The Battle With

Grendel
FROM BEOWULF
TRANSLATED BY: BURTON RAFFEL
EPIC 4
 Beowulf
Beowulf is the oldest surviving Anglos-Saxon epic poem.
AngloSaxon"Beo"means"bright"or"noble"and
"wulf"means"wolf".

it was composed in old english that is also

known asAnglos-Saxon
Beowulf is set in Scandinavia, sometime around
the year500 A.D, in the territories of two tribal
groups, the Geatsand the Danes, who really
existed and really lived in thoseareas during the
period of the poem.

the action happens in the land of the Danes

(whatis today the nation of Denmark) and the
land of the Geats(what istoday the nation of
Sweden).
Beowulf-The protagonist of the epic,Beowulf is a Geatish
hero who fights the monster Grendel,Grendel’smother,and
a fire breathing dragon.

King Hrothgar- The king of the Danes.Hrothgar enjoys

celebtating until Grendel terrorizes his mead hall.Awise
and aged ruler
Grendel - A demon descended from Cain, Grendel preys on
Hrothgar’s warriors in the king’s mead-hall, Heorot.

Grendel’s Mother - An unnamed swamp-hag, Grendel’smother

attempts to avenge her son's death by attacking Heorot

The Dragon - An ancient, powerful serpent, the dragon guards

ahorde of treasure in a hidden mound. Beowulf’s fight with the
dragon constitutes the third and final part of the epic.
Unferth - A Danish warrior who is jealous of Beowulf,Unferth is unable
or unwilling to fight Grendel, thus proving himself a sword to Beowulf.

Wiglaf - friend of Beowulf who helps him in the fight against the
dragon .

Breca - Beowulf’s childhood friend, whom he defeated in aswimming

match.

Hygelac - Beowulf’s uncle, king of the Geats,

Ecgtheow - Beowulf’s father, Hrothgar’s friend.

Heorot (pronounced /hay oh roht)
 - is a mead hall described in the Anglo-Saxon
epic Beowulf as " the foremost of halls under
heaven."
-It was built  over by King Hrothgar , a legendary
Danish king of the sixth century.
-Heorot means "Hall of the Hart "(male deer).
A young Geatish warrior who comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the King of the
Danes, whose kingdom is being terrorized by a monster named Grendel
for 12 years. It spares him due to the magic of the throne room and goes
back to the cave with its mother.Hrothgar announces that he will reward
whoever kills this creature which has tyrannized his kingdom for
years.Beowulf, along with his friend Wiglaf take up his challenge.During
the feast, an envious Dane named Unferth taunts Beowulf and accuses
him of being unworthy of his reputation. Beowulf responds with his past
accomplishments. At a celebration at the hall, Grendel appears again,
killing people.Beowulf fights him unarmed, proving himself stronger than
the demon,
who is terrified.
As Grendel struggles to escape, Beowulf tears the monster’s arm
off.The creature retreats back to its mother, who is devastated to
watch her son die. The kingdom celebrates their victory, the King
gives Beowulf a golden dragon horn.That night, Grendel's mother
visits Beowulf in a dream, asking him to father her a son.It seems that
the King has been guarding a secret, he was seduced by Grendel's
mother, thus, making him Grendel's father.Beowulf goes into the cave
to kill Grendel's mother, only he is greeted with the image of a
woman.It's Grendel's mother asking for a son, in exchange she will
give him riches and power. Beowulf returns to the King with a secret
of his own, he gave in to the seductress. The King declares him his
next successor in the event that he dies.
When the King finds out that he succumbed to the beast, he knows they
are doomed, and he commits suicide. Beowulf is now the new King.
Decades pass he rules . However, one day, they retrieve the golden
horn,and a new monster has appeared taking Grendel's place. A
dragon, who is Beowulf's son, starts to terrorize the kingdom. Beowulf
tries kills the dragon as it tries to destroy the castle with its fiery breath.
He finds a weak spot on its throat, and punctures it to squeeze its
heart. They both fall from the sky, to their deaths. In his last breath, he
tells Wiglaf that he is the new King .

-John Lesslie Halltranslation of 1892.

The Old English epic poem Beowulf tells the story of a young Geatish
warrior who comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the King of the Danes,
whose kingdom is being terrorized by a monster named Grendel.
Beowulf useshis epic strength and bravery to slay Grendel in
Hrothgar’s mead hall,Heorot, and then to slay Grendel’s vengeful
mother in her underwaterlair. Beowulf’s fame spreads, and he returns
home to Geatland ladenwith treasure for his king, Hygelac. Beowulf
later becomes the king ofthe Geats and rules for a peaceful fifty years.
When a dragon begins topose a threat to Geatland, Beowulf and his
servant Wiglaf set off todefeat it. Beowulf succeeds in slaying the
dragon, but dies in theprocess.

Burton Nathan Raffel 1964

The portrayal of Hrothgar as a womanizing alcoholic

The portrayal of Grendel as a sickly-looking childlike creature , rather

than savage demon monster

The portrayal of Grendel's mother as a beautiful seductress, more of a

succubus rather, who bears Grendel as Hrothgar's child and the dragon
as Beowulf's child

The fact that Beowulf becomes ruler of Denmark instead of his native
Geatland
 QUESTIONS

1.Why did Beowulf go to Herot?

2.Did Beowulf achive his goal?prove your point

3.What did beowulf do to kill grendel?

4.Give at least 2 reasons why you like or not like the

epic poem beowulf.
 EPIC POETRY
An epic poem is a long, narrative poem that isusually
about heroic deeds and events that aresignificant to
the culture of the poet. Manyancient writers used epic
poetry to tell tales of intense adventures and heroic
feats. Some of themost famous literary masterpieces
in the worldwere written in the form of epic poetry.
 AN EPIC POETRY HAS ......

• a hero who embodies national, cultural, or religious ideals

• a hero upon whose actions depends the fate of his people

• a course of action in which the hero performs great and

difficult deeds
 LYRIC POETRY

A lyric poem is generally short and expresses

deep personal feelings. Lyric poems may be
sung or accompanied by music, but may not.
Lyrics often have a refrain or a line or lines
that are repeated throughout the poem.
Add a heading
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF LYRIC POETRY

1. Elegy
An elegy is a very sad poem, often expressing
sorrow over someone who has died.
2. Ode

An ode is a lyric poem with a complicated structure that

praises a person or marks an important event. Odes are
generally meant to be performed with music.

3. Sonnet

A sonnet is a fixed verse lyric poem that has 14 lines.

Sonnets are often about a thought or feeling and have a
final line that summarizes the theme.