BEOWULF The Oldest English Epic

BEOWULF HISTORY written in Old English sometime before the tenth century A.D., describes the adventures of a great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century. written in Old English sometime before the tenth century A.D., describes the adventures of a great Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century. A rich fabric of fact and fancy, Beowulf is the oldest surviving epic in British literature.Beowulf exists in only one manuscript. This copy survived both the wholesale destruction of religious artifacts during the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII and a disastrous fire which destroyed the library of Sir Robert Bruce Cotton ( ).The poem still bears the scars of the fire.The Beowulf manuscript is now housed in the British Library, London. A rich fabric of fact and fancy, Beowulf is the oldest surviving epic in British literature.Beowulf exists in only one manuscript. This copy survived both the wholesale destruction of religious artifacts during the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII and a disastrous fire which destroyed the library of Sir Robert Bruce Cotton ( ).The poem still bears the scars of the fire.The Beowulf manuscript is now housed in the British Library, London.

MANUSCRIPT. FRONT PAGE

FIRST LINES (OLD ENGLISH) Hwaet! We Gar-Dena in gear-dagum, theod-cyninga, thrym gefrunon, hu tha aethelingas ellen fremedon! Oft Scyld Scefing sceathena threatum Monegum maegthum meodo-setla ofteah; Egsode eorlas syththan aerest wearth Feasceaft funden; he thaes frofre gebad, Weox under wolcnum, weorth-myndum thah, Oththaet him aeghwylc thara ymb-sittendra Ofer hron-rade hyran scolde, Gomban gyldan. Thaet waes god cyning!

FIRST LINES (MODERN ENGLISH) Listen: You have heard of the Danish Kings in the old days and how they were great warriors. Shield, the son of Sheaf, took many an enemy's chair, terrified many a warrior, after he was found an orphan. He prospered under the sky until people everywhere listened when he spoke. He was a good king!

BEOWULF&DANISH GUARD

BEOWULF&GRENDEL MOTHER

BEOWULF&THE DRAGON

Beowulf Memo Written in the Old English Language Written in the Old English Language Composed in the VI-VIIIth centuries Composed in the VI-VIIIth centuries Written down in the Xth century Written down in the Xth century Found out in the XIXth century Found out in the XIXth century Main character: Beowulf,the warrior Main character: Beowulf,the warrior Antagonists: Grendel, Grendels Mother, Dragon Antagonists: Grendel, Grendels Mother, Dragon

When did "English Literature" begin? Any answer to that question must be problematic. Any answer to that question must be problematic. There are no "English" characters in Beowulf, and English scholars and authors had no knowledge of the poem before it was discovered and edited in the nineteenth century. Although written in the language called "Anglo-Saxon," the poem was claimed by Danish and German scholars as their earliest national epic before it came to be thought of as an "Old English" poem. There are no "English" characters in Beowulf, and English scholars and authors had no knowledge of the poem before it was discovered and edited in the nineteenth century. Although written in the language called "Anglo-Saxon," the poem was claimed by Danish and German scholars as their earliest national epic before it came to be thought of as an "Old English" poem. The literary culture of the Middle Ages was far more international than national and was divided more by lines of class and audience than by language. The literary culture of the Middle Ages was far more international than national and was divided more by lines of class and audience than by language.