Background
What language is Beowulf originally written in?
Old English
What title does Beowulf hold?
Prince
What is a metaphor?
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.
What does Beowulf hang from the rafters after battling Grendel?
Grendel's arm
Define: moors
a tract of open uncultivated upland; a heath
What two languages were combined to create Old English?
German and Latin
Which TWO characters have skin that cannot be pierced by swords?
Grendel and Grendel's Mother
What is often alluded to in Beowulf?
The Bible / Christianity
How many years does Grendel attack Herot before Beowulf comes?
12
Define: Scop
An Old English bard or poet
In Anglo-Saxon culture, how was a warrior's success measured?
A warrior’s success was measured in gifts from his leader and from fame of doing well in battle.
Is Beowulf a Dane or a Geat?
Geat
What is an example of Alliteration?
Alliteration: the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
What weapon does Beowulf decide to use on Grendel?
He uses his bare hands
What is wyrd?
fate
Who is believed to have written down the story of Beowulf?
a monk
Who is Beowulf's father?
Edgetheow
What is Chiaroscuro?
Chiaroscuro is a literary device that displays the juxtaposition of light and shade.
Where does Beowulf battle Grendel's Mother?
Grendel's Cave
define: affliciton
force that oppresses or causes suffering
What are three characteristics of an epic
Possible Answers:
–Hero of high rank, noble birth
–Hero embodies ideas of society
–Performs superhuman deeds
–Actions determine fate of a nation
–Vast setting
–Addresses universal themes
–Action begins in medias res (in the middle)
–Characters speak in long, formal speeches
–Supernatural beings
–Reflects timeless values (ex: courage and honor)
What is an example of a Kenning for Grendel?
mankind's enemy (79)
that shadow of death (74)
that demon, that fiend (16)
hate (58)
What is a Kenning?
Kenning, concise compound or figurative phrase replacing a common noun, especially in Old Germanic, Old Norse, and Old English poetry.
What is Hrunting?
The sword that Unferth let him borrow to try to kill Grendel's Mother.
What are sinews?
the tendons that connect muscles to bones