Changes to Old English vocabulary

Little Red Riding Hood has been told and fluctuated around for hundreds of years through many generations. It can be traced as far back as the 10th century in European folktale. Although, the best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and Brothers Grimm in the 17th and 18th century, the story has changed significantly in many ways since. Depending on versions the people in the tale can vary such as in the French version it is a woodcutter that comes in and saves Red and her grandmother…

One of the fascinating times in European history occurs during the age of the Vikings, which were between the 8th century and the 10th century. There are several different articles that possess different ideas on how the Vikings acted. For example, one article that views the Vikings as harsh and horrific human beings is titled Lindisfarne, which talks about how the Vikings raided a town in current-day England (Lindisfarne). Another example includes a NOVA interview with William Fitzhugh, an…

Beowulf is a literary work from the Anglo-Saxon time period in which the mythological and archetypal Hero Quest is portrayed. Like every literary work that includes a Hero’s Quest, the call, the obstacles, the climax, and the return are all crucial parts. The main character, Beowulf, depicts a hero in this time period. As a leader of the Geats, Beowulf is called to multiple challenges throughout his lifetime, such as killing Grendel, in order to help the Danes. Beowulf takes on multiple quests…

The cultural values of the Anglo-Saxon people reflected what might be considered a more simplistic mindset as opposed to those possessed by modern peoples, which tend to be more complex. Moreover, the cultural values of the Anglo-Saxon people can be represented through characters in the epic poem Beowulf (Heaney). The Anglo-Saxons believed that everything fell into the categories of either good or evil, with no room for anything in between. Today we like to believe that people act and think a…

“Beowulf ” is an epic poem that has been translated by Burton Raffel. It marks the beginning of English literature. This epic is filled with many amounts of action pack scenes. “Beowulf ” is set around the Anglo-Saxon period, also known as the Dark Ages. It tells the tale of a magnificent hero, Beowulf, who travels to another’s kingdom to conquer evil forces. As Beowulf gets older, he somewhat loses his luster and is defeated in his last standing battle. His death may have been tragic, but he…

Old English literature is also referred to Anglo-Saxon literature. The Anglo-Saxons were settlers from Germany that originate from the names Angeln and Saxony. The Anglo-Saxon period lasted for 600 years, from 410 to 1066. They went to Britain after the fall of The Roman Empire, around AD 410. Roman armies were needed, so they left Britain in the fifth-century to fight for their land. The Anglo-Saxons were basically their own leaders in the new land and did not contribute much, or anything to…

Beowulf, written in c.700-750AD, is one example of an epic poem written with uncanny roots to the Anglo-Saxon faith. During the approximate era the story takes place, most soldiers were illiterate, and would enlist the help of bards, or poets, to tell their stories and uphold their legacies. Though most poems written by bards, upon translation, ended up with strong Christian influences, the most fundamental aspects of Anglo-Saxon life are still evident in the work. Some of the most unequivocal…

Beowulf is an epic poem by an unknown author, written in England between the eighth and eleventh centuries and whose deeds take place in the lands of Denmark and Sweden. His 3182 verses were found for the first time in Nowel codex, a manuscript of the eleventh century, but later the work was renamed as the main protagonist, Beowulf. The manuscript and the poem are considered national treasures British despite the fact that the story is about a Scandinavian hero who fights monsters in Denmark.…

Many students and teachers believe that Beowulf contains themes that are relevant to modern day. Do you? A lot of the themes can be observed in the “Beowulf poets” Beowulf. Beowulf is centered around three battles, the main character Beowulf a warrior from Geats comes to the rescue of Hrothgar to help fight off the antagonist Grendel. The story then escalates to Beowulf fighting off Grendel’s mother and a dragon. The poem does however connect with modern day themes such as loyalty, greed, and…

the pagans (Christianity in Beowulf). The author of Beowulf referred Beowulf’s strength as a great gift from God (A Christian Apology for Beowulf and Treasure). Throughout the epic poem, there are several Biblical references that stick out. In the Old Testament, it states how God punished Cain for the murder of his brother Abel in the book of Genesis. He punishes him by cursing him to wonder, and just like in the epic poem, Grendel is punished by being cursed and to wonder. In the poem, Grendel…