The Battles
How many battles took place? List (in order) who Beowulf battled.
3 - Grendel, Grendel's Mom, and the Dragon.
How long did Grendel torment Hrother & his men?
12 years.
Who was Beowulf? Did he actually exist?
The epic hero in the poem; he is the main character; the best and bravest of the Geats - There is no evidence that he actually existed.
Who is the author of Beowulf?
Unknown/anonymous
As described in the text, how does Grendel hunt?
He hunts at night and he stalks his victims.
How does the Battle with Grendel end? What is the trophy in this battle?
Beowulf rips Grendel's arm off and keeps his arm as a trophy. Grendel runs away to his lair and dies from his injuries there.
What language was Beowulf originally written in?
Old English
Describe what the monster's lair looked like.
Dark, overgrown with roots and trees everywhere, misty and foggy, lake of fire.
What type of poem is Beowulf?
As it is written in the text, what does “his misery leaped the seas” mean?
His misery was known across the continents.
Describe the Battle between Grendel's Mom and Beowulf.
Beowulf almost dies, but he takes a magical sword made by giants to decapitate Grendel’s Mom. He also cuts off Grendel’s head and takes it with him to Herot Hall.
Beowulf take the best of his men with him to help Hrothgar. How many went?
14
Who was Hrothgar? Why is he significant to the story?
King of the Danes; Tormented by Grendel for 12 years, so Beowulf comes to help him fight Grendel and end his misery.
Where can the manuscript of Beowulf be found today?
The British Museum in London
"Shepherd of evil, guardian of crime," means...
Like a shepherd would protect his sheep, Grendel protects evil and crime and allows them to prosper.
Describe the battle between Beowulf and the Dragon.
Answers vary...
Beowulf fights the dragon with Wiglaf as his right-hand man. Beowulf is mortally wounded and later dies from his injuries.
How do you know that society back then was materialistic?
Hrothgar offered Beowulf treasure for winning the battles and on his deathbed, Beowulf was more concerned about the Dragon’s treasure than his own health. All the men want the "stuff" and value treasure and gold above everything else.
What is a mead-hall and why is it called that? What is mead?
To reward his retainers, the king in heroic literature would often build a hall where mead (a drink made of fermented honey) was served.
In what century was Beowulf finally written down after being told orally for hundreds of years?
11th
After the Battle with Grendel's Mom, why did the men in Herot Hall think that seeing Beowulf was a "weird and wonderful" sight?
They thought that Beowulf was dead, but he was standing there with his men and they had a decapitated head (weird). It was wonderful because it was Grendel’s head, which meant that all the monsters were dead and they were safe.
During the Battle with Grendel's Mom, how did the Danes react when they saw blood spurting to the top of the lake during the second battle? How did the Geats react?
The Danes quickly concluded that Beowulf was dead and had no faith in him. The Geats stayed around the lake, hoping that Beowulf was alive, but not 100% sure that he was.
What is an archetype and what is the archetypal conflict in the poem?
An archetype of a pattern in literature found around the world; The struggle between Beowulf and the monsters is a conflict between good and evil.
What happens following Beowulf's death?
Wiglaf is left in charge of Beowulf's men and is rewarded for his loyalty. As Beowulf instructed, the men build an elaborate tomb for Beowulf to be buried in. They build it along the sea so that everyone can see from far away where he rests.
How did the story of Beowulf come from other, earlier traditions?
The monsters & dragon, the brave warriors steadfastly loyal to their heroic chief, & the descent into the eerie regions below the earth.
What are two pieces of textual evidence to support the statement that Beowulf is the best and greatest of the Geats?
Answers vary