Hrothgar King of the Danes, Sorrow Heaped at His Door by Hell-Forged Hands

BEOWULF

CHARACTERS

Hrothgar—“king of the Danes, sorrow heaped at his door by hell-forged hands”

Grendel—“a powerful monster, living down in the darkness”

Beowulf—“the strongest of the Geats—greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world”

Higlac—king of the Geats and Beowulf’s uncle

Grendel’s Mother—“greedy she-wolf” and “mighty water witch”

Wiglaf—devoted soldier and cousin of Beowulf; “I’d rather burn myself than see flames swirling around my lord”

LITERARY TERMS

alliteration—the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words; used to emphasize particular words or images, heighten moods, or create musical effects; ex. Grendel

Went up to Herot, wondering what the warriors would do…

kenning—a descriptive phrase or compound word that replaces a noun; ex. in place of Grendel’s name: “the Almighty’s enemy” and “sin-stained demon”

stock epithet—adjectives that point out special traits of people or things; ex. “hell-forged” and “strong-hearted”

caesura—a pause that divides each line into two parts, creating the strong rhythm of Old English poetry

epic—a long narrative poem that celebrates a hero’s deeds

BEOWULF

CHARACTERS

Hrothgar—“king of the Danes, sorrow heaped at his door by hell-forged hands”

Grendel—“a powerful monster, living down in the darkness”

Beowulf—“the strongest of the Geats—greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world”

Higlac—king of the Geats and Beowulf’s uncle

Grendel’s Mother—“greedy she-wolf” and “mighty water witch”

Wiglaf—devoted soldier and cousin of Beowulf; “I’d rather burn myself than see flames swirling around my lord”

LITERARY TERMS

alliteration—the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words; used to emphasize particular words or images, heighten moods, or create musical effects; ex. Grendel

Went up to Herot, wondering what the warriors would do…

kenning—a descriptive phrase or compound word that replaces a noun; ex. in place of Grendel’s name: “the Almighty’s enemy” and “sin-stained demon”

stock epithet—adjectives that point out special traits of people or things; ex. “hell-forged” and “strong-hearted”

caesura—a pause that divides each line into two parts, creating the strong rhythm of Old English poetry

epic—a long narrative poem that celebrates a hero’s deeds

BEOWULF

CHARACTERS

Hrothgar—“king of the Danes, sorrow heaped at his door by hell-forged hands”

Grendel—“a powerful monster, living down in the darkness”

Beowulf—“the strongest of the Geats—greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world”

Higlac—king of the Geats and Beowulf’s uncle

Grendel’s Mother—“greedy she-wolf” and “mighty water witch”

Wiglaf—devoted soldier and cousin of Beowulf; “I’d rather burn myself than see flames swirling around my lord”

LITERARY TERMS

alliteration—the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words; used to emphasize particular words or images, heighten moods, or create musical effects; ex. Grendel

Went up to Herot, wondering what the warriors would do…

kenning—a descriptive phrase or compound word that replaces a noun; ex. in place of Grendel’s name: “the Almighty’s enemy” and “sin-stained demon”

stock epithet—adjectives that point out special traits of people or things; ex. “hell-forged” and “strong-hearted”

caesura—a pause that divides each line into two parts, creating the strong rhythm of Old English poetry

epic—a long narrative poem that celebrates a hero’s deeds

BEOWULF

CHARACTERS

Hrothgar—“king of the Danes, sorrow heaped at his door by hell-forged hands”

Grendel—“a powerful monster, living down in the darkness”

Beowulf—“the strongest of the Geats—greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world”

Higlac—king of the Geats and Beowulf’s uncle

Grendel’s Mother—“greedy she-wolf” and “mighty water witch”

Wiglaf—devoted soldier and cousin of Beowulf; “I’d rather burn myself than see flames swirling around my lord”

LITERARY TERMS

alliteration—the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words; used to emphasize particular words or images, heighten moods, or create musical effects; ex. Grendel

Went up to Herot, wondering what the warriors would do…

kenning—a descriptive phrase or compound word that replaces a noun; ex. in place of Grendel’s name: “the Almighty’s enemy” and “sin-stained demon”

stock epithet—adjectives that point out special traits of people or things; ex. “hell-forged” and “strong-hearted”

caesura—a pause that divides each line into two parts, creating the strong rhythm of Old English poetry

epic—a long narrative poem that celebrates a hero’s deeds