Category: Beowulf

Feasting, as defined by Linwood Fredericksen from the Encyclopedia Britannica, is a day or period of time set aside to commemorate, ritually celebrate or reenact, or anticipate events or seasonsagricultural, religious, or socioculturalthat give meaning and cohesiveness to an individual and to the religious, political, or socioeconomic community. Holiday feasts were an essential part of…

Introduction to Igbo Culture and Western Influence The novel by Chinua Achebe called Things Fall Apart was first published in 1958. The story takes place in the 1890s and displays the conflict between the culture of the indigenous Igbo people and the white colonial government of Nigeria. The book tells the story of Okonkwo, the…

The epic poem Beowulf, written centuries ago by an unknown author, takes the reader back to a time of intense battles and raging monsters in the night. Many who have read this passage have taken note of the multiple references towards the Bible. This may imply that the author, who is unnamed, was a Christian…

The kenning that I choose to use for this story is corpse-maker. This kenning is one of many of the names to describe a monster named Grendel in the story of Beowulf. For example, Grendel was basically similar to the devil himself. He is the embodiment of moral and physical evil. Grendel is an evil…

Richard Machowicz once stated, Being a warrior is not about the act of fighting. Its about the ability, courage, and commitment to end the war within oneself and not quit until the job is done. This quote from Machowicz reflects what the poem, ‘Beowulf’, is based on. ‘Beowulf’ is an epic poem written during the…

For several stories, the protagonists’ pride is usually shown and explained by the narrator or secondary characters. Yet in Anglo-Saxons Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney,, his pride is boosted by himself; he takes satisfaction in knowing he is letting everyone know of his value and importance to the world. Before each battle, he showed up…

The fetish woman, who ‘too sang out in grief’, provides a rather omenistic foreshadowing into a post-beowulf society, epitomising the fears of an unstable nation following the loss of their ‘good king’. Although a drunken statement, Unferth’s remark that ‘no one has ever outlasted an entire night against Grendel’ reminds the reader of Beowulf’s unmatched…

Beowulf is a fiction story by an anonymous poet whom scholars refer to as Beowulf poet. The fiction is set in Scandinavia and details a hero of the Geats (Beowulf) who comes to the help of the king of the Danes, Hrothgar. Notably, Beowulf uses his bravery and strength to slay Grendel and later becomes…

Epic poems, long and narrative, include adventures and brave heroes. Epic poems can trace their roots back to almost 2500 BCE. Beowulf defines a strong and well-developed epic. Beowulf includes plot characteristics, values, and archetypes throughout the poem. In epics, they show what really mattered at the time and what people cared about in a…

Beowulf is an epic poem, which is a literary piece where there is a hero achieving an incredible feat, that was made in the Anglo-Saxon era. There is no certainty in the time of the development of the poem but it is agreed that it was made roughly in the 6th to 11th century. The…