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Beowulf
The Old English Anglo Saxon epic poem
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Headlines are in brown.
Dates are in red.
Hyperlinks to other pages are in dark blue.
References and citations are in turquoise.
Context and local history are in purple.
Geographical context is in green.
Introduction
Beowulf is one of the most important
works of Old English literature. The author of the poem is anonymous and
generally referred to as the Beowulf poet.
Date
The manuscript which survived dates to
975 to 1025 CE. There were likely to have ben other manuscripts and the poem
probably originated in the
oral tradition. There is therefore uncertainty as to the date when the poem
was first created.
The events described in the poem date to
the fifth and sixth centuries CE.
It has been suggested that it might have
originated in the seventh century in East Anglia, as the Sutton Hoo ship
burials show connections with Scandinavia in this pre Viking
age. It has also been associated with King Alfred (ruled 871 to 899) and to
Cnut (1016 to 1035).
It might therefore have been a part of
the cultural world of Kirkdale (probably first built
around 685 CE), Bede (673 to 735), and Alcuin (735 to 804).
The Story
The
story is set in pagan Scandinavia in the Sixth century CE. It is a story of
the lands of the invading Jutes, Angles and Danes, but written in the lands of
England where they settled.
Beowulf is the hero from the lands of
the Geats.
In the first part, Beowulf came to help
Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose recently
constructed Great Mead Hall called Heorot had been under attack from the
monster called Grendel for twelve years. Beowulf kills Grendel, heroically
unarmed with a sword.
In the second part, Grendel's mother
took revenge and was in turn defeated in her lair under a lake.
Beowulf returned to Geatland and became
king of the Geats.
In the third part, fifty years later,
Beowulf defeated a dragon angered by the stealing of its cup,
but was mortally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants
cremated his body and erected a barrow on a headland in his memory.
The story is essentially fiction, but
blends with historical elements. King Hroðgar and the Scyldings
and the Battle on the Ice of Lake Vänern between Eadgils
and Onela were probably based on historical
characters and events.
Importance of the story
Beowulf provides a unique perspective on
Anglo Saxon culture.
The story encourages dependence upon the
stability of noble overlordship; the safety of the Great Hall; and a perception
that venturing into the wild lands outside noble protection is best left to
heroes like Beowulf.
It was an inspiration for J R R Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings tales.