Wednesday, November 12, 2014

• Do now: In your notebooks,

answer the following

prompt:

–What is a hero? Explain your

definition and give examples.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

• Do now: In your notebooks,

answer the following

prompt:

–What is courage? How would

most people today define

courage?

Beowulf Themes

• Good vs Evil

• Identity

• Strength and

Skill

• Wealth

• Religion

• Violence

• Courage

• Mortality

• The

Supernatural

• Traditions &

Customs

Beowulf Motifs/Symbols

• Motifs

– Monsters

– The Oral

Tradition

– The Mead

Hall

• Symbols

– The Golden

Torque

(Rewards)

– The Banquet

(Celebration)

Beowulf Author

• Very little is known about the

author

– Male

– Educated

– Upper Class

– Anglo-Saxon / Christian

Beowulf Information

• Poem was composed (created) in

the 8th century

– Although it is English in language

and origin, the poem does not deal

with Englishmen, but their Germanic

ancestors (Danes & Geats)

– The Danes are from Denmark & the

Geats are from modern day Sweden

Beowulf Info (cont’d)

• Some of the original poem was

destroyed in the Ashburnham

House Fire, causing a number of

lines to be lost forever (1731)

• The poem is circular in that it starts

out with a young warrior, he grows

old, another young warrior saves

the day, etc. (comes full circle)

Beowulf Info (cont’d)

• Beowulf’s people are the Geats

• Hrothgar’s people are the Danes

• Beowulf reigned as king for 50

years

• According to legend, Beowulf died

at the age of 90 years old

• Beowulf takes place in Scandinavia

Beowulf’s Origin So why wasn’t it written

down in the first place?

This story was probably passed down orally for

centuries before it was first written down.

It wasn’t until after the Norman Invasion

(1066) that writing stories down became

common in this part of the world.

Beowulf’s Origin So what’s happened to the

manuscript since the 11th century?

Eventually, it ended up

in the library of this guy.

Robert Cotton (1571-1631)

Beowulf’s Origin

Unfortunately, Cotton’s library burned in

1731. Many manuscripts were entirely

destroyed. Beowulf was partially damaged.

The manuscript is now preserved and

carefully cared for in the British

Museum.

Beowulf

Manuscript

(Note the burn marks on the

top and sides—the

manuscript was severely

damaged in the fire)

The Poetry in Beowulf Like we discussed earlier, there are a few

things to watch out for… Kennings

a. Compound metaphor (usually two words)

b. Most were probably used over and over

For instance: hronade

literally means “whale-

road,” but can be

translated as “sea”

The Poetry in Beowulf

More kennings from Beowulf:

banhus = “bone-house” = body

goldwine gumena = “gold-friend of men” = generous prince

beaga brytta = “ring-giver” = lord

beadoleoma = “flashing light” = sword

The Poetry in Beowulf A few more things to watch out for

1. Alliterative verse

a. Repetition of initial sounds of words

(occurs in every line)

b. Generally, four feet/beats per line

c. A caesura, or pause, between

beats two and four

d. No rhyme

The Poetry in Beowulf

Alliterative verse – an example from Beowulf:

Oft Scyld Scefing sceapena praetum,

Monegum maegpum meodo-setla ofteah;

Egsode Eorle, syddan aerest weard.

Setting: Beowulf’s Time and Place

Although Beowulf was

written in English, it is set

in what is now Sweden,

where a tribe called the

Geats lived.

The story may take place as

early as 400 or 500 A.D.

Setting: Beowulf’s time and place

Europe today Time of Beowulf

How We Date Beowulf Some Important Dates:

521 A.D. – death of Hygelac, who is

mentioned in the poem

680 A.D. – appearance of alliterative verse

835 A.D. – the Danish started raiding other

areas; after this, few poets would

consider them heroes

SO: This version was likely composed between

680 and 835, although it may be set earlier

Anglo-Saxon Life

• Life was one of relentless hardship

• Life consisted of hunting, fishing,

sailing and feasting (when the work

was done)

• The land was covered by dark

forests, full of wild beasts and

savage men

• Women were well-respected

Anglo-Saxon Life (cont’d)

• Land was divided into districts

called shires

• Chief industries included trading,

shipbuilding and agriculture

• Anglo-Saxons played chess, told

stories, danced, sang, competed in

games, partied and feasted for fun

Anglo-Saxon Society

• Tribal society with kinship bonds and a

heroic code of behavior

– bravery

– loyalty to one's lord, one's warband

(comitatus), and one's kin

– willingness to avenge one's warband or

lord at all costs – death preferable to exile.

– generosity of lord to thanes and of hero to

warband and lord--gift-giving

– heroism (i.e., great deeds) brings honor,

eternal fame, and political power

Anglo-Saxon Values

• Loyalty

– Fighting for one’s king

– Avenging one’s kinsmen

– Keeping one’s word

• Generosity -- gifts symbolize bonds

• Brotherly love -- not romantic, but familial love

• Heroism

– Physical strength

– Skill and resourcefulness in battle

– Courage

• Public reputation, not private conscience

Anglo-Saxon Women

• Women make peace, bearing children who create blood ties

• Women pass the cup at the mead-hall, cementing social bonds

• Women lament loss, don’t avenge

Anglo-Saxon Religion

• Mix of pagan and Christian values--

often in conflict.

– Pagan (secular or non-religious) lineage

vs. Christian lineage

– Eternal earthly fame through deeds vs

afterlife in hell or heaven

– honor & gift-giving vs. sin of pride

(hubris)

– revenge vs pacifist view (forgiveness)

– Wyrd (Anglo-Saxon "Fate") vs God's will,

etc.

Map from C. Warren Hollister,

The Making of England, p. 64

Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms

Sutton Hoo

• Sheds light on a period of English history

– Focused on margin between myth, legend, & historical documentation

• Sutton Hoo (near Woodbridge)

– In English county of Suffolk

– The site of two 6th- and early 7th-century cemeteries

• Ship nearly 80 feet long

– Laden with treasures and everyday equipment (even if it is everyday equipment made of gold)

• Window into the early Anglo-Saxon world

•Site was used when Rædwald (ruler of the East Angles) held senior power among the English people

– Played a dynamic part in the establishment of Christian rulership in England

– Most likely the person buried in the ship

– Site has been vital in understanding the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of East Anglia and the whole early Anglo-Saxon period

Sutton Hoo

• One finding contained an undisturbed ship burial including a wealth of Anglo-Saxon artifacts of outstanding art with historical and archaeological significance, now held in the British Museum in London

Purse

Lid

Sutton Hoo

Photos from British Museum

Sutton Hoo

Sutton Hoo

A whetstone

is a sharpening

stone used for

knives and

other cutting

tools

A scepter is a

symbolic

ornamental

staff

or wand held in

the hand by a

ruling monarch

Sutton Hoo

alliteration

• (n) repeating the beginning sound in a

phrase

– Purposely included in epics so that they

could be memorized and then retold by

bards easily

• Notice how the following consonant sounds

(b, f, h, s) are repeated at the beginning in the

following passage:

– Now Beowulf bode in the burg of the

Scyldings, leader beloved, and long he ruled in

fame with all folk, since his father had gone away

from the world, till awoke an heir, haughty

Healfdene, who held through life, sage and sturdy,

the Scyldings glad.

ancestral

• (adj) belonging to, inherited

from, or denoting an ancestor(s)

– Ex: “Now many an earl of Beowulf

brandished blade ancestral

Beowulf’s

sword, Hrunting

• (n) a member of

one of the

Germanic peoples,

the Angles, the

Saxons, and the

Jutes, who settled

in Britain in the

fifth and sixth

centuries.

Anglo-Saxon(s)

assonance

• (n) words with similar vowel

sounds creating internal rhyming

– Ex: Round about; folk awoke

• Dylan Thomas's "Do not go gentle into

that good night" is a great

example: "Old AGE should burn and

RAVE at close of DAY;

Rage, rage, against the dying of the

light.“ Notice how the long a sound is

repeated.

athelings

• (n) a prince or

lord in Anglo-

Saxon England

avenger

• (n) one who inflicts

punishment in

return for an injury

or offense

bane

• (n) a cause of great distress or

annoyance

• A person or thing that ruins or

spoils

– Gambling was the bane of his

existence.

banish

• (v) to send someone away from

a country or place as an official

punishment

• forbid, abolish, or get rid of

(something unwanted)

– Ex: Banish his fear by building a

larger barricade.

barrow

• (n) a large mound of

earth over a grave

• A burial mound

Battle of Hastings &

Norman Conquest

• Battle in which William the

Conqueror, also known as the

Duke of Normandy, defeated the

Saxons under Harold II, leaving

England vulnerable for the

Norman Conquest, which was

the 11th-century invasion and

occupation of England by an

army of Norman, Breton,

and French soldiers led by Duke

William II

Battle of Hastings &

Norman Conquest (cont’d)

• Largely removed the native ruling

class, replacing it with a foreign,

French-speaking monarchy,

aristocracy, and clerical hierarchy

• Brought about a transformation of

the English language and the

culture of England

Battle of Hastings &

Norman Conquest (cont’d)

• Had a huge impact on the

people and their culture, the

country and the world,

ultimately deciding the

future of the English

language

boastful

• (adj) showing excessive pride

and self-satisfaction in one’s

achievements, possessions, or

abilities

bridle

• (n) the headgear used to control

a horse, ocnsisting of buckled

straps to which a bit and reins

are attached

• (v) to put a bridle on a horse

bucklers

• (n) a small round shield held by

a handle at arm’s length

(usually worn on the left arm)

• (v) to shield or defend with a

buckler

byrnies

• (n) coat of mail

– A long (usually sleeveless) tunic

of chain mail formerly worn as

defensive armor

• Flexible armor worn during the

Middle Ages made of interlinked

metal rings

caesura

• (n) a pause marking a rhythmic

point of division in a melody

• Ex: “Oft to the wanderer

-- weary of exile”

• A pause or interruption

near the middle of a line

chainmail

• (n) coat of armor

– Armor made of small metal rings

linked together

– Worn by knights and soldiers in

the Middle Ages

comitatus

• Literally, this means “escort” or

“comrade”

• (n) a bond between a king and a

warrior based on the king’s

rewards and the warrior’s

loyalty

• This term identifies the concept

of warriors and lords mutually

pledging their loyalty to one

another

Danes

• (n) Hrothgar’s tribe or people

– From Denmark

din

• (n) a loud, unpleasant and

prolonged noise

– “The clashing of swords made an

awful din.”

• (v) to make a loud, upleasant,

and prolonged noise

elegy

• (n) a poem of serious reflection,

typically a lament for the dead

– poem that is sad or mournful

• The adjective is elegiac

Epic Hero

• Epic hero is the brave, noble

warrior in an epic poem

• The heroes were always

energetic, healthy-minded

young men who were brave and

did things for glory

– Not just for a reward

Epic Hero (cont’d)

• Is significant and glorified

• Has superior or superhuman strength, intelligence, and/or courage

• Is ethical

• Performs brave deeds

• Risks death for glory or for the greater good of society

• Is a strong and responsible leader

• Reflects ideals of a particular society

• Is on a quest

Epic Poem

• Epic poem usually very, very

looooooooooooooooooooooooong

• Developed orally (word-of-mouth) – Scop (an Old English poet or bard)

• Celebrates the deeds of a hero (usually

a man)

• Captures the culture and the religious

values of the people

• Has a larger-than life hero

Epic Poem (cont’d)

• Early epics were sung for many years

before being written down

• Often neglects historical fact because it

is based on myth and custom

• Composed of events in everyday life,

but exaggerates the mystery and

romance

• Conflict is of universal importance

• There’s a certain seriousness that

accompanies most epics

Important Factors in an Epic

• Hero battles forces that threaten his

world

– Unknown beasts or invaders

• Told in a serious way, with

elevated (or poetic) language

– Kenning – two words that rename a

person, place, or thing

– Caesura – rhythmic breaks

erst

• (adv) long ago; formerly

– “The friends whom erst you

knew.”

– An adverb is a word that

modifies an adjective, verb or

other adverb word group (i.e.

gently, quite, then, there, etc.)

exiled

• (n) the state of being barred

from one’s native country,

typically for political or

disciplinary reasons

• (v) to expel and bar someone

from his/her native country

fain

• (adj) pleased or willing under

the circumstances

– “The traveler was fain to

proceed.”

• (adv) with pleasure; gladly

– “I am weary and would fain get a

little rest.”

fell

• (n) a thin tough membrane

covering a carcass directly

under the hide

• (v) to cut down a tree or to beat

or knock down someone or

something

fen

• (n) a boggy wetland or marsh

• a low land that is covered

wholly or partly with water that

has peaty alkaline soil and

characteristic flora (sedges and

reeds)

foreshadow

• (v) to give a suggestion of

(something that has not yet

happened)

• to represent, indicate, or typify

beforehand

– “The hero’s predicament is

foreshadowed in the first

chapter.”

forged

• (n) a place where objects are

made by heating and shaping

metal

fratricide

• (n) the crime of murdering your

own brother or sister; a person

who has committed this crime

• (adj) – fratricidal – the act of a

fratricide

gable

• (n) a decorative triangular-

shaped roofing structure

gallows

• (n) a structure on which a

criminal who has been

sentenced to death is killed by

being hanged

Geats

• (n) people of the tribe of King

Hygelac

• From Geatland

gilded

• (v) to cover something with a

thin layer of gold

• (adj) covered thinly with gold

leaf or gold paint

– wealthy ad privileged people

gorge

• (v) to gorge is to eat greedily

• (n) a narrow valley between

hills or mountains, typically

with steep rocky walls and a

stream running through it

haste (hasten)

• (n) to make haste is to move

swiftly or quickly

– Excessive speed or urgency of

movement or action; hurry

– Verb form of haste is hasten

heirloom

• (n) a valuable object that has

belonged to a family for several

generations

helm

• (n) a tiller or wheel and any

associated equipment for

steering a ship or boat

• (v) to steer a boat/ship

• (v) to cover or furnish with a

helmet

heptarchy

• (n) a hypothetical confederacy

of seven Anglo-Saxon

kingdoms of the seventh and

eighth centuries

Herot

• (n) a mead-hall described in the

Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf as “the

foremost of halls under heaven.”

• Palace for King Hrothgar, a

legendary Danish king of the sixth

century

• Herot means “hart” – a strong, old,

male deer

hilt

• (n) the handle of a weapon or

tool, especially a sword, dagger

or knife

hoard

• (n) a hoard is a collection of

valuables, sometimes buried in

the ground (hidden)

hoary

• (adj) gray or white with age

• very old

homily

• (n) written sermon or section of

the poem that gives direct

advice

• A usually short talk on a

religious or moral topic

insidious

• (adj) causing harm in a way that

is gradual or not easily noticed

• Awaiting a chance to entrap

Kenning

• (n) a phrase replacing the name

of a person, place or thing

– A metaphorical expression used

in place of a noun

• Ex: Giver-of-Rings, whale-home,

whale-road, bone-house, word-

hoard, sea-road, bone-locks,

thought-seat, sky-candle, water-

ropes, swan’s-way

lamentation

• (n) an expression of great

sorrow or deep sadness

largesse

• (n) the act of giving away

money or the quality of a

person who gives away money

• another word for generosity

liegemen

• (n) a devoted follower

• A vassal (aka a holder of land)

who owes feudal service or

allegiance to a nobleman

linden

• (n) a soft, light wood

• A tree with heart-shaped leaves

and fragrant yellowish

blossoms that had pale, soft

timber used for carving and

furniture

lineage (heritage)

• (n) lineal descent from an

ancestor (pedigree)

• (n) heritage – property that is or

may be inherited or passed

down through generations

malicious

• (adj) characterized by malice

• Intending or intended to do

harm

maw

• (n) the jaws or throat of a

voracious animal

• The mouth or gullet of a greedy

person

mead (mead-hall)

• (n) an alcoholic drink of fermented

honey and water

• (n) mead-hall – a place in which to

drink the mead (beer hall)

• The large hall where the lord and

his warriors slept, ate, held

ceremonies, etc.

• A feasting hall – “Herot” the hart

mere

• (n) an expanse of standing

water – lake, pool

metaphor

• (n) a word or phrase for one thing

that is used to refer to another thing

in order to suggest that they are

similar

• A direct comparison

• Asserts that a subject is on some

point of comparison the same as

another otherwise unrelated object

– Ex: “He was drowning in paperwork.”

Middle English

• (n) English between the late

12th – 15th centuries

• SAMPLE:

Modern English

• English after the late 15th

century

– Shakespeare is Early Modern

English

moor

• (n) heath or tract of

uncultivated land

• An expanse of open rolling

infertile land

• A boggy area

– One that is peaty and dominated

by grasses and sedges

mooring

• (n) securing a ship

• A place where a boat or ship

can be anchored or moored

morale

• (n) the feelings of enthusiasm

and loyalty that a person or

group has about a task or job

– “The team is playing well and

their morale is high.”

mortally wounded

• (n) a very severe and serious

injury, whether accidental or

inflicted intentionally, which

leads directly to the death of the

victim

• Death will not be instantaneous,

but follows soon after

motif

• (n) recurring thematic element

in a literary work

nickers

• (

Old English

• English language from middle

of the 5th century to the

beginning of the 12th century

Beowulf Sample (Old English)

Hwaet! Wē Gār-Dena in geārdagum

þēodcyninga þrym gefrūnon,

hū ðā æþelingas ellen fremedon.

Oft Scyld Scēfing sceaþena þrēatum

monegum mægþum meodosetla oftēah,

egsode eorlas syððan ærest wearð

fēasceaft funden. Hē þæs frōfre gebād,

wēox under wolcnum, weorðmundum þāh

oð þæt him æghwylc þāra ymbsittendra

ofer hronrāde hyran scolde,

gomban gyldan. Þæt wæs gōd cyning!

omnipotent

• (adj) all powerful

• a deity having unlimited power;

able to do anyting

omniscient

• (adj) all knowing

• “The story is told by an

omniscient narrator.”

onomatopoeia

• (n) the formation or use of

words such

as buzz or murmur that imitate

the sounds associated with the

objects or actions they refer to.

– Ex: Crunch the bones

perilous

• (adj) full of danger or risk

• “A perilous journey awaited

Beowulf.”

personification

• (n) a figure of speech in which

inanimate objects or

abstractions are endowed with

human qualities or are

represented as possessing

human form

– Ex: The tree limbs danced in the

wind.

plaited

• (n) an arrangement of hair

made by weaving three sections

together

• braiding

• “The horse had a plaited mane.”

prologue

• (n) an introduction to a book,

play, etc.

prosperous

• (adj) having success usually by

making a lot of money

pyre

• (N) a bonfire for burning a dead

body

recking

• (v) to be of account or interest

• To care for or to matter to

rune / runic

• (n) consisting or set down in an

ancient alphabet used for

writing Germanic script,

especially in Germanic

languages, most often of

Scandinavia and Britain from

about the 3rd to 13th centuries

scabbard

• (n) a sheath for a sword

• A protective case for a sword

that covers the blade

scathe

• (n) injury or harm

• (v) to do harm to

• Scathing – (adj) very harsh or

severe

Scop

• (n) composers and

storytellers of Anglo-

Saxon poetry

• A bard or story-teller

• The scop was

responsible for praising

deeds of past heroes, for

recording history, and

for providing

entertainment

scruples

• (n) morals or ethical

considerations that restrain

one’s behavior and inhibits

certain actions

sentinel

• (n) a person or thing that stands

watch

• A sentry

• “A lone sentinel kept watch over

the fort.”

simile

• (n) a comparison using “like”

or “as”

– Ex: She is as fast as a cheetah

sinews

• (n) sendons or tendons

• Connects muscles to bones

skulk

• (v) to move stealthily or in a

secret way, expecially because

you are planning to do

something bad

solace

• (v) to console or cheer

• (n) someone or something that

gives a feeling of comfort to a

person who is sad, depressed,

etc. (a source of comfort)

– “She seeks solace from her

friends”

symbol

• (n) something that represents an

abstract idea

talons

• (n) claws

thane

• (n) an Anglo-

Saxon lord,

usually a high

ranking warrior

• A feudal baron

that holds lands

and performs

military service

for the king

theme

• (n) the central idea(s) of a

literary work

thrall

• (n) a servant slave

• A person in moral or mental

servitude

treachery

• (n) harmful things that are done

usually secretly to a friend or

your own country

• An act of harming someone

who trusts you

valor

• (n) courage, bravery, honor

vexed

• (adj) to be irritated or annoyed

wassail

• (n) an early English toast to

someone’s health

wergild

• (n) a fine paid to the relatives of

a murdered person to free the

offender from further

obligations or punishment

woes

• (n) a feeling of great pain or

sadness

• Problems or troubles

wroth

• (adj) intensely angry or highly

incensed

wyrd

• (n) concept in Anglo-

Saxon culture roughly

corresponding to fate or

personal destiny

• Fate… This idea crops up a lot

in the poem, while at the same

time there are Christian

references to God’s will.