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Beowulf Summary: Beowulf Is The Longest and Greatest Surviving Anglo-Saxon Poem. The Setting of The Epic Is The Sixth

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem about a Geatish hero named Beowulf who comes to the aid of King Hrothgar of the Danes by defeating two monsters, Grendel and Grendel's mother. Beowulf later becomes king of the Geats and defeats a dragon, but is mortally wounded in the battle. He is buried in a large barrow by the sea with his treasures so that sailors passing by can see it.

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40 views

Beowulf Summary: Beowulf Is The Longest and Greatest Surviving Anglo-Saxon Poem. The Setting of The Epic Is The Sixth

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem about a Geatish hero named Beowulf who comes to the aid of King Hrothgar of the Danes by defeating two monsters, Grendel and Grendel's mother. Beowulf later becomes king of the Geats and defeats a dragon, but is mortally wounded in the battle. He is buried in a large barrow by the sea with his treasures so that sailors passing by can see it.

Uploaded by

JayJayPastranaLavigne
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Beowulf Summary

Beowulf is the longest and greatest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem. The setting of the epic is the sixth
century in what is now known as Denmark and southwestern Sweden. The poem opens with a brief
genealogy of the Scylding (Dane) royal dynasty, named after a mythic hero, Scyld Scefing, who
reached the tribe's shores as a castaway babe on a ship loaded with treasure. Scyld's funeral is a
memorable early ritual in the work, but focus soon shifts to the reign of his great-grandson, Hrothgar,
whose successful rule is symbolized by a magnificent central mead-hall called Heorot. For 12 years, a
huge man-like ogre named Grendel, a descendant of the biblical murderer Cain, has menaced the
aging Hrothgar, raiding Heorot and killing the king's thanes (warriors). Grendel rules the mead-hall
nightly.
Beowulf, a young warrior in Geatland (southwestern Sweden), comes to the Scyldings' aid, bringing
with him 14 of his finest men. Hrothgar once sheltered Beowulf's father during a deadly feud, and the
mighty Geat hopes to return the favor while enhancing his own reputation and gaining treasure for his
king, Hygelac. At a feast before nightfall of the first day of the visit, an obnoxious, drunken Scylding
named Unferth insults Beowulf and claims that the Geat visitor once embarrassingly lost a swimming
contest to a boyhood acquaintance named Breca and is no match for Grendel. Beowulf responds with
dignity while putting Unferth in his place. In fact, the two swimmers were separated by a storm on the
fifth night of the contest, and Beowulf had slain nine sea monsters before finally returning to shore.
While the Danes retire to safer sleeping quarters, Beowulf and the Geats bed down in Heorot, fully
aware that Grendel will visit them. He does. Angered by the joy of the men in the mead-hall, the ogre
furiously bursts in on the Geats, killing one and then reaching for Beowulf. With the strength of 30
men in his hand-grip, Beowulf seizes the ogre's claw and does not let go. The ensuing battle nearly
destroys the great hall, but Beowulf emerges victorious as he rips Grendel's claw from its shoulder
socket, sending the mortally wounded beast fleeing to his mere (pool). The claw trophy hangs high
under the roof of Heorot.
The Danes celebrate the next day with a huge feast featuring entertainment by
Hrothgar's scop (pronounced "shop"), a professional bard who accompanies himself on a harp and
sings or chants traditional lays such as an account of the Danes' victory at Finnsburh. This bard also
improvises a song about Beowulf's victory. Hrothgar's wife, Queen Wealhtheow, proves to be a
perfect hostess, offering Beowulf a gold collar and her gratitude. Filled with mead, wine, and great
food, the entire party retires for what they expect to be the first peaceful night in years.
But Grendel's mother not quite as powerful as her son but highly motivated climbs to Heorot that
night, retrieves her son's claw, and murderously abducts one of the Scyldings (Aeschere) while
Beowulf sleeps elsewhere. The next morning, Hrothgar, Beowulf, and a retinue of Scyldings and
Geats follow the mother's tracks into a dark, forbidding swamp and to the edge of her mere. The
slaughtered Aeschere's head sits on a cliff by the lake, which hides the ogres' underground cave.

Carrying a sword called Hrunting, a gift from the chastised Unferth, Beowulf dives into the mere to
seek the mother.
Near the bottom of the lake, Grendel's mother attacks and hauls the Geat warrior to her dimly lit cave.
Beowulf fights back once inside the dry cavern, but the gift sword, Hrunting, strong as it is, fails to
penetrate the ogre's hide. The mother moves to kill Beowulf with her knife, but his armor, made by the
legendary blacksmith Weland, protects him. Suddenly Beowulf spots a magical, giant sword and uses
it to cut through the mother's spine at the neck, killing her. A blessed light unexplainably illuminates
the cavern, disclosing Grendel's corpse and a great deal of treasure. Beowulf decapitates the corpse.
The magic sword melts to its hilt. Beowulf returns to the lake's surface carrying the head and hilt but
leaving the treasure.
After more celebration and gifts and a sermon by Hrothgar warning of the dangers of pride and the
mutability of time, Beowulf and his men return to Geatland. There he serves his king well until
Hygelac is killed in battle and his son dies in a feud. Beowulf is then named king and rules
successfully for 50 years. Like Hrothgar, however, his peace is shattered in his declining years.
Beowulf must battle one more demon.
A fiery dragon has become enraged because a lone fugitive has inadvertently discovered the
dragon's treasure-trove and stolen a valuable cup. The dragon terrorizes the countryside at night,
burning several homes, including Beowulf's. Led by the fugitive, Beowulf and eleven of his men seek
out the dragon's barrow. Beowulf insists on taking on the dragon alone, but his own sword,
Naegling, is no match for the monster. Seeing his king in trouble, one thane, Wiglaf, goes to his
assistance. The others flee to the woods. Together, Wiglaf and Beowulf kill the dragon, but the mighty
king is mortally wounded. Dying, Beowulf leaves his kingdom to Wiglaf and requests that his body be
cremated in a funeral pyre and buried high on a seaside cliff where passing sailors might see the
barrow. The dragon's treasure-hoard is buried with him. It is said that they lie there still.

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