Beowulf Mythology

By Charlie Konieczny

Anglo-Saxon Paganism

• Polytheistic• Often cremated or inhumed the dead, usually

with a selection of ‘grave goods’• Believed that kings were descendants of a god• Believed in magic and witchcraft

Beowulf

• Beowulf battles many creatures• Creatures are mythological or magical• Grendel-giant compared to men, man-eating,

inhumanly strong, evil• Grendel’s mother- somewhat smaller and

weaker than Grendel, stronger and larger than men

• Dragon-self explanatory

Grendel

• Described as descendants of Cain

• Grendel is described as a giant monster many times larger than men

• It is stated that Grendel cannot touch the throne of Hrothgar because it is protected by a god

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Stories_of_beowulf_grendel.jpg

Grendel’s Mother

• Grendel’s mother is never clearly described in the poem, leaving room for various interpretations

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/Stories_of_Beowulf_water_witch_trying_to_stab_beowulf.jpg

The Dragon

• Beowulf’s fight with the dragon symbolizes the battle between good and evil

• Beowulf becomes the first dragonslayer in the history of English literature

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Beowulf_and_the_dragon.jpg

Sources

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_paganism#Mythology

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dragon_(Beowulf)

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grendel's_mothe

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