Pg 4-14 and 31-60 Notes

Notes 4-14 Background:

.      Zeitgeist: Spirit of an era.

.      Epic: long narrative poem, sometimes developed orally, that celebrates the deeds of a legendary                     hero.

.      Legendary hero: A person whose accomplishments are celebrated in traditional tales.
.      Two groups of Celts from southern Europe invaded the British Isles, the Brythons and the Gaels.

.      In A.D. 407, the new invaders arrived- the Anglo-Saxons, from what is now Germany who replace              Romans.

.      Christianity arrived by the Romans and was spread to Britain and to the Celts but Paganism was still               prevalent.

.      Anglo- Saxon Literature: Began with spoken verse and incantations. Reciting poems often occurred on          ceremonial occasions.

Background behind Beowulf:

.        Beowulf by the Anglo Saxons is a story about a monster slaying hero

.        Beowulf helps King Hrothgar by killing the monster Grendel

.        The story was passed down orally and wasn't written down until the 11th century

.        Carries many similar elements of Celtic folklore; thought to have taken place in southern Sweden

Wrath of Grendel:

·        Grendel slaughter people of Herot at night.

·        Herot is the grand hall.

·        He hates loud noises due to their feasts.

·        Many of the people fled from the hall in order to be far enough away from Grendel.

·        The king lives in torment.

The coming of Beowulf:

·        A band of Geats led by Beowulf voyage across the sea to Denmark in order to kill Grendel.

·        They encounter a man watching the coast who takes them to his king.

·        The king rejoices that they have come to help them.

Battle with Grendel:

·        All of Beowulf’s men go to sleep well he stays awake and waits for Grendel.

·        Grendel arrives and kills one of his men but when he goes to kill Beowulf he is attacked.

·        Grendel attempts to escape but is mortally wounded before escaping when Beowulf rips his whole arm off.

The Master’ Lair:

·        The king lets Beowulf know that Grendel had a mother and a father.

·        Beowulf then goes in search of glory and treasure by defeating the sea witch at the bottom of the lake.

·        He defeats her with a giants sword held in the room and then finishes off Grendel.

The Last Battle:

·        Beowulf returns to Geatland and rules as their king for 50 years.

·        Later a mighty dragon is terrorizing their kingdom forcing him to venture out to defeat the dragon.

·        The dragon almost defeats Beowulf but he is saved by his kinsmen Wiglaf.

·        They both defeat the dragon together but Beowulf still dies but before he does he gives Wiglaf the right to rule for helping him defeat the dragon.

·        Wiglaf builds a tower on the coast in order honor the fame of Beowulf.