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Beowulf Oral Tradition

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The story of Beowulf has been an oral tradition since the beginning of time and has been interpreted many ways. For our project, Hannah, Angela and I drew a wanted posted sent out from King Hrothgar. The purpose of the poster is to find someone who can defeat Grendel. In the description provided, we put together the best characterization of Beowulf possible without listing his name. The goal of this was to show that Beowulf was the sole hero for the danes during this time. Beowulf's bulwark could be very similar to the description provided on this poster. The picture drawn of Grendel includes quotes and kennings from the text that highlight the horrors of his existence. Shadow stalker, prowler of the dark and the fiend of hell were the most
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197 Words | 1 Pages

Beowulf is the epitome of the ideal Anglo-Saxon epic hero. The numerous amount of characteristics that he possesses benefit him in many ways, but eventually lead to his downfall. As depicted in Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, the qualities found in Beowulf that were most admired by his society include inhuman strength, unreserved loyalty, and unending bravery. Beowulf was said to have inhuman strength amounting to “the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand” (380-381). Beowulf exposes this truth even further by dismembering the arm of Grendel, a devilish ogre brute, from his body.

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914 Words | 4 Pages

And the bleeding sinews deep in his should snapped, muscle and bone split.” Beowulf even had the monstrous audacity to hang the detached arm of Grendel upon the halls of Hrothgar. But it mattered not his actions, because history would be told by the victors and the victor of this legend is draped in praise. Beowulf was a hero to Hrothgar, but a demon of Denmark. He is a glory-seeking demon with the legacy of a god, and the charisma of a king.

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1044 Words | 5 Pages

The hero in the epic poem Beowulf is the main character, Beowulf. He demonstrates heroic qualities as soon as the readers are introduced to his character. Beowulf proves himself to be courageous and brave by voluntarily fighting the “undefeatable” monster, Grendel. He is greatly admired by both the Danes and Geats for his courageous acts. Although his motivation is altered to only benefit himself with the title of the greatest warrior, his plan to save the Danes is greatly appreciated by all in the land.

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603 Words | 3 Pages

In the epic poem Beowulf, the protagonist, Beowulf, faces three “monsters” at different times in his life. The poem begins with Grendel, a monster who attacks only in the dark of night, tormenting the kingdom of Hrothgar. The last two sections of the epic detail the conquering by Beowulf of Grendel’s mother and the dragon. The battle between the monsters and Beowulf represent the theme of good versus evil in the poem, as well as the fusion of pagan and Christian ideals in the changing Germanic society. Grendel’s mother’s actions directly juxtapose the role of a woman in this time period, and the greediness of the dragon with his treasure contrasts with the virtues of what would be considered a good king.

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702 Words | 3 Pages

Have you ever heard of the story Beowulf? If not, then I will be telling you the different scenarios that occurred in the movie and the book. Beowulf is about a heroic fellow who saves a kingdom from a magical named Grendel. He went through numerous of battles between Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the Dragon. In this essay I will be discussing the different event that happened in the story and the movie.

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608 Words | 3 Pages

Beowulf a New Telling It was a dark and stormy night at hall Heorot. There was a creature from the fen he was slimy and had no goodness in him and left a trail of blood. He crept into hall Heorot and devoured thirty of King Hrothgar's soldiers. When the king woke up his hall was covered in blood.

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1267 Words | 6 Pages

In about the 10th century AD, a mixture of Norse and Danish events that had been passed down through oral tradition were written down by a group of Monks. The events that were written down had taken place back in the 6th century AD, and they were eventually composed in the 8th century AD. Some of these stories later became known as Beowulf, a folk epic that is centered around an epic hero named Beowulf, who encounters and conquers an evil monster known as Grendel. John Gardner later decided to write a novel from Grendel’s point of view, providing background information about his early life and giving clues as to why he became the evil creature we encountered in Beowulf.

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968 Words | 4 Pages

Argument Essay: Beowulf and Grendel Many people have read or heard of the epic poem of Beowulf, which spins a tale of Grendel, the monster, attacking the admirable Danes and their king, Hrothgar. Some may not be as aware of a book titled Grendel written by John Gardner in 1971. Gardner’s book tells a completely different account of the more familiar tale of Beowulf, from the perspective of Grendel, the monster. The narrator from Grendel portrays a more plausible, powerful story than the excerpt from Beowulf by drawing the reader in with a more emotional viewpoint from the character Grendel, making him more relatable by giving him humanlike qualities, and clarifying why certain events took place in Beowulf.

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1114 Words | 5 Pages

A quest is the story of a hero’s endeavor to establish his or her identity or fulfill his or her destiny. Although the author is unknown, Beowulf is a well-established poem about a hero’s quest to fulfill his destiny. Every literary work that includes a quest follows three main sections: departure, initiation, and return. Nonetheless, there is no standard schema for specific steps a story has to follow in order to be a quest; however, most quests follow a similar pattern of events.

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1151 Words | 5 Pages

Beowulf was a strong and powerful man, he defeated both Grendel and Grendel’s mother. Beowulf battled these monsters to protect the Danes and later in the story he goes back to his hometown. Beowulf becomes the king of the Geats and they were attacked

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959 Words | 4 Pages

In the great epic, Beowulf, an unknown poet describes Beowulf as an invincible hero with the amazing strength stronger than any human ever, but does having the traits of an incredible warrior, make him a great king? A great king is loyal, generous, reliable and should be able to realize what he needs to do to make sure his people are safe. Beowulf is brave, strong, and extremely confident in his combat abilities, but Beowulf does not think about the possible effects of his actions. Beowulf cares about his fame, fortune, and legacy, but he often makes rushed decisions that risk his life and could potentially leave his people powerless and unprotected. During Beowulf’s transformation from thane to king, he has always had more of a warrior’s mindset,

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575 Words | 3 Pages

Beowulf was the nephew of Hygelac, who was king of the Geats. He was on the smaller size for his age, and had weak vision because of a bee sting incident, but was still strong and loyal to his uncle and his people. Beowulf was the rare kind of person who makes strength of his own weakness (Nye 19-20). One day, King Hygelac had received a message from the king of the Danes, Hrothgar, for help. Hall Heorot had been invaded by the monster Grendel, son of

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1883 Words | 8 Pages

As the poem Beowulf is divided into three terms, Beowulf continuously battles against villains in the poem. Beowulf also has some physical traits as a warrior since he is muscular and strong. He is the only one who could fight against Grendel. After Beowulf kills Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon, he becomes the savior of the Danes and the

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821 Words | 4 Pages

Beowulf possessed the poised demeanor necessary to defeat all evils by the arrogant swing of his sword. The commitment shown by lending his life to the welfare of his people was imperative in order to be called a flawless warrior. Beowulf embodied the determination that Anglo-Saxons saw as unmeasurably valuable. If nothing more than just fiction, Beowulf is the ideal hero of the people from who he originated. “They said that of all the kings upon the earth he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame.”

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1033 Words | 5 Pages

The epic poem Beowulf is a classic tale of good versus evil. Good, as shown in the story, is any action that fights evil and defends the community and the people of it. The evil intent of Grendel, the story’s antagonist and cannibalistic murderer, who is depicted as a “fiend out of hell” (99), is strongly countered by the heroic actions of the stories main protagonist, Beowulf. The noble King Hrothgar is a role model for young Beowulf at the beginning of the epic, displaying acts of charity and wisdom throughout his life.

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