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#1: What are Beowulf's credentials as a warrior?
#2: How does Beowulf differ form other warriors whom Grendel has attacked?
#3: What motivated Beowulf in his time of need?
#4: What heroic traits do Beowulf's followers show?
#5: Why does Beowulf hang Grendel's arm in the rafters?
#6: What is ironic about the way Beowulf kills Grendel's mother?
#7: Why does Beowulf behead Grendel?

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Characteristics of the Epic Hero: Bridget

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Characteristics of the Epic Hero: Bridget

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During this era all wanted to be a hero and have an epic story in order to boast in the mead hall. Beowulf dedicated his life to making history, and writing a story of an epic hero. In the reading, he continues his journey following what he believes are the characteristics. Bravery, confidence, and strength are the three traits that lead him to be the epic hero he becomes in the end. “ Nor have I ever seen, Out of all the men on earth, one greater than has come with you; no commoner carries such weapons, unless his appearance, and his beauty, are both lies”(27.143). His beauty, and confidence to fight the monsters made him the epic hero he is today.

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Battle of Good vs. Evil

Beowulf represents the good in the world, as he protects the helpless Danes against Grendel. Grendel represents the evil side of the battle. Grendel draws character traits from Cain, in the biblical story and traits from Satan. In their battle, the theme can be seen, as in Good vs. Evil battles, the good often is victorious.

Devout Loyalty

The theme of devout loyalty can be seen in Beowulf. Beowulf’s followers constantly support him. In the instance of the battle with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf is presumed dead by the Danes when blood surfaces to the water.The Danes lose hope and leave, but Beowulf’s followers stay and remain hopeful for his return to the surface of the water.

Importance of Reputation

Reputation proves to be a very present theme in Beowulf. In the story, Warriors constantly boast and brag about their achievements. In many cases, Beowulf’s motivation for going to battle a creature is to maintain his reputation. Beowulf also performs dangerous feats to maintain his reputation of being the strongest warrior, including battling Grendel without using weaponry.

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Christian influence:

Throughout the story of Beowulf repeatedly acknowledges God as his protector. When Beowulf relates his battle with Grendel's mother. There is a sense of mystical power protecting all of Beowulf's actions. However, there is also a strong sense that God's protection must be earned. A warrior must first be true to his values, courage, honesty, and pride and only then will he earn God's protection.

Cain is the biblical son of Adam of Eve, the first people on the earth. Cain was jealous of his brother Abel, so Cain killed him. When God discovered this, Cain was then cursed. The belief is that the descendants of Cain are monsters and ''ill-favored creatures.''

The waters rising refers to the biblical story of the flood. This occurs when the people on the earth were wicked. God decided to punish them by sending a flood to cover the entire Earth and only saves Noah and his family.

Beowulf was written in England in the late 1st millennium. During this period, Anglo-Saxons were Christians, but they hadn't been for very long. Prior to converting to Christianity, they had been pagans. This conversion from paganism to Christianity mixed a lot of the elements. Many Anglo-Saxons still held onto their pagan beliefs, but simply tried to mix these beliefs with Christianity.

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King Hrothgar the ruler of Danes is getting attacked every night in his famous “mead-hall” Heorot by a demon like monster Grendel. Grendel eats the men and the warriors scaring people from celebrating in the hall. The king was a great warrior but was too old and he could not fight the monster and protect his people. Word about this monster get out and a strong warrior Beowulf came to help out and defeat the monster! Beowulf owed it to the king because he helped his father out in the past. Beowulf wants to bet the monster by hand with no weapons. The next night Grendel comes to get his midnight snack in Heorot where Beowulf and his men are waiting for him. Beowulf and Grendel fight, Grendel has never fought a stronger man. Beowulf rips Grendel's arm off and Grendel returns to his home at the bottom of the swamp and dies. Happy that the monster was defeated Beowulf, his followers, and the people of Danes party in Herot for the first time in a while. Grendel’s Mother finds out about her son’s death and is beyond angry. She tries to attack the warriors when the sleep but flies with Grendel’s arm before she does. Beowulf follows her down to the Lair, which is like hell on earth. They then fight but Beowulf’s sword is not strong enough to kill her so he grabs a sword that no human has ever lifted, proving yet again that he is the strongest human ever. He then kills Grendel’s Mother with her own sword. This results in more partying and gift giving. He keeps the head of Grendel as a trophy. Beowulf then returns home to Geatland. Many decades later he faced with another threat… A VICIOUS, FIRE BREATHING DRAGON DUN DUN DUN!! Beowulf even though he was much older and less strong took 11 of his most trusty warriors to fight this wild beast. They travel to his later where all but one of his men flee! Leaving their old king and their fellow warrior alone to fight the Dragon. With Wiglaf’s help Beowulf is able to slay the beast. Unfortunately he was very injured in the process, killing him.

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Kennigns: A literary device in which a noun is renamed in a creative way using a compound word or union of two separate words to combine ideas
-Sky Candle: the sun
-Battle Sweat: blood
-Giver of Gold: king
-Swan Road: the sea
-Stout Hearted: brave
-Light of Battle: sword
-Helmet Bearers: warriors
-Earth Hall: burial mound
-Dwelling Place: home

Alliteration: the occurrence of the same sound or letter at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words
-Heorot trembled, wonderfully built to withstand the blows, the struggling great bodies beating at its beautiful walls
-'He found them sprawled in sleep, suspecting nothing, their dreams undisturbed
Up from his swampland, sliding silently. Toward that gold-shining hall.'
-Cunningly creeping, a spectral stalker

Caesura: a break between words; blank space in the middle of a line
þær mæg nihta gehwæm // niðwundor seon,

fyr on flode. // No þæs frod leofað

gumena bearna, // þæt þone grund wite;

ðeah þe hæðstapa // hundum geswenced,

heorot hornum trum, // holtwudu sece,

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Lament: the expression of sorrow; song or literature composition that mourns a loss or death.
Forged: formed or shaped often with blows or pressure after heating.
Shroud: burial cloth
Infamous: having a bad reputaion
Withering: twisting as in pain
Hall: the Danish King Hrothgar´s mead hall
Spawned: born
Lair: den of a wild animal
Reparation: Payment or action done to make amends for a wrong or an injury
Prow: the bow, or forward most part of a ship
Mail Shirts: a type of flexible body armor usually made of linked metal hoops
Deep-Keeled Ship: a ship that possesses a deep bottom
Talons: the sharp, hooked claws on birds and some other animals
Sinews: bands of tissue, or tendons, that connect muscle and bone
Hrunting: sword that a Danish warrior had lent to Beowulf
Scabbard: a case that protects a sword's balde
Funeral Flames: it was the custom to cremate the bodies of the dead on a pile of flammable materials known as funeral pyre

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Raffel, Burton. Beowulf with Related Readings. Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2001.