literature: Exeter & Beowulf

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• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 5

Literature 
English Language

Literature

Today you will learn about:

- The Exeter book of Riddles

- Beowulf

the Old English Period 

450-1100 AD 

Pre-Historic- England before the Old-English

period:

- The Celts; 5th Century BC - Tartan, iron weaponory

- The Romans: 55 BC - Hadrian's Wall 

Start Old-English Period:

Angles, Saxons, Jutes invaded England 

in the 5th century. 

EXETER BOOK OF RIDDLES

* One of the major poetic codices of the Anglo- Saxons

EXETER BOOK OF RIDDLES

* 90 riddles

* No names

* Often 1st person

* Not all of them have 

been solved, no solutions 

given, discussions

* Often religious, 

but also common objects

RIDDLE 55

Have you ever heard of the story 'Beowulf'?

Yes, I do.

No, I don't.

genres poems

• epic poems: narrative poems on great subjects like kings and heroes, fighting, glory and honour
• didactic poems: meant to teach the reader about religious matters or about the way to behave
• historical chronicles: about wars and battles, and kings

BEOWULF

- Epic poem consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines.

-  It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. 

-The date of composition is a matter of contention. The only certain dating is for the manuscript, which was produced between 975 and 1025 by an the anonymous author often called  the "Beowulf poet"

-The story is set in Scandinavia in the 6th century. Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall in Heorot has been under attack by the monster Grendel.  Beowulf, who is extremely strong (strength of 30 men), wants to help the King.

kenning

a figurative name for a thing, usually expressed in a compound noun.

First lady = wife of the president

Four-eyes = someone who wears

glasses

Beowulf  Old English Kennings

Sea = whale-path

Sun = sky-candle

Death= Sleep of the sword

corpes = Raven-harvest

Honour = mind's-worth

. . . . . = Battle-sweat

. . . . = bone-house

Aanschouw de lof van de dapperheid van mensen-koningen

van de met een speer gewapende Denen, in lang vervlogen dagen, we hebben gehoord, en welke eer de Athelings wonnen!

Vaak won Shield Sheafson van vijanden in squadrons, van menig stam, scheurde de eetzaal en maakte de graven bang. 

Sinds hij vroeger vriendloos, een vondeling was, betaalde het lot hem terug:

Want hij groeide in welvaart en rijkdom.., tot voor hem het volk, zowel ver als dichtbij,die bij de zee woonden, zijn mandaat hoorden, gaven hem geschenken: een goede koning!

wyrþe þanc