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 GRAVES1 AND TREASURE Burial2 practices There are few remains of the Anglo-Saxons in England. Among the most significant ones, there are certainly their graves and the objects found in them. In the period in which they dominated England, from the 5th to the early 11th century, the Anglo-Saxons employed a variety of burial practices, using both cremation3 and inhumation4. The bodies, either cremated or inhumed, were placed in cemeteries or under burial mounds5 or barrows. Another form of burial was the ship burial, which was used by many peoples in Northern Europe, especially the Vikings.The body was placed on a ship which was then sent out to sea. In some cases, they set fire to the ship; in other cases, they let it go adrift6 in the sea. This practice is mentioned at the beginning of Beowulf, where the funeral of Scyld Scefing   one of Hrothgar s ancestors   is described. In Suffolk they buried7 the ships containing the body under the ground and covered them with a mound. The largest of these ship burials was discovered in 1939 in a field near Woodbridge, in the South East of England, in a site called Sutton Hoo. The ship dates back to the 6th and early 7th centuries. Besides the ship, the cemeteries contain many burial mounds, under which human remains and artefacts8 were found. Together with the bodies or ashes, the Anglo-Saxons buried goods which could be useful to the dead in The find at Sutton Hoo. 5. mound: a large pile of stones or earth, which looks like a small hill. 6. adrift: travelling on the water without anyone controlling its course. 7. buried: put a dead body into the ground. 8. artefact: an object made by a person, especially one of historical interest. 1. grave: a place in the ground where a dead person s body is put. 2. burial: funeral. 3. cremation: the practice of burning a dead person s body. 4. inhumation: the practice of putting a dead person s body into the ground. 70 

their afterlife9. So the archaeologists found remains of food, weapons, jewellery, and also bones of animals sacrificed and buried with their masters. The ship contained a very large quantity of precious objects   gold weapons and armour, gold and silver ornaments and gold coins. It was also very large   27 metres in length; so, it was most probably the burial monument of someone of great importance, perhaps the Anglo-Saxon King Raedwald, who ruled East Anglia in the 7th century. In England, there are several sites where graves and remains of the Anglo-Saxon period have been found, also recently. In 2003, in Essex, archaeologists discovered the grave of a king of Essex from the 7th century, buried in the same way with a great quantity of treasure. The importance of treasure While reading Beowulf, we often meet the word treasure. The possession of treasure was very important for the king, who mostly conquered it in war. He then generously gave part of it to his warriors as a gift or reward for something good that they had done. So Hrothgar and his wife gave treasure to Beowulf, who gave part of it away to his king Hygelac, who, in turn, gave him back more treasure! Treasure is also what the dragon wanted and guarded for centuries, until its death. And that treasure was buried together with Beowulf s ashes at the end of the poem. The archaeological discoveries mentioned before confirm that all important people, especially kings, were buried with great quantities of treasure. Helmet found at Sutton Hoo. So what was the significance of treasure? In the Anglo-Saxon world it was evidently something more than a manifestation of wealth; it had a symbolic value which was closely associated with power and social status. Moreover, the elegance of their artefacts tells us something   it shows that they were not only barbarous warriors, but also individuals who knew and appreciated beauty and style. 9. afterlife: the life after death. 71 

"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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