Characters
The protagonist of the epic. A Geatish hero who fights the monster Grendel and his mother.
Beowulf
From whom is Grendel descended?
Cain
With what does Beowulf kill Grendel's mother?
A famous ancient sword he finds in her lair
A long narrative poem about a hero
Epic
Anglo-Saxon stories were passed down through
Oral Tradition
An unnamed swamp-hag; she terrorizes Herot consumed by a desire for vengeance
Grendel's mother
How does Hrothgar make Beowulf part of the family?
He adopts him as a son in a grand gesture of thanks.
After the victory feast, where does Beowulf tell Hrothgar he wants to go?
Geatland
What is mood?
The emotional response triggered by an author's word choice
Beowulf was first written in...
Old English
The king of the Danes. He is a father figure to Beowulf.
Hrothgar
What does Hrothgar beseech Beowulf to do?
Slay Grendel's mother
What does Unferth give to Beowulf for the battle?
A sword called Hrunting
What is tone?
The author's attitude toward the subject he/she is writing about.
The Beowulf poet was most likely...
A Christian monk
The king of the Geats
Hygelac
What happens when Grendel's mother comes to Herot seeking revenge?
She kills one of Hrothgar's men and steals Grendel's arm
What does Grendel's mother do as soon as she sees Beowulf in the water?
She snatches him and drags him to the depths
What is connotation? What is denotation?
The idea/feeling that a word evokes; the dictionary definition
In Saxon society, stories were "performed" or recited by...
Scops
An evil king of legend who contrasts greatly with Beowulf
King Heremod
Why does Hrothgar tell the story of evil king Heremod?
What does Beowulf bring back to Hrothgar as a prize?
Grendel's decapitated head and the hilt of a melted sword
What are kennings
Compound words or phrases used to describe something/A type of metaphor/Essential characteristics of Anglo-Saxon poetry
An Anglo-Saxon warrior was called a...
Thane