| What does Beowulf ask of Hrothgar? | Permission to fight Grendel |
| Why does Beowulf plan to fight without a sword or shield? | Because Grendel never fights with a sword or a shield. |
| Why does Unferth disparage Beowulf’s reputation with a story about a battle at sea? | Unferth is jealous of Beowulf |
| What do Beowulf and Breca swim out to sea to fight? | Sea monsters |
| What boast or promise does Beowulf make to Wealhtheow, the Queen? | He’ll slay Grendel or die trying |
| Who is Beow? | Hrothgar’s grandfather |
| What is Heorot? | The great wall that Hrothgar builds |
| How long does Grendel menace Hrothgar’s kingdom? | 12 years |
| Where does Beowulf sail from to help the Danes? | Geatland |
| Who stops Beowulf when he first arrives to the kingdom? | A lookout who guards the sea-cliffs |
| What does Beowulf hold up as proof of his victory over Grendel? | Grendel’s arm |
| What happens to Grendel after the battle? | He returns to his swamp home to die |
| Who is Sigemund, who the Danish bard sings about to celebrate Beowulf’s victory? | A hero who slew a dragon |
| What does Beowulf say when he is thanked for his heroic deed? | He expresses regret that he mortally wounded Grendel but did not kill him |
| Hrothgar does what by celebrating Beowulf’s defeat of Grendel? | Wins the respect of the Danes’ for ruling justly |
| What gifts is Beowulf given at the victory feast? | Fine horses, treasure, armor, and a resplendent torque |
| How does Hrothgar make Beowulf part of his family? | He adopts him as a son in a grand gesture of thanks |
| Who loses to whom in the beginning of the saga of Finn (the Frisian King) that the bard tells? | The Danes lose to the Frisians |
| In the saga, why is Finn Danish’s wife, Hildeburth, so devastated by the outcome of the battle? | Her son and brother are killed |
| How does the Saga of Finn end? | The danes wait out the winter and then kill Finn, loot the castle, and abscond to Denmark with Hildeburth |
| From whom is Grendel descended? | Cain |
| What happens when Grendel’s mother comes to Heorot seeking revenge? | She kills Hrothgar’s advisor and steals Grendel’s arm |
| What does Hrothgar beseech Beowulf to do? | Go to Grendel’s mother’s watery lair and kill her |
| What does Unferth give to Beowulf for the battle? | A precious sword called Hrunting that has never been in a losing battle |
| What do they find when they reach the cliff above the monster’s swampy home? | Aeschere’s head at the edge of the cliff and sea monsters down below |
| What does Grendel’s mother do as soon as she sees Beowulf in the water? | She snatches him and drags him down to the depths |
| With what does Beowulf kill Grendel’s mother? | A famous ancient sword he finds on the sea bottom |
| What does Beowulf bring back to King Hrothgar as a prize? | Grendel’s decapitated head and the hilt of a melted sword |
| Why does Hrothgar talk about the evil King Heremond? | As a contrast to Beowulf’s nobility and honor |
| After the victory feast, where does Beowulf tell Hrothgar he wants to go? | Back to Geatland |
| To whose Kingdom does Beowulf go to live? | To his old friend, King Hygelac’s |
| What tale does Beowulf tell Hygelac at great length? | The story of his trip to Heorot and his battles with Grendel and his mother |
| Who is Queen Modryth? | A legendary queen who was evil until she got married to a great king and reformed herself |
| What does Beowulf predict for Hrothgar and the Danes when Hrothgar’s daughter marries? | It will cause the tragic worsening of an old feud with the Heathobards |
| What eventually happens to Hygelac? | He dies and Beowulf runs the kingdom for 50 years |
| Why does the dragon awaken in fury? | A thief had disturbed the dragon’s treasure and stolen a goblet |
| Whose treasure was it in the first place? | The last survivor of an ancient race who gave it up when he realized he would die too |
| Why does Beowulf take the dragon’s attacks so personally? | The dragon burns down Beowulf’s throne-hall |
| What’s the story of how Beowulf came to rule? | Hygelac died, Beowulf acted as counselor to Hygelac’s son until the son died, and then Beowulf became king |
| What vision does Beowulf have before the battle with the dragon? | He predicts he will die |
| How does Beowulf’s sword fail him when he fights the dragon? | First the sword barley harms the dragon. Later it breaks |
| What do Beowulf’s fellow warriors do during the battle? | All of them get scared and run off except Wiglaf |
| How does the dragon die? | Wiglaf stabs his belly, then Beowulf delivers the final blow |
| What does Beowulf die of? | He receives a poisonous dragon bite in his neck |
| What does Wiglaf bring the dying Beowulf? | Treasure from the dragon’s hoard |
| How does Wiglaf speak to the warriors when they return after Beowulf’s death? | He excoriates them for being cowards and abandoning their king |
| What does the messenger tell the people of Geatland in addition to the news of Beowulf’s death? | That many future wars are close at hands |
| What happens to the massive treasure hoard? | It’s collected |
| What do they do with the dragon’s body? | They throw it over the cliff’s edge into the water |
| How is Beowulf buried? | He is burned on a pyre at the cliff’s edge |
Beowulf T191
February 23, 2020