Notes For Beowulf Midterm Flashcards
Mead hall
Large hall where the lord and warriors slept, ate and etc
Thane
A warrior
Comitatus
Escort or comrade
This term identifies the concept of warriors and lords mutually pledging their loyalty to one another
Comitatus
Scop
A bard or storyteller who is responsible for praising the deeds of past hero’s and they provide entertainment
Generous prince
Goldwine gumena
Sword
Beadoleoma
Lord
Beaga brytta
Body
Banhus
Kennings
A compound metaphor (2 words such as banhus= bone+house= body)
Name the 4 kinds of an alliterative verse
1) repetition of initial sounds
2) four beats per line
3) a pause between beats 2 and 3
4) no rhymes
Name the two kinds of poetry in Beowulf
1) alliterative verse
2) kennings
Anglo-Saxon
Old English
Who do ppl think the author of Beowulf is and why do they think this?
Ppl think that a monk was the author bc although there are Christian references in the poem, the characters and settings are pagan
What is an example of a pagan action from Beowulf
The warriors prayed to idols to save them from Grendel
The poem was set in what is now_____ and _____ around the time of _________
Sweden and Denmark
400 or 500 AD
Early English people who were tribal, brave and gained honor through dying in battle
Geats
Where were the Geats located
Northern part of England
Wyrd
Christian reference to Gods will
Epic poem
A larger than life hero and conflicts of universal importance
Elegy
A poem that is sad or mournful
Homily
A written sermon or direct advice
Beowulf is written in what is now called ____ _______.
Old English
Beowulf is often called the beginning of _____ ______.
English literature
