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Beowulf: Difference between revisions
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''Beowulf'' is probably the most famous of all Old English literature, and is a staple of university English programs. It is usually read in translation, as it is not only written in a very old form of English, it makes heavy use of a poetic register that is quite different from prose. No one knows precisely when it was written, much less where the story originated. Certain lines of the text involve a clearly Christian narrator commenting on the pre-Christian Paganism of the characters, therefore the text is believed to have been the work of a monk recalling a much older story. The only known manuscript contains two distinct styles of writing, indicating more than one scribe was involved in the transcription. This manuscript was also damaged in a fire in 1731, so certain lines of text are obliterated and their contents purely left to conjecture.
In 1936, a lecture by [[
The story has been adapted many times. Some of the adaptations have been quite offbeat: they include John Gardner's novel ''[[Grendel (
Most (but not all) of the ''Beowulf'' references on this wiki are to the 2007 film ''[[Beowulf (
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=== The epic provides examples of: ===
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* [[Author Filibuster]]: Did you know that a proper ruler should always be benevolent, open-minded, and willing to honour his people who honour him in return? No? Don't worry, the poem will make sure you don't forget it.
* [[Authority Equals Asskicking]]: Beowulf, of course.
* [[Awesome McCoolname]]: The hero's name means [[Everything's Worse
* [[Badass Boast]]: Unferth, one of Hrothgar's men calls Beowulf a loser for losing a swimming contest. Beowulf responds that he got ambushed and had to stay on the sea floor ruining the shit of nine monsters, and tells the drunk he's going to hell.
** He took part in ''a swimming contest'' equipped with [[Self-Imposed Challenge|mail armor and a sword]].
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{{quote| '''Beowulf:''' Well, friend Unferth, you had your say about Breca and me. But it was mostly beer that was doing the talking.}}
* [[Downer Ending]]: Beowulf dies in the fight against the dragon, and it's implied that, without their leader, the Geats will be conquered by their Swedish neighbors. Of course, Saxons love reminding their readers of the fate after.
* [[Due to
* [[Establishing Character Moment]]: We first learn just who Beowulf is when we learn that as a boy, who participated in a swimming contest across the sea. In armour. Which he only lost because he was too busy beating up sea monsters.
* [[Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas]]: Grendel basically lives in his mother's basement.
* [[Everything's Worse
* [[Famed in Story]]: "The most eager for fame."
* [[Folk Hero]]: To the Geats of the story.
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* [[Royals Who Actually Do Something]]: Of course, kings in that era [[Asskicking Equals Authority|became kings by proving themselves in combat]]. Hrothgar is capable, but can't do anything, because ... he's not a hero. (No, seriously.) Of course, there is also Beowulf himself.
* [[Shout-Out]]: A minstrel in the poem compares Beowulf to [[Norse Mythology|Sigurd Fafnebane]], a hero that was known throughout the Northern tribes since the 6th century. And it's [[Foreshadowing|fitting]].
* [[Spell My Name
** The reason for this lies in that Anglo-Saxon, like most ancient languages, had no set spelling conventions. Authors wrote what they heard, and the latter part of the manuscript was copied by a second author at some point. It's entirely possible he spoke a different dialect than the original author.
* [[Sorting Algorithm of Evil]]: Each of the three monsters (Grendel, Grendel's Mother, and the dragon) is more formidible than the one before it.
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* [[World's Strongest Man]]: Beowulf is introduced this way.
* [[Wrecked Weapon]]: Twice in the story, Beowulf's sword falters when he needs it most. {{spoiler|It leads to his death.}}
* [[Youth Is Wasted
{{reflist}}
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