beowulf

How long does Grendel haunt Herot?

12 years/winters

grendel

A demon descended from Cain, he preys on Hrothgar's warriors in the king's mead-hall, Heorot. Because his ruthless and miserable existence is part of the retribution exacted by God for Cain's murder of Abel, Grendel fits solidly within the ethos of vengeance that governs the world of the poem.

How does Grendel respond when he comes to Herot? Describe his reaction to seeing the sleeping Geats.

he came hoping to kill, he was joyous and his heart laughed when he saw the people were sleeping

Lines 691-696: What values are implied in these lines? What message about these values do the lines convey?

All of the Beowulfs followers watched him die and did not care for him as he cared for them. Some of them stood and remembered him and others ran at the sake of their own life. This shows they weren't loyal to him and everything he had done.

the dragon

An ancient, powerful serpent, the dragon guards a horde of treasure in a hidden mound. Beowulf's fight with the dragon constitutes the third and final part of the epic.

grendels mother

An unnamed swamp-hag, seems to possess fewer human qualities than Grendel, although her terrorization of Heorot is explained by her desire for vengeance—a human motivation.

Who is "the noble protector of all seamen?"

Beowulf

What equipment does Beowulf adorn as he goes in pursuit of Grendel's mother? How is this different from what he wore in his battle with Grendel?

Beowulf adorned armor, chain mail, Hrothgar's helmet, and Unferth's sword, during his battle with Grendel he wore no armor

Describe the battle between Beowulf and the dragon. How is this battle different than the battle with Grendel and Grendel's mother?

Beowulf went in knowing he was the underdog and didn't have a big shot at winning but he fought anyway. Beowulf fought and fought but nothing was breaking the dragon, unlike the other fights which came fairly easy to him.

hygleac

Beowulf's uncle, king of the Geats, and husband of Hygd. Hygelac heartily welcomes Beowulf back from Denmark.

What does Beowulf do with the body of Grendel that he finds lying in a corner of the lair?

Cuts off his head

Lines 789-794: Identify the kennings used in these lines (referring to the dragon and Beowulf). What does the phrase used to describe Beowulf emphasize about the warrior?

Dragon- fire splitter, showing the power the dragon holds. Beowulf is described by Grey-bearded lord of the Geats, showing his old age and worn out self.

Where was Beowulf written?

England; anglo saxon community

What happens to the Giants' sword after Beowulf uses it on Grendel?

Everything began to melt away with the blood

What "trophy" does Beowulf give to Hrothgar as a symbol of his victory over the demons?

Grendels head

What two things did Beowulf take from Grendel and Grendel's mother's under-lake cave?

Grendels head and the hilt from the sword

Lines 810-819: What are Beowulf's parting words? What does this reveal about the fate of his people's future and their values?

He appoints Wiglaf as the new leader, and tells him to lead the Geats well. He wants an elaborate tomb right by the river, so people can see it and his name will be know. He values popularity and for his death to live on.

what does Beowulf do to Grendel's body when he finds it lying dead in the corner?

He cuts the head off

Lines 616-644: What imagery does the poet use to set the stage for Beowulf's climatic battle with the dragon? Do you think the poet wants to depict the battle as a contest of equals, or does he view Beowulf as the underdog? Explain your thoughts.

He describes the fiery breath of the dragon. smoke, huge arches, and the armor beowulf is wearing. Beowulf is the underdog and is excepting defeat before he even goes into battle.

Lines 697-735: What is the purpose of Wiglaf's character? How does he contrast the rest of the cowardly followers?

He disagrees with the way they are acting and believes they should help Beowulf after everything he has done for them

Lines 668-671: What do these lines reveal about the qualities of an epic hero?

He fought with faith against him.

What is Beowulf's reaction to Grendel's mother's attack on the Danes?

He goes after her and swims to her cave

Lines 606-612: What are your thoughts about Beowulf's actions at this point? What do these lines foreshadow about the outcome of the battle? Why might the poet want to foreshadow this outcome?

He has to use armor and weapons, he is less hopeful and I think this battle won't end well. He said he will either defeat the monster of die trying.

Line 618: What is implied by the line "I feel no shame"?

He isn't embarrassed for using a sword and shield

How is Beowulf's method of killing Grendel's mother ironic?

He killed her with her own sword, and he didnt use muscles against Grendel but he had too this time

What happens when Grendel reaches for Beowulf?

He reaches for Beowulf, but then Beowulf grabs his hands and pushes it back to twist it

What one request does Beowulf make of Hrothgar?

He requests that his armor be sent away along with his inheritance to Higlac if he dies.

At the conclusion of the battle between Beowulf and Grendel, what transpires?

He retreated into the swamp all scratched and both of his arms were ripped off

What does Wiglaf say to the rest of Beowulf's followers? Why is he so angry with them? Would the actions of Beowulf's men have been interpreted the same by modern-day standards? Why or why not?

He tells his followers that they are cowards and will get no treasures. He says they should be shamed for the rest of their lives for what they have done. They left Beowulf at a time for his need, when he was there and helped them with all of theirs. The standards would be the same except for the men shamed coming down to their families and descendants.

How does Beowulf react when he hears of the plight of the Danes and Hrothgar?

He wants to save them and immediately decides to fight the monster and save them/purge the evil

Lines 708-735: How does Wiglaf qualify as an epic hero? Explain your answer.

He was loyal and went down with Beowulf because of his duties when nobody else would

Lines 613-632: Summarize Beowulf's boast. Why doesn't Beowulf fear the wrath of the dragon? How does this speech compare to Hrothgar's speech earlier in the epic?

He will either defeat the dragon or die fighting, he is not afraid of death and sacrificing himself.

What does Hrothgar call the mighty hall he built?

Herot

How did Hrothgar become king? What is his past relationship to the Geats?

His brother who was king died, and the throne was passed down. Hrothgar bought the end of Edgetho's Quarrel, sent ancient treasures through the ocean's, Furrows to the Wulfings, and his father swore he would keep the secret. ( worked for beowulf´s dad and his brother died)

What are Beowulf's final requests? Is this an odd final wish? Explain your answer.

His last request is for his armor to be sent to his son. This is strange because he doesn't talk about his son a lot so its strange he is dedicating stuff to him now.

Describe the battle with Grendel's mother. How effective were his weapons?

His weapons weren't effective but he was saved from her him by stabbing by his armor, very challenging and he gets weaker and weaker as the battle goes on

Why doesn't Grendel attack Hrothgar?

Hrothgar is protected by God?

Final thought: How might Beowulf's decision to fight the dragon be morally ambiguous?

In other words, how might Beowulf have failed in his role as king by fighting the dragon? It was very brave/bold of him to go into a fight knowing that he was most likely going to loose. He failed by being a king for choosing to die and leave his people with no way to defend themselves. He knew he was leaving along with their protector and still left them with despair.

Lines 681-686: How do these lines reflect the fatalistic Anglo Saxon view?

It's showing the christianly viewpoints and how he is ready to go to heaven

Lines 690-696: Explain how the actions of the followers illuminate the definition of "cowardly".

Nobody helped him even after every battle he fought for them, they all stood and watched him die miserably.

What happens to Beowulf's helmet in the fight with Grendel's mom?

She bites holes in it and they can not fix it

What does Grendel's mother do in response to her son's death?

She raids Herot and kills Hrothgar's best friend/best warrior named Esher, she carries Grendels arm back to her lair

What is Grendel's mother's motive in coming to Herot?

She wants revenge for her son

Why is there a Christian influence in Beowulf?

The Anglo-saxons had just converted to Christianity.

According to Beowulf, what is the only thing that survives death?

glory and fame

Describe the mood by the end of the poem. Explain the fate of Beowulf's country.

The mood is somber and sad because everyone was proud/loved Beowulf and was sad to see him go.

beowulf

The protagonist of the epic, is a Geatish hero who fights the monster Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a fire-breathing dragon. he boasts and encounters reveal him to be the strongest, ablest warrior around. In his youth, he personifies all of the best values of the heroic culture. In his old age, he proves a wise and effective ruler.

Describe what transpires in the mead hall to evoke the anger of the monster.

The warriors singing of pleasure in the hall and celebrating how the earth came to be

What happened to the lake water when the Geats begin to leave the lake at the end of this selection?

The water thickened, and the monster's blood rose up, bubbled

To what measures do Hrothgar and his nobles resort to rid themselves of Grendel?

They make sacrifices with humans, payments, move far away.

How did the warriors react to Beowulf bringing Grendel's head to Hrothgar?

They stared at it, happy he survived

Lines 737-738: The poet writes that Beowulf knew "he'd unwound/His string of days on earth". What view of fate does this image suggest? Why does he use "string of days" rather than simply saying that Beowulf knew his life was coming to an end?

This is showing Beowulfs fate of death, and his knowledge of it. He is attempting to show the reader he is not doing to live/last much longer. However, he chose to fight and is using his last string and wounded his last string of life in ths world.

Lines 768-778: What theme do these lines represent? Explain your answer.

We all die eventually is the theme. This is Beowulfs last few minutes of life and the dragons countless amount of treasures from the battles he has won.

What happens during Grendel's first visit to Herot? When does this occur? Describe the scene.

While the men are sleeping, he sneaks into the Herot and murders 30 men to take back to his lair, during the night, bloody massacure

How does Beowulf eventually slay Grendel's mother?

With a giant sword o the wall blessed by the Vikings, that no other man could lift

Describe the location of the place where Grendel lived with his mother

a lake that lights up brightly, overgrown trees, black misty water, even the deer knew they shouldn't go into the water

Lines 736-738: What has happened to Beowulf? How is he killed? Is this a fitting way for him to die? Explain your answer.

beowulf was deadly hurt and wounded by the dragon during his battle, he dies from being wounded so badly. This is a fitting was for him to die because he died fighting and trying to protect his people from this monster.

Describe the lake into which Grendel vanished.

bloody, steamy, boiling with powerful waves

Describe the lake that serves as the entrance to Grendel's mother's lair. What is in it?

cold and murky, covered with monsters

What is Grendel's lineage? Why is he described as being "born of Cain"?

creature from Hell, descended from Cain

Why has Grendel been exiled?

crime of cain killing abel

Describe Beowulf's boasts upon meeting Hrothgar, King of the Danes.

he rose from the darkness of war, he is the wisest and best of his people, he drove 5 great giants into chains, hunting and killing monsters in the ocean one by one, doesn't need a weapon, and a great warrior

Beowulf and his men move into Herot for the night while Hrothgar sleeps peacefully. What was Beowulf's earlier boast about fighting Grendel?

he was just going to use his two bare hands

If Beowulf loses the battle with Grendel, What are his instructions for after his death?

his armor be sent to Higlac

When his sword fails him, what does Beowulf decide to use to battle Grendel's mom?

his bare hands

whom does grendels mother snatch?

hrothgar's best friend

Where is the original copy of Beowulf?

in the British library in London

What is a meade hall?

large wooden buildings that provided a safe haven for warriors returning from battle.

what language was beowulf written in?

old english

How was Beowulf originally presented?

orally

What did a scop do?

recite the poem and other tales in the mead halls; to also sing

king hrothgar

the king of the Danes. he enjoys military success and prosperity until Grendel terrorizes his realm. A wise and aged ruler, he represents a different kind of leadership from that exhibited by the youthful warrior Beowulf. He is a father figure to Beowulf and a model for the kind of king that Beowulf becomes.

What is Hrunting?

the name of Beowulfs sword that no other man can left, he killed Grendels mom with it123

What happens when Beowulf's men attack Grendel? Explain why this happens.

their weapons don't work bc Grendel cursed their weapons so they wouldn't work

Describe the struggle that ensues between Beowulf and Grendel.

there is a lot of twisting and turning; the house was shaking

Describe what happened to those who held the dragon's treasure. How does this one event impact the Geats?

they all died eventually and the treasure was iven back to the earth

On the morning following the battle, describe the reactions of Hrothgar's people.

they rejoiced and were celebrating because beowulf defeated him

What is the purpose of the feast that Hrothgar hosts in Beowulf's honor?

to toast to his victories and talk of the future. To celebrate him going into battle. (celebrate beowulf, final party before battle)

why wrote beowulf

unknown

what is celebrated in Beowulf?

warrior culture and deeds requiring great strength and courage