Beowulf

History

1-400 A.D.   Roman occupation of Britian

C. 450 A.D.  Withdrawal of Romans

Germanic conquest of Angles, Saxons, Jutes

597 A.D. St. Augustine converts King Ethelbert (first British Christian king

C. 750           Beowulf is composed. England is fully Christian by this time, so the poet is

looking back to a pagan time several centuries  previous. It takes place after

the Roman withdrawal, but before Christianity is complete in England; between

450 and 597.

Notes
 * Loyalty, bravery, stamina are essential aspects of the Anglo-Saxon heroic ideal.
 * Beowulf = Ecgtheow's son, Lord of the Geats, Hygelac's kinsman.
 * Grendel's evil cannot be fully explained. He is a descendant of Cain, a demon. His evil nature is inherent.
 * The Christian author's faith shows through although he is writing about a Pagan culture. He can't help but to impose his Chrisitan world view upon this pagan culture. Many references to Christian God.
 * Hrothgar = lord of the Shieldings
 * Hrothgar is unable to pay the death price for all of those who have been killed.
 * Beowulf - protagonist, travels to Denmark to assist King Hrothgar with Grendel problem. Kills Grendel and his mother.
 * King Hrothgar - king of the Danes, descendant of Shield Sheafson, Shielding's helmet, Giver of Rings, nation's shield, Protector of Shieldings, Descendant of Ing, Prince of Ingwins
 * Thane/ lord relationship - almost father/ son relationship
 * Death-price - moral obligation to either kill the slayer of your kinsman or to exact payment of wergild (man-price), an arranged marriage between feuding groups can also be a way to resolve this.
 * Women = cup-bearers, not very important
 * Blood feuds
 * Fatherless creature - lacking a father, lack heritage, almost evil
 * Fatherless - without God, a Father


 * Heorot - mead-hall built by Kimg Hrothgar, built by Hrothgar during prosperous period in which the Danes prospered and were protected. A throne room for Hrothgar. Symbol of their pride in themselves. Communal, place of good cheer, place of refuge, a haven. Heorot = Old English for Hart (a male deer after its fifth year, more antlers, a target for hunting b/c of antlers) Building Heorot made them vulnerable like the hart. Heorot symbolizes peace, well-being, the heart of the culture.
 * Kinsman - survival depends on community. Cannot survive without family, community. Grendel called "descendant of Cain" (Cain killed his brother, own kinsman)  Loyalty within families is crucial to survival
 * King Hrethel (son of Hygelac) had son who killed other son. Poet captured emotion of having one child kill another, and being forced to exact death-price.


 * The dragon as guarding a buried horde of treasure, and servant stole a cup enraging the dragon.
 * Beowulf kills the dragon but is dying and wants Wiglaf to get a piece of the treasure to show to the people.
 * The treasure that the people sacrificed everything for stays useless buried in the ground.