Beowulf the Poem

BY:Shelbi Moxley

… What is it?

• Earliest known narrative poem in English.

• One of the most famous works in Anglo Saxon Poetry.

• Known and admired for it’s richness in poetry.

… What happens?

The poem traces the journey of Beowulf, the an Epic hero who fights the monstrous Grendel

who comes in the night to attack men in their sleep.

… Who’s That?

• Some of the characters in Beowulf include:

• Beowulf- The “Perfect Hero” who the story is about.

• Grendel- The monster that Beowulf fights.

• Hrothgar- Danish King• Wiglaf- Related to Beowulf

History…• The story has been passed down from generation to generation. The actual manuscript is damaged and fragile.

Kennings• In this epic, you will find some

confusing Old English ways of words. One example of these weird ways are kennings. Kennings are two words combined to make one word. Usually this word is quite creative.

• These kennings helped the author experiment with rhyme and rhythm.

Examples:

• Bone-house…. The human body• Wave-floater… A ship• Whale-road…. The sea

Works Cited

• http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/changlang/writtenword/beowulfhome/beowulf.html

• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Beowulf.firstpage.jpeg

• http://www.wildlife-fantasy.com/artwork/beowulf.jpg