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Beowulf
Beowulf,
an Anglo-Saxon epic poem, the most
important work of Old English literature. The earliest surviving
manuscript is in the British Library; it is written in the
West Saxon dialect and is believed to date from the late
10th century. On the basis of this text, Beowulf is generally
considered to be the work of an anonymous 8th-century Anglian
poet who fused Scandinavian history and pagan mythology
with Christian elements.
The
poem consists of 3182 lines, each line with four accents
marked by alliteration and divided into two parts by a caesura.
The structure of the typical Beowulf line comes through
in modern translation, for example:
Then
came from the moor under misted cliffs
Grendel
marching God's anger he bore ...
The
somber story is told in vigorous, picturesque language,
with heavy use of metaphor; a famous example is the term
"whale-road" for sea.
The
poem tells of a hero, a Scandinavian prince named Beowulf,
who rids the Danes of the monster Grendel, half man
and half fiend, and Grendel's mother, who comes that evening
to avenge Grendel's death. Fifty years later Beowulf, now
king of his native land, fights a dragon
who has devastated his people. Both Beowulf and the dragon
are mortally wounded in the fight. The poem ends with Beowulf's
funeral as his mourners chant his epitaph.
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Thus these warriors lived in joy, blessed, until one
began to do evil deeds, a hellish enemy. The grim
spirit was called Grendel, known as a rover of the
borders, one who held the moors, fen and fastness.
Excerpt
from Beowulf
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"Beowulf,"Microsoft®
Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com
© 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
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