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Beowulf
Book

Beowulf

England, circa 700 AD

Literary Classic

  • Epic
  • Old English

What It’s About

An Enigmatic Epic

Beowulf is one of the most controversial works of English literature. This isn’t surprising given that it only exists as a single manuscript that has suffered significant physical damage over the centuries. While other Anglo-Saxon literature survives, Beowulf is unique in its scale and subject matter. As such, it stands out as an almost lone exemplar of the culture that created it. For modern scholars and readers, it is a vivid epic that hints at the ideas, aspirations and imaginative world of Anglo-Saxons before the Norman Conquest. At the same time, it is puzzling why its author (or authors) used such a distinctive mix of Anglo-Saxon dialects to tell what appears to be a Norse tale from unknown Scandinavian sources. The text offers rich details, but definitive answers seem just out of reach. Diligent scholarly research uncovers more and more information but never a clear result. Beowulf offers a brilliant view of an earlier world – but one that seems to transform subtly with each change of the light.

Summary

The Ancestors of Danish King Hrothgar

Who hasn’t heard of the glorious deeds of the spear-armed Danes? One of their kings, Scyld, son of Scef, brought his people great honor. Scyld had a strong son named Beow, who lived up to his father’s name after the old man departed this life. He married a Swede and therefore called his son Healfdene (half Dane). Healfdene was a wise king to his subjects. Healfdene had one daughter and three sons: Heorogar, Hrothgar and Halga. Hrothgar became the mightiest of all Danish kings, his warriors followed him eagerly and he spared no effort in merrymaking. Hrothgar erected a mead hall, to which he brought artists from afar to outfit. Ornaments looking like magnificent antlers crowned the hall’s gables, which is why Hrothgar called the hall Heorot (Deer).

The Monster of the Marsh

In the Deer’s feasting hall, the warriors sit at long tables, warming themselves by the fire and hailing their king. But the boisterous party doesn’t last long: In the nearby swamps lives Grendel, a terrible...

About the Author

Little to nothing is known about the anonymous author or authors of Beowulf. It most likely came into existence around 700 AD, though there is only one manuscript, which dates back to about 1000 AD. The text is supposed to have passed through the hands of several scribes. However, some hold the opinion that it is based on one independent interpretation of many tales passed down through oral traditions. If that were the case, Beowulf would have but one author after all, and there is much to indicate that he was a distinguished man with a humanistic education, possibly a monk living in an English monastery. There is also evidence suggesting that he lived in Mercia, one of the original seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. In any event, he was familiar with Scandinavian customs and traditions, he knew Germanic myths, and he apparently took influence from Virgil’s Aeneid, which in eighth-century England was the most widely read secular book. The linking of archaic-pagan elements with references to Christianity is striking. It seems that the author – or possibly a later editor – tried to combine pagan mythology with Old Testament traditions. After all, the initial plot was a pagan epic that was retrospectively injected with a Christian ethic.


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