Beowulf Characters Analysis: Literature Guides - A Research Guide Beowulf The epic hero or protagonist. He is hero of the Geats who defeats Grendel and his Ogress mother. King Hrothgar Feeling Stuck on Your Essay? Get Expert Help for All of Your Writing Needs! Hire Writer The King of the Danes, or Scylds. Grendel An ogre or demon, Grendel is a descendant of the biblical murderer Cain. Grendel’s Mother An ogress, or female demon, she is never named in the poem. The Dragon Another evil principle. Scyld Scefing This is the ancient mythic ancestor of the Danes. Unferth A Danish warrior who would have the legitimate duty to fight Grendel on behalf of his kind. Wiglaf A kinsman and knight under Beowulf.
West Saxon dialect Early West Saxon[edit] Early West Saxon was the language employed by King Alfred (849–899), used in the many literary translations produced under Alfred's patronage (and some by Alfred himself). It is often referred to as Alfredian Old English, or Alfredian. The language of these texts nonetheless sometimes reflects the influence of other dialects besides that of Wessex. List of texts: King Alfred's Preface to Gregory's Pastoral Care Late West Saxon[edit] By the time of the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the language had evolved into Late West Saxon, which had established itself as a written language and replaced the Alfredian language,[1] following the Athewoldian language reform set in train by Bishop Æthelwold of Winchester. In the Wessex Gospels from around 990, the text of Matthew 6:9–13, the Lord's Prayer, is as follows: Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum, si þin nama gehalgod. To becume þin rice, gewurþe ðin willa, on eorðan swa swa on heofonum. Urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg,
Hrothgar Queen Wealhþeow serving Hrothgar (background, centre) and his men. Illustration from a 1908 children's book. Hrothgar (Old English: Hrōðgār [ˈr̥oːðɡɑːr]; Old Norse: Hróarr) is portrayed in medieval sources as a Danish king living around the early sixth century CE.[1] Hrothgar appears in the Anglo-Saxon epics Beowulf and Widsith, in Norse sagas and poems, and in medieval Danish chronicles. Names[edit] Hrothgar, also rendered Hrōðgār, is an Old English form attested in Beowulf and Widsith, the earliest sources to mention the character. Anglo-Saxon poems[edit] Beowulf[edit] A mention of Hrothgar in the Beowulf In the epic poem Beowulf, Hrothgar is mentioned as the builder of the great hall Heorot, and ruler of Denmark when the Geatish hero Beowulf arrives to defeat the monster Grendel. After Beowulf defeats Grendel's mother, Hrothgar rewards him again, and then preaches a sermon in which he warns Beowulf to beware of arrogance and forgetfulness of God.[21] Widsith[edit] Scandinavian sources[edit]
Old English Old English (Ænglisc, Anglisc, Englisc), or Anglo-Saxon,[2] is the earliest historical form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers probably in the mid-5th century, and the first Old English literary works date from the mid-7th century. After the Norman conquest of 1066, English was replaced, for a time, as the language of the upper classes by Anglo-Norman, a relative of French. This is regarded as marking the end of the Old English era, as during this period the English language was heavily influenced by Anglo-Norman, developing into a phase known now as Middle English. Old English is one of the West Germanic languages, and its closest relatives are Old Frisian and Old Saxon. Like other old Germanic languages, it is very different from Modern English and difficult for Modern English speakers to understand without study. Terminology[edit] History[edit] Dialects[edit] Lo!
Grendel An illustration of Grendel by J. R. Skelton from Stories of Beowulf. Story[edit] Beowulf's author often uses various substitute phrases for Grendel's name like this one, the "mark-stepper," an inhabitant of the borderland. Grendel is originally found in the poem Beowulf, which is contained in the Nowell Codex.[4] Grendel, being cursed as the descendant of the Biblical Cain, is "harrowed" by the sounds of singing that come every night from the mead-hall of Heorot built by King Hrothgar. Scholarship[edit] Tolkien[edit] In 1936, J.R.R. Physical Description[edit] During the decades following Tolkien's essay, the exact description of Grendel became a huge source of debate for scholars. In Beowulf, Grendel's physical features do not get an extensive description. Debate over Grendel's nature[edit] Some scholars have linked Grendel's descent from Cain to the monsters and giants of the Cain tradition.[14] ... the other, warped in the shape of a man, moves beyond the pale in former days.[15] Sonya R.
Beowulf | Summary, Characters, & Analysis Top Questions What is Beowulf? Beowulf is a heroic poem, considered the highest achievement of Old English literature and the earliest European vernacular epic. Where does Beowulf take place? Who was Beowulf written by? The author of Beowulf is unknown. What does Beowulf present to Hrothgar? Upon his return to Heorot, Beowulf presents to King Hrothgar Grendel’s decapitated head and the jeweled hilt of the sword he used to kill Grendel’s mother. Was Beowulf real? There is no evidence of a historical Beowulf, but other characters, sites, and events in the poem can be historically verified. Summary Read a brief summary of this topic Beowulf, heroic poem, the highest achievement of Old English literature and the earliest European vernacular epic. Beowulf falls into two parts. Britannica Quiz A Study of Poetry If roses are red and violets blue, in poetry, what does the word "foot" refer to? The next day is one of rejoicing in Heorot, and a feast is thrown in Beowulf’s honour. New from Britannica
Grendel's mother An illustration of Grendel's mother by J.R. Skelton from Stories of Beowulf (1908) described as a "water witch" trying to stab Beowulf. Grendel's mother, who is never given a name in the text, is the subject of ongoing controversy among medieval scholars. This is due to the ambiguity of a few words in Old English which appear in the original Beowulf manuscript. While there is consensus over the word "modor" (mother), the phrase "ides, aglæcwif" is the subject of scholarly debate. Story[edit] The poem, Beowulf, is contained in the Nowell Codex. Function in and structure of the poem[edit] The first page of the Beowulf manuscript. Some scholars have argued that the female characters in Beowulf fulfill certain established roles such as hostess (Wealhþeow and Hygd) and peace-weaver (Freawaru and Hildeburh). Debates on Grendel's mother[edit] This lack of consensus has led to the production of a few seminal texts by scholars over the past few decades. Monster or demon[edit] Doreen M.E.
Language change Causes[edit] Economy: Speakers tend to make their utterances as efficient and effective as possible to reach communicative goals. Purposeful speaking therefore involves a trade-off of costs and benefits. The principle of least effort tends to result in phonetic reduction of speech forms. Types[edit] All languages change continually,[7] and do so in many and varied ways. Marcel Cohen details various types of language change under the overall headings of the external evolution[8] and internal evolution of languages.[9] Lexical changes[edit] The study of lexical changes forms the diachronic portion of the science of onomasiology. The ongoing influx of new words into the English language (for example) helps make it a rich field for investigation into language change, despite the difficulty of defining precisely and accurately the vocabulary available to speakers of English. Phonetic and phonological changes[edit] The concept of sound change covers both phonetic and phonological developments. Books
Unferð Etymology[edit] Unferth's name can be understood in a number of ways. A common reading, by Morton W. Bloomfield is to see it as un + frith, "mar peace":[1] similarly, J. R. R. Other scholars, such as R.D. The first element of the name, un, appears exclusively as hun in the sole manuscript of Beowulf. In Old English, un usually functions as a negative prefix. Appearances in Beowulf[edit] Unferth appears a total of five times in Beowulf. Challenge of Beowulf (lines 499-558)[edit] Unferth first appears at line 499: Hunferð maþelode, Ecglafes bearn,þe æt fotum sæt frean Scyldinga. Unferth spoke, Ecglaf's son,He who sat at the feet of the lord of the Scyldings. The poet states that Unferth is envious of Beowulf's fame (since Beowulf has offered to defeat the monster Grendel, which Unferth has failed to do). At line 506, Unferth impugns Beowulf, bringing up the story of Beowulf's swimming-contest with Breca the son of Beanstan. Change of heart (lines 980-984)[edit] At the mere (lines 1455-1472)[edit]
Sound change Research on sound change is usually conducted on the working assumption that it is regular, which means that it is expected to apply mechanically whenever its structural conditions are met, irrespective of any nonphonological factors (such as the meaning of the words affected). However, apparent exceptions to regular change can occur—due to dialect borrowing, grammatical analogy, or other causes, known and unknown—and some changes are described as "sporadic", meaning that they affect only one particular word or a few words, without any apparent regularity. The Neogrammarian linguists of the 19th century introduced the term "sound law" to refer to rules of regular change, perhaps in imitation of the laws of physics.[1] and the term "law" is still used in referring to specific sound rules named after their authors, such as Grimm's Law, Grassmann's Law, etc.. Each sound change is limited in space and time. The formal notation of sound change[edit] A statement of the form For example, POc.
Wiglaf Wiglaf (Old English Wīġlāf pronunciation: [ˈwiːjlɑːf]) is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. He is the son of Weohstan, a Swede of the Wægmunding clan who had entered the service of Beowulf, king of the Geats. Wiglaf is called Scylfing as a metonym for Swede, as the Scylfings were the ruling Swedish clan. While in the service of the Scylfing Onela, king of the Swedes, Weohstan killed the rebel prince Eanmund and took his sword as a trophy;[1] Wiglaf later inherited it.[2] Weohstan belonged to the clan of the Wægmundings, the same clan Beowulf's father Ecgþeow belonged to; so Wiglaf is Beowulf's distant cousin, and his only living relative at the time of Beowulf's death. Beowulf[edit] 1908 depiction of Wiglaf speaking to Beowulf after his battle with the dragon. Wiglaf first appears in Beowulf at line 2602, as a member of the band of thanes who go with Beowulf to seek out the dragon that has attacked Geat-Land. Etymological significance[edit] Cultural references[edit]
Language development Process of language acquisition Language development in humans is a process starting early in life. Infants start without knowing a language, yet by 10 months, babies can distinguish speech sounds and engage in babbling. Typically, children develop receptive language abilities before their verbal or expressive language develops.[2] Receptive language is the internal processing and understanding of language. Usually, productive/expressive language is considered to begin with a stage of pre-verbal communication in which infants use gestures and vocalizations to make their intents known to others. Children learn syntax through imitation, instruction, and reinforcement.[4][5][6] Theoretical frameworks[edit] Language development is thought to proceed by ordinary processes of learning in which children acquire the forms, meanings, and uses of words and utterances from the linguistic input. An older empiricist theory, the behaviorist theory proposed by B. Biological preconditions[edit]
Dragon A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that features in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern mythologies, and the Chinese dragon, with counterparts in Japan (namely the Japanese dragon), Korea and other East Asian countries.[1] The two traditions may have evolved separately, but have influenced each other to a certain extent, particularly with the cross-cultural contact of recent centuries. The English word "dragon" derives from Greek δράκων (drákōn), "dragon, serpent of huge size, water-snake".[2] Name Dragon head on a roof of a temple in Taiwan Morphology Dragons are usually shown in modern times with a body like a huge lizard, or a snake with two pairs of lizard-type legs, and able to emit fire from their mouths. Comparative mythology Saint George Killing the Dragon, 1434/35, by Martorell Europe