Beowulf is the longest epic poem in Old English, written between the 8th Beowulf and the early 11th century. The author was an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet. It is centred around the heroic deeds of a great warrior, who kills monsters and fights all kinds of different enemies, including a dragon.
 The story highlights the values traditionally associated with the epic genre: courage in battle, loyalty to one’s chief and people, strength, generosity and endurance. The poem is set in Scandinavia.
 This adaptation is written in modern narrative form and contains dossiers about epic poetry, the language used, and the historical and cultural context.
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Audioscripts - Key to Summing-up Activities.
 
 Beowulf è il più lungo poema in Old English. Narra le eroiche imprese di un grande e valoroso guerriero che uccide mostri e combatte contro nemici di ogni genere, tra cui un terribile drago. La storia esalta tutti i valori tradizionalmente associati all’epica: coraggio, lealtà, generosità e resilienza. Una stimolante lettura che offre anche approfondimenti sulla poesia epica, la lingua usata, e riferimenti al periodo storico e culturale.

Beowulf: Presentation

Chapter 1 – Grendel the Monster

Extension: Epic poetry

Chapter 2 – Grendel’s Death

Extension: The Anglo-Saxons

Chapter 3 – The End of the Monster

Extension: The language of Beowulf

Chapter 4 – The King and the Dragon

Extension: Graves and treasure

Chapter 5 – Beowulf’s Barrow

Extension: Beowulf ’s influence

Summing-up activities

Glossary

E X T E N S I O N THE ANGLO-SAXONS To understand the historical context of Beowulf, it is necessary to speak about the different peoples who invaded Britain in the course of history. First the Romans, who occupied it for about 400 years, from 43 CE1 to 410 CE, when Emperor Honorius called back all the Roman troops. When they left, the country remained undefended against the attacks from the savage populations of the North (the Picts and the Scots) and of Ireland; but also from the invasions of different populations of Germanic origin, who came on ships from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. At first, they came only to raid2 the eastern coast, but later they returned in greater numbers and began the real conquest. These invaders were a mix of tribes; the largest ones were the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. The land they settled in was called  Angle-land , from which the name  England  comes. By the beginning of the 7th century, they had won the greater part of the country, while most of the original Celtic population   the Britons 1. CE: an acronym meaning  Current Era ; it is the same as AD which means  Anno Domini . Both notations refer to the Gregorian Calendar. 2. raid: to attack suddenly. 36 

  had been killed, made slaves, or driven away to the north or to the west. With time, seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were formed. As a result of this process, the Anglo-Saxons became the majority of the population and their languages, religion and customs became dominant. The first invaders were warriors, but later came farmers, who cultivated the land, kept domestic animals and knew apiculture. Honey was important to them, not only to make food sweet, but also as the main ingredient of  mead , the alcoholic drink mentioned in Beowulf. When they arrived in England, the Anglo-Saxons were pagan.They were superstitious and believed in a number of gods   common also to German mythology   and in mythical creatures, like dragons and monsters. To remain in the memory of the living was the form of immortality that every man desired most. And a man was only remembered if he had acquired glory thanks to his courage, strength and generosity. We know little about the pre-Christian Anglo-Saxons, because they left no written records.They had a runic alphabet3, but it was only used to carve4 inscriptions on metal or stone and not for longer texts. The Anglo-Saxons adopted the Roman alphabet only after the Christianization of England, which began in 597 CE. Gradually Christianity replaced paganism. By the middle of the 8th century, the process was complete. In the 8th century, the Vikings   a fierce population from Scandinavia   began to raid the English coasts. Violent fights between the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons went on until approximately the year 1000, and the final result was a division of the territory. Finally, in 1066, William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, invaded Britain and defeated the Anglo-Saxon king and nobility in the Battle of Hastings. That was the end of the Anglo-Saxon era. The most important source of information for the period described is The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a chronological account of events of the Anglo-Saxon and Norman period, originally commissioned by King Alfred the Great and first put together during his reign (871-899). Another extremely important document about the early history of the Anglo-Saxons is the Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum, written by a monk, the Venerable The Venerable Bede. Bede, in about 731. 3. runic alphabet: an alphabet made of runes, that is, letters of ancient Germanic languages. 4. carve: to cut into stone or wood. 37 

"Beowulf," il più lungo poema in Old English, narra le eroiche imprese di un guerriero. Con approfondimenti su epica, lingua, valori tradizionali

Beowulf Collana RAINBOWS

Level B1 • Pre-Intermediate - Collana RAINBOWS

Beowulf

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