| What are the three tribes? | Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. |
| What kind of people were the tribes? | Germanic People. |
| What was their goal? | To conquer the native people (Britons) and colonize the land. |
| How long did the Anglo-Saxon period last? | 600 years. |
| What did they speak? | Old English. |
| What kind of society did the Anglo-Saxons have? | Patriarchal. |
| What was the code of honor? | Obey their tribe and kin, expected to fight until death or vicotry, and avenge the death of their leader. |
| What kind of religion were the Anglo-Saxons? | Paganism. |
| Who converts the king to Christianity? | St. Augustine. |
| Who do they think edited the book? | Two Christian monks. |
| When and where does the story take place? | Fifth century in Scandinavia. |
| What are the two Germanic tribes? | Geats and Danes. |
| What kind of a poem is Beowulf? | Epic poem. |
| Alliteration. | A literary device that consists of repeating the same consonant sound at the beginning of two or more words in close succession. |
| How many kingdoms did the four tribes set up? | Seven kingdoms. |
| What were the languages they spoke? | West Saxon, Kentish, Mercian, and Northumbrian. |
| When was it written? | Eighth century. |
| What are Beowulf’s three combats? | Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and Dragon. |
| What is the poet of Beowulf trying to convey in battles? | Significance of batte, what makes a hero heroic. |
| What is the most important quality of a hero? | Driving will for glory. |
| Why don’t we know when Beowulf composed or who it was composed by? | Because there was a destruction of Henry VIII’s great libraries. |
| What are the epic characteristics? | Based on both historical fact and legend, hero is male of noble birth who values courage and honor, hero is courageous and almost superhuman, hero must complete a long dangerous journey and fight supernatural creatures, hero’s actions will determine the fate of his people or nation, themes (good vs. evil) are universal. |
| Beowulf is essentially what kind of a poem? | Aristocratic poem. |
| What weapons are significant in this poem? | Swords and helmets. |
| What is the significance of battle according to the writer? | What makes a good fighter tick, what makes a hero heroic; he looks inside the minds of both good men and evil monsters. |
| What can we conclude about the writer of Beowulf? | It is the work of one man and that its author was Christian. |
| Why did the translator of Beowulf insert all of his studies on the history and language and the story itself? | To prove that it was a scholarly endeavor. |
| What is the name of the mead-hall that Hrothgar builds? | Herot |
| What caused Grendel to be so irritated with the Danes? | He grew impatient because the Danes would feast day after day, playing their loud music. |
| What religion are the Danes? | Christhian |
| How long were the Danes tortured by Grendel? | Twelve years |
| Why didn’t Grendel ever touch Hrothgar’s thone? | He was protected by God. |
| Beowulf | Higlac’s follower, and the strongest of the Geats, destroys Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. |
| How many men did Beowulf take with him to help the Danes? | 14 |
| How does Beowulf defeat Grendel? | He tears his arm off with his bare hands. |
| Why couldn’t the swords or weapons the Danes used hurt Grendel? | Because Grendel had bewitched all men’s weapons so that it could not hurt him. |
| What did Grendel’s arm represent? | Proof of Beowulf’s strength, and proof of Grendel’s torture ending. |
| What does Grendel’s mothe take as revenge? | She takes Hrothgar’s closest friend and kills him, and she takes Grendel’s claw. |
| What did Unferth give to Beowulf? | His sword, Hrunting. |
| Where does Beowulf go to fight Grendel’s mother? | The bottom of the lake. |
| Mailshirt is an example of what literary device in chapter 22? | Repetition |
| How does God help Beowulf in his battle with Grendel’s mother? | He sends a sword that can be used to defeat Grendel’s mother, because it was forged by giants and monsters. |
| How did he kill Grendel’s mother? | He struck her in the neck and cut it through. |
| What does Beowulf bring back with him to represent his glory? | He brings back the sword and Grendel’s head. |
| What happened to the sword he used to kill Grendel’s mother? | The blade melts, and all that is left is the runic, it has a story of a race of giants wiped out in a battle with God. He sends a flood and wipes them out of existence. |
| What did the dragon melt away? | Beowulf’s throne. |
| Who offered Beowulf the crown and why? | Higlac’s wife, because she didn’t trust her son, Herded. |
| What is the purpose of Beowulf’s boastful speech in chapter 35? | To motivate the Geats, and give them hope and confidence. |
| What is the name of Beowulf’s sword? | Nagling |
| Who was the only person who stayed and helped Beowulf defeat the monster? | Wiglaf |
| Who did Wiglaf’s sword once belong to? | Onela’s nephew |
| What color is Wiglaf’s shield? | Yellow |
| What happened to Nagling when Beowulf tried to smash the beast? | The iron broke to pieces. |
| How did Beowulf die? | The dragon drove its tusks into Beowulf’s neck and it’s venom was in his blood |
| How did Wiglaf burn his hand? | He was striking the dragon’s hand when it had burned him. |
| How did Beowulf kill the dragon? | He used his battle-sharp dagger to cut the beast in half, splitting it apart. |
| Who does Beowulf give all the treasures to? | Wiglaf |
| How does Beowulf want to be buried? | He wants to be burned at the water’s edge, and to build a tower and call it’s Beowulf’s tower. |
| What did Wiglaf do with the treasures that he had won with Beowulf? | He buried them in the sand near the tower. |
| Wiglaf | Beowulf’s cousin. Wexstan’s son. Only person who comes to Beowulf’s rescue when he needed help and support (both physical and mental) the most aka in his dying hours/last fight/fight with the dragon. Becomes the king once Beowulf dies |
| Unferth | Danish warrior. Tension between him and Beowulf. Unwilling to fight against the evil forces in the book. Makes amends by giving Beowulf sword |
| Grendel’s Mother | wants to avenge Geats (mainly Beowulf) for killing her son. “greedy she-wolf” “fierce”. Second of three Beowulf will fight; evil in the battle between good and evil |
| Edgetho | Beowulf’s father |
| Higlac | Beowulf’s uncle, Geatian king, whenever his name is mentioned, it is referring to the Geats |
| Grendel | “powerful monster”, “demon”, “mankind’s enemy”; the first of three Beowulf will fight; evil in the battle between good and evil |
| Hrothgar | Healfdane’s son who becomes a great Danish king whom everyone loves; whenever his name is mentioned, it is referring to the Danes |
| Shild | “Abandoned child” father of Prince Beo of the Geats |
| Kenning | Device for introducing descriptive color or for suggesting associations without distracting attention away from the eseential statement |
| Scop | Composer and story-telle of anglo-saxon poetry |
| Comitatus | Warrios swear legiance to king, king returns generosity |
| Wergild | Paying a slain-man’s family to atone for killing and prevent revenge |
| Lyre | Small 8-string instrument |
| Foreshadowing | What will happen next or how the narrative will end to add supsense to draw the reader to the story |
| Compounding | Combining two words to make a new word |
| What is the plot of this story? | Denmark, 500 a.d. |
Beowulf Quiz!
February 23, 2020