, light wood
• A tree with heart-shaped leaves
and fragrant yellowish
blossoms that had pale, soft
timber used for carving and
furniture
lineage (heritage)
• (n) lineal descent from an
ancestor (pedigree)
• (n) heritage – property that is or
may be inherited or passed
down through generations
malicious
• (adj) characterized by malice
• Intending or intended to do
harm
maw
• (n) the jaws or throat of a
voracious animal
• The mouth or gullet of a greedy
person
mead (mead-hall)
• (n) an alcoholic drink of fermented
honey and water
• (n) mead-hall – a place in which to
drink the mead (beer hall)
• The large hall where the lord and
his warriors slept, ate, held
ceremonies, etc.
• A feasting hall – “Herot” the hart
mere
• (n) an expanse of standing
water – lake, pool
metaphor
• (n) a word or phrase for one thing
that is used to refer to another thing
in order to suggest that they are
similar
• A direct comparison
• Asserts that a subject is on some
point of comparison the same as
another otherwise unrelated object
– Ex: “He was drowning in paperwork.”
Middle English
• (n) English between the late
12th – 15th centuries
• SAMPLE:
Modern English
• English after the late 15th
century
– Shakespeare is Early Modern
English
moor
• (n) heath or tract of
uncultivated land
• An expanse of open rolling
infertile land
• A boggy area
– One that is peaty and dominated
by grasses and sedges
mooring
• (n) securing a ship
• A place where a boat or ship
can be anchored or moored
morale
• (n) the feelings of enthusiasm
and loyalty that a person or
group has about a task or job
– “The team is playing well and
their morale is high.”
mortally wounded
• (n) a very severe and serious
injury, whether accidental or
inflicted intentionally, which
leads directly to the death of the
victim
• Death will not be instantaneous,
but follows soon after
motif
• (n) recurring thematic element
in a literary work
nickers
• (
Old English
• English language from middle
of the 5th century to the
beginning of the 12th century
Beowulf Sample (Old English)
Hwaet! Wē Gār-Dena in geārdagum
þēodcyninga þrym gefrūnon,
hū ðā æþelingas ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scēfing sceaþena þrēatum
monegum mægþum meodosetla oftēah,
egsode eorlas syððan ærest wearð
fēasceaft funden. Hē þæs frōfre gebād,
wēox under wolcnum, weorðmundum þāh
oð þæt him æghwylc þāra ymbsittendra
ofer hronrāde hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan. Þæt wæs gōd cyning!
omnipotent
• (adj) all powerful
• a deity having unlimited power;
able to do anyting
omniscient
• (adj) all knowing
• “The story is told by an
omniscient narrator.”
onomatopoeia
• (n) the formation or use of
words such
as buzz or murmur that imitate
the sounds associated with the
objects or actions they refer to.
– Ex: Crunch the bones
perilous
• (adj) full of danger or risk
• “A perilous journey awaited
Beowulf.”
personification
• (n) a figure of speech in which
inanimate objects or
abstractions are endowed with
human qualities or are
represented as possessing
human form
– Ex: The tree limbs danced in the
wind.
plaited
• (n) an arrangement of hair
made by weaving three sections
together
• braiding
• “The horse had a plaited mane.”
prologue
• (n) an introduction to a book,
play, etc.
prosperous
• (adj) having success usually by
making a lot of money
pyre
• (N) a bonfire for burning a dead
body
recking
• (v) to be of account or interest
• To care for or to matter to
rune / runic
• (n) consisting or set down in an
ancient alphabet used for
writing Germanic script,
especially in Germanic
languages, most often of
Scandinavia and Britain from
about the 3rd to 13th centuries
scabbard
• (n) a sheath for a sword
• A protective case for a sword
that covers the blade
scathe
• (n) injury or harm
• (v) to do harm to
• Scathing – (adj) very harsh or
severe
Scop
• (n) composers and
storytellers of Anglo-
Saxon poetry
• A bard or story-teller
• The scop was
responsible for praising
deeds of past heroes, for
recording history, and
for providing
entertainment
scruples
• (n) morals or ethical
considerations that restrain
one’s behavior and inhibits
certain actions
sentinel
• (n) a person or thing that stands
watch
• A sentry
• “A lone sentinel kept watch over
the fort.”
simile
• (n) a comparison using “like”
or “as”
– Ex: She is as fast as a cheetah
sinews
• (n) sendons or tendons
• Connects muscles to bones
skulk
• (v) to move stealthily or in a
secret way, expecially because
you are planning to do
something bad
solace
• (v) to console or cheer
• (n) someone or something that
gives a feeling of comfort to a
person who is sad, depressed,
etc. (a source of comfort)
– “She seeks solace from her
friends”
symbol
• (n) something that represents an
abstract idea
talons
• (n) claws
thane
• (n) an Anglo-
Saxon lord,
usually a high
ranking warrior
• A feudal baron
that holds lands
and performs
military service
for the king
theme
• (n) the central idea(s) of a
literary work
thrall
• (n) a servant slave
• A person in moral or mental
servitude
treachery
• (n) harmful things that are done
usually secretly to a friend or
your own country
• An act of harming someone
who trusts you
valor
• (n) courage, bravery, honor
vexed
• (adj) to be irritated or annoyed
wassail
• (n) an early English toast to
someone’s health
wergild
• (n) a fine paid to the relatives of
a murdered person to free the
offender from further
obligations or punishment
woes
• (n) a feeling of great pain or
sadness
• Problems or troubles
wroth
• (adj) intensely angry or highly
incensed
wyrd
• (n) concept in Anglo-
Saxon culture roughly
corresponding to fate or
personal destiny
• Fate… This idea crops up a lot
in the poem, while at the same
time there are Christian
references to God’s will.
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