Beowulf

By Wisehouse Classics

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important works of Old English literature. The date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating pertains to the manuscript, which was produced between 975 and 1025. The author was an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet, referred to by scholars as the "Beowulf poet". The story is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall in Heorot has been under attack by a monster known as Grendel. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother attacks the hall and is then also defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland (Götaland in modern Sweden) and becomes king of the Geats. Fifty years later, Beowulf defeats a dragon, but is mortally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants cremate his body and erect a tower on a headland in his memory. The full story survives in the manuscript known as the Nowell Codex. It has no title in the original manuscript, but has become known by the name of the story's protagonist. In 1731, the manuscript was badly damaged by a fire that swept through Ashburnham House in London that had a collection of medieval manuscripts assembled by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton. The Nowell Codex is housed in the British Library.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wisehouse Classics
• Release date: May 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9789176377055

Book preview

BEOWULF

BEOWULF

by

anonymous

W

Wisehouse Classics

Anonymous

BEOWULF

Translated by Francis Barton Gummere

Published by Wisehouse Classics – Sweden

ISBN 978-91-7637-705-5

Wisehouse Classics is a Wisehouse Imprint.

© Wisehouse 2020 – Sweden

www.wisehouse-publishing.com

© Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photographing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher.

CONTENTS

PRELUDE OF THE FOUNDER OF THE DANISH HOUSE

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PRELUDE OF THE FOUNDER

OF THE DANISH HOUSE

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