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Beowulf Terms
Beowulf Terms and Characters
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| alliteration | A repetition of consonant sounds in a line of poetry |
| archetypes | Patterns for characters, such as hero, mentor, guidemaster, and villain |
| Biblical allusion | The epic’s referral to stories, such as Cain and Abel, in the book of Genesis |
| caesura | A punctuation mark in the middle of a line of poetry to give an opportunity for a breath while reading |
| characterization | A writer uses appearance, actions, words/thoughts, and others' reactions to develop a character's personality. |
| Dark Ages | The time period is the early medieval period of Beowulf. It was a time of frequent warfare. |
| epic hero | A character who accepts the task to overcome the adversary. |
| epic poem | A long narrative poem about a hero’s quests |
| heroic code of honor | A hero promises loyalty and honor to defend the king and queen. |
| heroic journey - Joseph Campbell | The quest has 5 steps: accepting the call, crossing the threshold, completing the test, receiving the reward, and returning home |
| kenning | A compound phrase used as a metaphor, such as “whale-road” for the sea |
| motif | A universal theme in literature, such as “good versus evil” |
| Old English | The language of Beowulf's time was compiled from the Jutes, Anglos, and Saxons. |
| pagan culture | This group of people worshipped man-made objects instead of God |
| peace-weaver | A woman marries a member of the enemy tribe to keep the two groups civil to one another |
| posse comitatus | A group of people who join the hero to enforce the law |
| proving quest | The hero’s first quest to show his epic traits |
| quests | A task (job) accepted by the hero |
| revenge | An action of inflicting harm on another to get back at someone |
| scop | The minstrel or bard who memorizes the poem and performs it |
| symbols | A person, object, or item that represents an idea, such as Grendel represents evil |
| wergild | This situation occurs when the king pays the enemy a man price for the lives lost in battle; the payment instigates peace |
| wyrd | A term for fate or destiny |
| Hrothgar | This character is king of the Danes in Denmark |
| Higlac | This character is king of the Geats in Geatland. |
| Grendel | This character attacks Herot and kills 30 thanes at a time at night while the thanes sleep. |
| thanes | a term for a warrior or knight |
| Heorot | This setting is King Hrothgar's mead hall. |
| Unferth | This character is King Hrothgar's thane who doubts Beowulf as a hero. |
| Wiglaf | This character is King Beowulf's loyal thane who stays to fight the dragon. |
| torque | This item is the Danes' royal necklace given as a gift of thanks to Beowulf. |
| Grendel's mother | This character seeks revenge upon Beowulf. |
| Cain | In the book of Genesis in the Bible, this person killed his brother Abel. Grendel is a descendent, thus related, to this person. |
Created by:
Mrs. Chaney
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