Beowulf
Why can't Grendel attack King Hrothgar's throne?
King Hrothgar is protected by God
Explain the biblical allusion in the quote below...
"He was spawned in that slime, / Conceived by a pair of those monsters born / Of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God..."
Grendel is symbolically descended from Cain, the eldest son of Adam and Eve who murdered his brother Abel.
What does the speaker of "The Wanderer" lament the loss of?
His lord and kinsmen
What is alliteration?
The repetition of stressed sounds, particularlyconsonants from the beginning of words or syllables
What are scops?
These people sang songs of great warriors in mead halls
How does Beowulf kill Grendel?
He tears his arm off. Grendel runs away and bleeds out.
Identify and explain the plot device used below...
"Then he saw, hanging on the wall, a heavy / Sword, hammered by giants, strong / And blessed with their magic, the best of all weapons"
Deus ex machina
The sword is able to kill Grendel's mother unlike his other weapons.
Why is the speaker in "The Wife's Lament" exiled to the woods?
Her husband's family plotted against her to separate her from her husband.
What is compounding?
The combining of two words to make a new word
What are the characteristics of an epic hero?
Of noble birth, superhuman strength, bravery, helped or harmed by god or fate, embodies qualities valued by their culture, and overcomes perilous situations
Why can't Grendel or Grendel's mother be killed with the warriors' swords?
Mortal weapons are cursed and their skin is bewitched.
Identify the literary device used below...
"He / And all his glorious band of Geats / Thanked God that their leader had come back unharmed"
Alliteration
What images haunt the speaker of "The Wanderer"?
His dead Lord and kinsmen
What is a kenning?
A compound expression that takes the place of a simple noun
What Anglo-Saxon book contains exile poems and riddles?
The Exeter Book
How does Beowulf kill Grendel's mother?
Beowulf cuts off the head of her head with a magic sword hanging on the wall of the lair
Identify the literary device used in the quote below...
"And the Geats' ring-giver did not boast of glorious / Victories in other wars: his weapon / Had failed him, deserted him now when he needed it / Most"
Kenning: Ring-giver (King)
Identify the poem and explain the context of the quote below...
"May on himself depend / all his world's joy. Be he outlawed far / in a strange folk-land - that my beloved sits / under a rocky cliff rimed with frost..."
"The Wife's Lament"
The wife wishes that her husband will be just as miserable as she is in exile.
What is an epithet?
Descriptions that point out specific traits of a particular thing orperson.
What is wyrd?
The Anglo-Saxon belief in inescapable fate or destiny
What does Beowulf request of Wiglaf after he is wounded by the dragon? (3 things)
1. Bring the dragon's treasure so he can see it
2. Lead his people
3. Build him a monument by the sea
Explain the context of the quote below...
"By almighty God, / I'd rather burn myself than see / Flames swirling around my lord."
Wiglaf refuses to abandon Beowulf like the other soldiers. He swore and oath to him, and he intends to keep it.
Identify the poem and identify the literary device used below...
"Everything earthly is evilly born, / Firmly clutched by a fickle Fate. / Fortune vanishes, friendship vanishes, / Man is fleeting, woman is fleeting, / All all this earth rolls into emptiness."
"The Wanderer"
Alliteration
What is a caesura?
A rhythmical pause in a poetic line or sentence.
What is the only known source of Anglo-Saxon history, initiated by Alfred the Great?
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle