Beowulf, heroic poem, the highest achievement of Old English literature and

the earliest European vernacular epic. The work deals with events of the early
6th century, and, while the date of its composition is uncertain, some scholars
believe that it was written in the 8th century. Although originally untitled, the
poem was later named after the Scandinavian hero Beowulf, whose exploits
and character provide its connecting theme. There is no evidence of a
historical Beowulf, but some characters, sites, and events in the poem can be
historically verified. The poem did not appear in print until 1815. It is
preserved in a single manuscript that dates to circa 1000 and is known as
the Beowulf manuscript

Plot
Beowulf falls into two parts. It opens in Denmark, where King Hrothgar has
a splendid mead hall known as Heorot, a place of celebration and much merriment.
However, the joyous noise angers Grendel, an evil monster living in a nearby swamp.
For 12 years the creature terrorizes Heorot with nightly visits in which he carries off
Hrothgar’s warriors and devours them.

After learning of the Danes’ trouble, young Beowulf, a prince of the Geats in what is now
southern Sweden, arrives with a small band of retainers and offers to rid Heorot of its
monster. Hrothgar is astonished at the little-known hero’s daring but welcomes him.
After an evening of feasting, much courtesy, and some discourtesy—at one point, one of
Hrothgar’s men insults Beowulf—the king retires, leaving Beowulf in charge. During the
night, Grendel comes from the moors, rips open the heavy doors, and devours one of the
sleeping Geats. He then grapples with Beowulf, who refuses to use a weapon. Beowulf
grips one of Grendel’s hands with such force that the monster finally wrenches himself
free only when his arm is torn off at the shoulder. Mortally wounded, Grendel returns to
his swamp and dies. Beowulf then displays the monster’s arm in Heorot for all to see.

The next day is one of rejoicing in Heorot, and a feast is thrown in Beowulf’s honour.
However, as the warriors sleep that night, Grendel’s mother, another swamp monster,
comes to avenge her son’s death, and she kills one of Hrothgar’s men. In the morning
Beowulf dives into her mere (lake) to search for her, and she attacks him. They struggle
in her dry cave at the mere’s bottom, and Beowulf finally kills her with a sword. In the
cave, Beowulf discovers Grendel’s corpse, whose head he cuts off and takes back to
Heorot. The Danes rejoice once more. Hrothgar makes a farewell speech about the
character of the true hero, and Beowulf, enriched with honours and princely gifts,
returns home to King Hygelac of the Geats.
 Britannica Quiz

Folklore of the British Isles Quiz

The second part passes rapidly over Hygelac’s subsequent death in a battle (of historical
record), the death of his son, and Beowulf’s succession to the kingship and his peaceful
rule of 50 years. However, the tranquility ends when a fire-breathing dragon becomes
enraged after a man steals from its treasure-filled lair. The creature begins ravaging
Geatland, and the brave but aging Beowulf decides to engage it, despite knowing that he
will likely die. The fight is long and terrible—a painful contrast to the battles of his
youth. Painful too is the desertion of all his retainers except for his young kinsman
Wiglaf, who comes to his aid. They ultimately kill the venomous dragon, but Beowulf is
mortally wounded from a bite in the neck. Before he dies, he names Wiglaf his
successor. Beowulf is cremated on a funeral pyre, and his remains are buried in
a barrow built by the sea. As his people mourn his death, they also express the fear that,
without Beowulf, Geatland will be invaded by nearby tribes.

Analysis
Beowulf belongs metrically, stylistically, and thematically to a heroic tradition grounded
in Germanic religion and mythology. It is also part of the broader tradition of heroic
poetry. Many incidents, such as the tearing-off of the monster’s arm and the hero’s
descent into the mere, are familiar motifs from folklore. The ethical values are
manifestly the Germanic code of loyalty to chief and tribe and vengeance to enemies. Yet
the poem is so infused with a Christian spirit that it lacks the grim fatality of many of
the Eddaic lays or the sagas of Icelandic literature. Beowulf himself seems more
altruistic than other Germanic heroes or the ancient Greek heroes of the Iliad. It is
significant that his three battles are not against men, which would entail the retaliation
of the blood feud, but against evil monsters, enemies of the whole community and of
civilization itself. Many critics have seen the poem as a Christian allegory in which
Beowulf, the champion of goodness and light, fights the forces of evil and darkness. His
sacrificial death is seen not as tragic but as befitting the end of a good (some would say
“too good”) hero’s life.

That is not to say that Beowulf is an optimistic poem. English writer and Old English
scholar J.R.R. Tolkien suggested that its total effect is more like a long lyrical elegy than
an epic. Even the earlier, happier section in Denmark is filled with ominous references
that would have been well understood by contemporary audiences. Thus, after Grendel’s
death, King Hrothgar speaks sanguinely of the future, which the audience would know
will end with the destruction of his line and the burning of Heorot. In the second part
the movement is slow and funereal: scenes from Beowulf’s youth are replayed in a minor
key as a counterpoint to his last battle, and the mood becomes increasingly sombre as
the wyrd (fate) that comes to all men closes in on him.
Editions and adaptations
Beowulf was translated into numerous languages. Modern English renderings
by Seamus Heaney (1999) and Tolkien (completed 1926; published 2014) became best
sellers. It was also the source for retellings in various books. John
Gardner’s Grendel (1971), for example, took the point of view of the monster,
while Maria Dahvana Headley’s The Mere Wife (2018) was set in contemporary
American suburbia and offered a more sympathetic portrayal of Grendel’s mother, who
was presented as an army veteran suffering from PTSD. In 2020 Headley also published
a feminist translation of Beowulf, and her version featured modern language, including
slang and profanities.

Beowulf’s enduring appeal was also evident in its numerous film, television, and
theatrical adaptations. Robert Zemeckis’s 2007 movie, a blend of animation and live
action, was cowritten by Neil Gaiman and featured a cast that included Anthony
Hopkins and Angelina Jolie. The poem also inspired the film Beowulf & Grendel (2005)
and the TV movie Grendel (2007). Notable stage productions included the
opera Grendel (2006), which was directed by Julie Taymor, who also cowrote the
libretto. In addition, various video games and comic books were inspired by Beowulf.

It is about a geat warrior of the geats tribes, who defended the Danish kingdom and his own
kingdom from various monsters,
The poem started on Hrothgar, the king of the danes who build a grand/mead hall called “Herot”
to celebrate his reign, when the hall was finished he made a huge feast and as they were
celebrating a monster who came from a biblical cane and got curious wondering what the
warriors were doing, at night when they were done drinking Grendel goes inside the hall, he
found them all asleep and as a monster he is he attacks and snatched 30 men and killed them.
The king Hrothgar discovers them in the morning with bloodshed and Grendel’s reign of terror
started, people mourned and again at that night Grendel came back, killed people and that
continues killing as often as he could, but he never dared to touch the king Hrothgar’s throne that
was protected by God.
12 years passed, a loyal and strongest warrior of the geats tribe heard about the terror of Grendel
and decided to help the Danish kingdom and brought the mightiest men of the geats 14 in all,
they all sailed then arrived at the danes kingdom and Wulfgar, one of king Hrothgar’s soldiers
informed the king of their arrival.
He welcomed him and Beowulf introduced himself saying that he has heard about the bloodshed
that was happening in herot and insists on helping them and said that it will be either he will kill
Grendel or he will be killed, the king gladly accepted his offer and promises him all of his gold
and then the danes and the geats had a feast.
After that the king and his followers left the hall while Beowulf and his warriors stayed to fight
Grendel without a sword, as they were waiting Grendel arrived killing one of Beowulf’s men,
Grendel had a hard time fighting Beowulf and his men and tried to flee but failed miserably as
Beowulf and managed to caught the monsters arm and gripped it until it was ripped apart from
his body and flee to his den and eventually died.
They had another feast to celebrate it, however Grendel’s mother came to the hall seeking for
revenge and managed to snatch one of Hrothgar’s close friends and came back to her lair, the
king sent Beowulf to the monsters lair into the deep lake and found Grendel’s mother ready to
attack, he attacked her with a sword but found out that it was useless against her skin, but then
found another sword and uses it to cut her head off, before leaving he saw Grendel’s dead body
and decided to cut his head off too.
The danes have given up the hopes that Beowulf was still alive, but they were shocked when
Beowulf showed up with Grendel’s head, they celebrated then Beowulf and his men return
home, after his uncle and cousin died, he became the King of the Geats.
In his 50th year of prosperity, a fire-breathing dragon terrorizes his kingdom seeking revenge on
a geat servant that stole a golden cup from its lair, Beowulf decided to face the dragon kowing
that this might be his last, as he faced the dragon without any sword his men got scared and ran
but only one of them stayed, Wiglaf son of Wexstan a good soldier and fought the dragon along
with Beowolf, but just when he was able to kill the monster, the dragon bites him and a poison
spread throughout his body, with him dying he told Wiglaf that he should get the dragons
treasure, then Wiglaf returns to the geats announcing that their king has died and scolding the
warriors who fled during the fight and declaring that no one should inherit the treasure and then
they placed the treasure into Beowulf’s funeral mound as they all mourn for his death.e