Beowulf

Introduction Historical background Story First battle: Grendel Second battle: Grendel's mother Third battle: The dragon Introduction Beowulf is the title of an old English heroic epic poem consisting of more than 3000 alternative long lines, commonly cited as one of the most important work Anglo-Saxon literature. “Nowell Codex“ is a single manuscript that survives,and its composition is dated between the 8th and the early 11th century by an anonymous Anglo Saxon poet. The manuscript was badly damaged in a fire in 1731 in building wich housed a collection of madieval manuscripts. For many dacades the existence did not bacame widely known again until it was printed in 1815 by the Icelanic scholar Grimur Jonsson Thorkelin. This poem consist of three battle antagonists: Grendel; Grendel`s mother and the Dragon. Historical background The events describes in the poem take place in the late 5th century,after the Anglo-Saxons has begun migration and settlement in England,before the beginning of the 7th cenuty. In that time Saxon were either newly arrived or in close contact with their fellow Germanic kinsmen in Scandinavia in Northern Germany.The Beowulf was first composed in the 7th century. The poem deals with legends,composed for entertainment and does not separate between fiction elements and real historical events. Scholars agree that many of the personalities of Beowulf also appear in Scandinavian sources.This does not concer only people,but also clans and some of the events. As far a Sweden is concerned,the dating of the events in the poem has been confirmed by arheological excavatuons indicated by Snorri Sturluson. In Denmark,recent arheological excavations have revealed that a hall was built in the mid-6th century, exactly the time period of the Beowulf. Three halls,each about 50 meters long,were found during excavation. Story The main protagonist,Beowulf,a hero of the Geats,comes to the aid of Hrothgar,the king of the Danes,whose great hall,Heorot,is plagued by the monster Grendel.Beowulf kills both Grendel and Grendel's mother,the latter with a magical sword. Later in his life,Beowulf is himself king of the Geats,and finds him realm terrorized by a dragon whose treasure had been stolen from his hoard in a burial mound. He attacks the dragon with the help of his thegns,but they do not succeed.Beowulf decides to follow the dragon into its lair,but only his young Swedish relative Wiglaf dares to join him. Boewulf finaly slays the dragon.but is mortally wounded.He is buried in a tumulus by the sea. First battle: Grendel Beowulf is challenged by a Danish coast guard, Evelyn Paul (1911). Beowulf begins with the story of King Hroðgar, who built the great hall Heorot for his people. In it he, his wife Wealhþeow, and his warriors spend their time singing and celebrating, until Grendel, an outcast from society who is angered by the singing, attacks the hall and kills and devours many of Hroðgar's warriors while they sleep. But Grendel dares not touch the throne of Hroðgar, because it is described as protected by a powerful god. Hroðgar and his people, helpless against Grendel's attacks, abandon Heorot. Beowulf, a young warrior from Geatland, hears of Hroðgar's troubles and with his king's permission leaves his homeland to help Hroðgar. Beowulf and his men spend the night in Heorot. After they fall asleep, Grendel enters the hall and attacks, devouring one of Beowulf's men. Beowulf, who bears no weapon as this would be an unfair advantage over the unarmed beast, has been feigning sleep and leaps up to clench Grendel's hand. The two battle until it seems as though the hall might collapse. Beowulf's retainers draw their swords and rush to his aid, but their blades can not pierce Grendel's skin as he is immune to human weapons. Finally, Beowulf tears Grendel's arm from his body at the shoulder and Grendel runs to his home in the marshes to die. Second battle: Grendel's mother The next night, after celebrating Grendel's death, Hroðgar and his men sleep in Heorot. Grendel's mother appears and attacks the hall. She kills Hroðgar's most trusted warrior, Eschere, in revenge for Grendel's death. Hroðgar, Beowulf, and their men track Grendel's mother to her lair under a lake. Beowulf prepares himself for battle; he is presented with a sword, Hrunting, by a warrior called Unferth. After stipulating a number of conditions to Hroðgar in case of his death (including the taking in of his kinsmen and the inheritance by Unferth of Beowulf's estate), Beowulf dives into the lake. He is swiftly detected and attacked by Grendel's mother. However, she is unable to harm Beowulf through his armour and drags him to the bottom of the lake. In a cavern containing Grendel's body and the remains of men that the two have killed, Grendel's mother and Beowulf engage in fierce combat. At first, Grendel's mother appears to prevail. Beowulf, finding that Hrunting cannot harm his foe, discards it in fury. Beowulf is again saved from his opponent's attack by his armour and, grasping a mighty sword of the giants from Grendel's mother's armoury (which no other man could have hefted in battle), Beowulf beheads her. Traveling further into the lair, Beowulf discovers Grendel's corpse and severs its head. Beowulf then returns to the surface and to his men at the "ninth hour". He returns to Heorot, where Hroðgar gives Beowulf many gifts, including the sword Nægling, his family's heirloom. Third battle: The dragon A 1908 depiction of Beowulf fighting the unnamed dragon by J. R. Skelton. Beowulf returns home and eventually becomes king of his own people. One day, late in Beowulf's life, a slave steals a golden cup from the lair of an unnamed dragon at Earnaness. When the dragon sees that the cup has been stolen, it leaves its cave in a rage, burning everything in sight. Beowulf and his warriors come to fight the dragon. Beowulf tells his men that he will fight the dragon alone and that they should wait on the barrow. Beowulf descends to do battle with the dragon but finds himself overmatched. His men, upon seeing this display and fearing for their lives, creep back into the woods. One of his men, however, Wiglaf, who finds great distress in seeing Beowulf's plight, comes to Beowulf's aid. The two slay the dragon, but Beowulf dies from his wounds. Beowulf is buried in Geatland on a cliff overlooking the sea, where sailors are able to see his tumulus. The dragon's treasure is buried with him, in accordance with Beowulf's wishes, rather than distributed to his people. There is a curse associated with the hoard.