U5 L3 The Epic And Beowulf Flashcards
Who is a scop?
- poet
- told old stories and changed them
In oral tradition did each telling differ from the last?
yes
What were the frameworks that scops used to remember stories?
- alliteration
- phrases
- poetic idioms
- rhythms patterns
What combination did Anglo-Saxon rhythm depend on?
weak and heavy stresses in many combinations
What was the basic unit of meter in Anglo-Saxon verse?
- half-line
- each made up of a phrase with 2 stresses
What does a line of Anglo-Saxon poetry consist of?
- 4 stresses, 2 in each half-line
- 8-20 syllables
- 2 half-lines separated by pause/break
- joined by alliteration
What indicated stresses?
accent marks ‘
What indicated alliteration?
underscores _
What is a caesura?
pause/break in a line in Anglo-Saxon poetry
What is Anglo-Saxon poetic language rich in?
metaphor
What is kenning?
- double metaphor
- hyphenated
eg. world-candle
Where does the word ‘epic’ come from?
Greek word meaning tale
What is an epic?
long narrative poem dealing with heroic characters and actions
In epics, what is the hero like?
ideal person with almost superhuman qualities
What is medias res?
middle of story
At what part to most epics start in?
- medias res/middle of story
- narrator explains previous actions as story progresses
What do the two sections of Beowulf deal with?
1- Beowulf leads his men to Hrothgar’s kingdom to defeat Grendel
2- elder King Beowulf, last battle with dragon
What does Beowulf reveal?
customs and ideals of Anglo-Saxon culture
What is comitatus?
- Germanic tradition
- relationship btw lord and warriors
- lord protects and provides warrior needs
- warrior gives loyalty and support
In Beowulf, between who is the comitatus relationship seen between?
- Hrothgar and his retainers
- Beowulf and his men
- Geats and Danes
What was Wiglaf’s significance?
- demonstrated comitatus
- remained with Beowulf in fighting dragon
- named successor by Beowulf
Who were the Geats?
Beowulf’s people
Who were the Danes?
Hrothgar’s people
What is Fame in Anglo-Saxon culture?
good name that would live on after a man’s death
What was linked to the comitatus?
- fame
- transitory nature of life
What was the lord also called?
ring-giver
Early practice of Christianity in England blended into which two systems?
Germanic and Christians
What were the two burials mentioned in Beowulf?
- Scyld Scefing
- Beowulf
Descriptions of artifacts in Beowulf correspond to those found in which ship and when?
- Sutton Hoo
- 1939
What is the date of the Beowulf manuscript?
1000
What is the latest date for the original writing of Beowulf?
790-830
Who was Hygelac? And when did he die?
- Geat
- Beowulf’s uncle and king of Geats
- killed in a raid on the Frisians in 521
The probable date for the writing of Beowulf would be during who’s time?
Venerable Bede
What is Beowulf a product of?
oral poetic tradition
What was Beowulf most likely copied from?
song of bard or scop
What was Beowulf probably based on?
fol tale
Was the name Beowulf common in the Anglo-Saxon period?
no
How many lines of unrhymed alliterative meter does Beowulf consist of?
3182
Beowulf how many fitts/sections?
43
What does the story of Beowulf open/begin with?
- sea burial of Scyld Scefing
- first 50 lines of his achievments
What was Heorot?
Hrothgar’s Hall
Where was the home of the Geats and Beowulf?
Sweden
Where was Hrothgar’s kingdom?
Denmark
Who tries to avenge Grendel?
his Mother
Where is Grendel’s mother’s lair?
mere/lake
What does Hrothgar warn Beowulf about?
dangers of pride
Who is Wealhtheow?
Hrothgar’s queen
Who did Beowulf give his treasures to?
Hygelac
What is stolen from the dragon that causes him to want revenge?
cup
What heroic quality was Beowulf not eulogized as having?
bravery
What was the Hrothgar’s hall in Beowulf used for?
- eating
- sleeping
- meeting-
- entertaining
