The Beowulf seminar is dedicated to an intense study of this most famous of Old English poems. We will read the text in its entirety in the original Old English.

A NEW VERSE TRANSLATION Poems 1965-1975. English & English (Old English) Beowulf I [translated by]. It is a heroic.

First page of Beowulf in Cotton Vitellius A. Xv Author(s) Unknown Language of Date c. 700–1000 AD (date of poem), c. 975–1010 AD (date of manuscript) State of existence Manuscript suffered damage from fire in 1731 Manuscript(s) First printed edition (1815) Genre Epic heroic poetry Verse form Length c. 3182 lines Subject The battles of Beowulf, the Geatish hero, in youth and old age Personages,,,,,,,,,,. Beowulf ( Old English: ) is an epic poem consisting of 3,182.

It may be the oldest surviving long poem in Old English and is commonly cited as one of the most important works of. A date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating pertains to the manuscript, which was produced between 975 and 1025. The author was an anonymous poet, referred to by scholars as the ' Beowulf poet'. The poem is set in., a hero of the, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the, whose in has been under attack by a monster known as. After Beowulf slays him, attacks the hall and is then also defeated.

Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland ( in modern Sweden) and later becomes king of the Geats. After a period of fifty years has passed, Beowulf defeats a, but is mortally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants cremate his body and erect a tower on a headland in his memory.

The full poem survives in the manuscript known as the. It has no title in the original manuscript, but has become known by the name of the story's protagonist. In 1731, the manuscript was badly damaged by a fire that swept through in London that had a collection of medieval manuscripts assembled. The Nowell Codex is currently housed in the. Approximate central regions of tribes mentioned in Beowulf, with the location of the in. See for details of Scandinavia's political fragmentation in the 6th century. The events in the poem take place over most of the sixth century, after the had started their journey to England and before the beginning of the seventh century, a time when the Anglo-Saxons were either newly arrived or were still in close contact with their in Northern Germany.

The poem may have been brought to England by people of Geatish origins. Many suggest that Beowulf was first composed in the 7th century at in, that the also shows close connections with Scandinavia, and that the East Anglian royal dynasty, the, may have been descendants of the Geatish. Others have associated this poem with the court of King or with the court of King.

's mound The poem deals with legends, was composed for entertainment, and does not separate between fictional elements and real historic events, such as the raid by King into. Though Beowulf himself is not mentioned in any other Anglo-Saxon manuscript, scholars generally agree that many of the other personalities of Beowulf also appear in Scandinavian sources.

(Specific works are designated in the following section). This concerns not only individuals (e.g.,,,,, and ), but also (e.g.,, and Wulfings) and certain events (e.g., the ). The dating of the events in the poem has been confirmed by archaeological excavations of the indicated by and by Swedish tradition as the graves of Ohthere (dated to c. 530) and his son (dated to c. 575) in, Sweden. In Denmark, recent archaeological excavations at, where Scandinavian tradition located the seat of the Scyldings, i.e.,, have revealed that a hall was built in the mid-6th century, exactly the time period of Beowulf. Three halls, each about 50 metres (160 ft) long, were found during the excavation.

Finds from ' mound, left, excavated in 1874 at, Sweden, support Beowulf and the sagas. 's, right, has not been excavated. The majority view appears to be that people such as King Hroðgar and the Scyldings in Beowulf are based on real historical people from 6th-century Scandinavia. Like the and several shorter surviving poems, Beowulf has consequently been used as a source of information about Scandinavian personalities such as Eadgils and Hygelac, and about continental Germanic personalities such as, king of the continental. 19th-century archaeological evidence may confirm elements of the Beowulf story. Was buried at according to. When Eadgils' mound (to the left in the photo) was excavated in 1874, the finds supported Beowulf and the sagas.

They showed that a powerful man was buried in a large barrow, c. 575, on a bear skin with two dogs and rich grave offerings. These remains include a sword adorned with gold and garnets and a with Roman pawns of ivory. He was dressed in a costly suit made of Frankish cloth with golden threads, and he wore a belt with a costly buckle. There were four cameos from the Middle East which were probably part of a casket. This would have been a burial fitting a king who was famous for his wealth in Old Norse sources.

's barrow has not been excavated. Serial Key Backuptrans Keygen more. Summary The protagonist, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, king of the, whose great hall,, is plagued by the monster.

Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands and Grendel's mother with a giant's sword that he found in her lair. Later in his life, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats, and finds his realm terrorized by a, some of whose treasure had been stolen from his hoard in a burial mound. He attacks the dragon with the help of his or servants, but they do not succeed. Beowulf decides to follow the dragon to its lair at, but only his young Swedish relative, whose name means 'remnant of valour', dares to join him.

Beowulf finally slays the dragon, but is mortally wounded in the struggle. He is cremated and a burial mound by the sea is erected in his honour.

Beowulf is considered an epic poem in that the main character is a hero who travels great distances to prove his strength at impossible odds against supernatural demons and beasts. The poem also begins or simply, 'in the middle of things,' which is a characteristic of the epics of antiquity.

Although the poem begins with Beowulf's arrival, Grendel's attacks have been an ongoing event. An elaborate history of characters and their lineages is spoken of, as well as their interactions with each other, debts owed and repaid, and deeds of valour. The warriors form a kind of brotherhood linked by loyalty to their lord. What is unique about 'Beowulf' is that the poem actual begins and ends with a funeral. At the beginning of the poem, the king, hero, Shield Shiefson dies (26-45) and there is a huge funeral for him. At the end of the poem when Beowulf dies, there is also a massive funeral for Beowulf.(3140-3170) First battle: Grendel Beowulf begins with the story of Hrothgar, who constructed the great hall for himself and his warriors. In it, he, his wife, and his warriors spend their time singing and celebrating.

Grendel, a troll-like monster said to be descended from the biblical, is pained by the sounds of joy. Grendel attacks the hall and kills and devours many of Hrothgar's warriors while they sleep. Hrothgar and his people, helpless against Grendel, abandon Heorot. Beowulf, a young warrior from Geatland, hears of Hrothgar's troubles and with his king's permission leaves his homeland to assist Hrothgar. Beowulf and his men spend the night in Heorot.

Beowulf refuses to use any weapon because he holds himself to be the equal of Grendel. When Grendel enters the hall, Beowulf, who has been feigning sleep, leaps up to clench Grendel's hand. Grendel and Beowulf battle each other violently. Beowulf's retainers draw their swords and rush to his aid, but their blades cannot pierce Grendel's skin.

Finally, Beowulf tears Grendel's arm from his body at the shoulder and Grendel runs to his home in the marshes where he dies. Beowulf displays 'the whole of Grendel's shoulder and arm, his awesome grasp' for all to see at Heorot. This display would fuel Grendel's mother's anger in revenge. Second battle: Grendel's Mother The next night, after celebrating Grendel's defeat, Hrothgar and his men sleep in Heorot. Grendel's mother, angry that her son has been killed, sets out to get revenge.

'Beowulf was elsewhere. Earlier, after the award of treasure, The Geat had been given another lodging' his assistance would be absent in this battle. Grendel's mother violently kills, who is Hrothgar's most loyal fighter, and escapes. Hrothgar, Beowulf and their men track Grendel's mother to her lair under a lake., a warrior who had doubted him and wishes to make amends, presents Beowulf with his sword.

After stipulating a number of conditions to Hrothgar in case of his death (including the taking in of his kinsmen and the inheritance by Unferth of Beowulf's estate), Beowulf jumps into the lake, at the bottom of which he finds a cavern containing Grendel's body and the remains of men that the two have killed. Grendel's mother and Beowulf engage in fierce combat. At first, Grendel's mother appears to prevail. Beowulf, finding that Hrunting cannot harm his foe, puts it aside in fury.

Beowulf is again saved from his opponent's attack by his armour. Beowulf takes another sword from Grendel's mother and slices her head off with it. Travelling further into Grendel's mother's lair, Beowulf discovers Grendel's corpse and severs his head. The blade of Beowulf's sword touches Grendel's toxic blood, and instantly dissolves so that only the hilt remains. Beowulf swims back up to the rim of the pond where his men wait in growing despair. Carrying the hilt of the sword and Grendel's head, he presents them to Hrothgar upon his return to Heorot. Hrothgar gives Beowulf many gifts, including the sword, his family's heirloom.

The events prompt a long reflection by the king, sometimes referred to as 'Hrothgar's sermon', in which he urges Beowulf to be wary of pride and to reward his. Third battle: The Dragon.

• • Paris Psalter (BNF MS 8824) • • • • Durham • • • The Menologium • • Proverb from Winfrid's time • Judgment Day II • An Exhortation to Christian Living • A Summons to Prayer • The Lord's Prayer II • The Gloria I • The Lord's Prayer III • The Creed • Old English Psalms (fragments) • The Kentish Hymn • Psalm 50 • The Gloria II • A Prayer • • Aldhelm • • • • • Latin-English Proverbs • Metrical Preface and Epilogue to Alfred's Hierdeboc • Metrical Preface to 's translation of the Dialogues • Metrical Epilogue to CCCC MS 41 • • Poets.