| Who is the Danish King? | Hrothgar |
| What is the name of the mead hall? | Herot |
| Of what topic does the poet sing in mead hall? | God creating Earth |
| From where does Grendel come? | the seed of Cain |
| Of which monsters is Grendel conceived? | a pair of monsters that were born of Cain in hell |
| In his first attack how many men does Grendel kill? | 30 |
| What are laments? | an expression of sorrow |
| For how many years has Grendel terrorized the mead hall? | 12 |
| What is protected by God that Grendel can’t touch? | Hrothgar’s throne |
| Who is Healfdane? | Hrothgar’s dad |
| What is the name of Beowulf’s tribe? | Geats |
| Who is Higlac, and what is his relationship with Beowulf? | King of Geats |
| How many warriors join Beowulf in his journey? | 14 |
| Whom do Beowulf and his men thank for a safe journey? | God |
| Who challenges Beowulf and his men upon arrival? | Hrothgar’s men |
| Who is Edgetho? | Beowulf’s dad |
| Who guides Beowulf and his men to the mead hall after they arrive? | Hrothgar |
| When Beowulf introduces himself as Higlac’s cousin, what does the word cousin mean? | relative |
| What does Beowulf claim he has drove into chains? | 5 great giants |
| What favor does Beowulf ask of the Danish King? | allow them to battle Grendel |
| What boast, concerning his upcoming battle with Grendel, does Beowulf make? | he won’t need weapons |
| If he is defeated in battle with Grendel, what does Beowulf ask the king to send back to Higlac? | hammered mail of his armor |
| Who is Hrethel? | Beowulf’s relative and previous king |
| Who is Wayland? | blacksmith who makes Beowulf’s weapons/armor |
| Who does Grendel kill before he meets Beowulf? | some soldiers |
| What does infamous mean? | notorious |
| What does writhing mean? | twisting and turning in pain |
| What is the only force that can destroy the mead hall? | fire |
| What had Grendel bewitched? | soldiers’ swords |
| How does Beowulf defeat and kill Grendel? | he rips Grendel’s arms off with his bare hands |
| Where does Beowulf hang Grendel’s arms? | in the mess hall rafters |
| What describes the water of the lake to which Grendel retreats? | bloody, steaming, and boiling |
| Where does Grendel’s mother live? | at the bottom of the lake |
| To avenge Grendel, who does his mom kill? | Hrothgar’s closest friend |
| What title identifies Grendel’s mother? | she-wolf |
| What does Grendel’s mom retrieve from the mess hall? | grendel’s arm |
| Where does Beowulf battle Grendel’s mom? | in the lair at the bottom of the lake |
| What is Hrunting? | a sword that a Danish warrior gave to Beowulf |
| Why does Grendel’s mom’s dagger inflict no harm on Beowulf? | the chain mail deflects it |
| What weapon does Beowulf find in the lair, with which he successfully kills her? | a sword blessed by the Gods |
| Whose head does Beowulf cleave off? | Grendel’s mom’s |
| Which is the first group to leave the edge of the lake? | the wise old warriors |
| Which group stays behind? | Geats |
| From the lair of Grendel’s mom, what two trophies does Beowulf take back? | head of an ogre and magic sword |
| After the battle with Grendel’s mom, whom does Beowulf and his men thank? | God |
| How many men does it take to carry back the head of one of the monsters? | 4 |
| What does Beowulf present to the Danish King after the defeat of Grendel’s mother? | jeweled hilt of the magic sword |
| What proclamation does the king make? | the Danes and Geats to be allies |
| Who is Herdred? | son of Higlac who rules the Geats, predecessor to Beowulf |
| For how many years did Beowulf rule Geatland? | 50 |
| Where had the dragon lay sleeping, undisturbed for hundreds of years? | a great stone tower |
| What woke the dragon? | a man stole a jewel from the tower |
| Who is Wiglaf? | the only Geat that didn’t flee when Beowulf was losing against the dragon |
| Who is Wexstan? | father of Wiglaf |
| What sort of gifts had Beowulf given to Wexstan’s family? | swords and armor |
| Where does the dragon drive his tusks, inflicting a mortal wound? | Beowulf’s neck |
| Having no children, whom does Beowulf ask to be the new leader? | Wiglaf |
| What custom does “funeral flames” refer to? | Viking funeral |
| To what kind of tomb does Beowulf ask to be made after his cremation? | to be built by the tower, so that people will remember him |
| How does Wiglaf respond to those who deserted Beowulf during the battle with the dragon? | calls them cowards |
| Aside the wood necessary for the pyre, with what else have Beowulf’s people decorated the pyre? | helmets, shields, mail shirts |
| How many days did it take Beowulf’s tribe to erect the monument? | 10 |
| Aside from Beowulf’s ashes, what else was left in the walls of the monument? | his riches |
| In lines 1128-1131, what message does the speaker leave with the audience? | everyone should pray to God for the deceased |
Beowulf Review questions
February 22, 2020