Beowulf.

1. The warriors in Beowulf's concern with family history is so prominent because of the poem's
emphasis on kinship bonds. Characters take pride in ancestors who have acted valiantly, and
they attempt to live up to the same standards as those ancestors.
2. Throughout the story of Beowulf, one finds many elements of Christian philosophy: that man
survives only through the protection of God, that all earthly gifts flow from God, and that the
proper bearing of man is to be humble and unselfish. When Beowulf relates his battle
with Grendel's mother, he states that "The fight would have ended straightaway if God had not
guarded me" (1.4). Further exemplified by the powerfully stated "most often He has guided the
man without friends" (1.5), there is a sense of mystical protection permeating all of Beowulf's
actions. However, there is also a strong sense that God's protection must be earned; a warrior
must first be true to his values, courage, honesty, pride, and humility and only then will he earn
God's protection. In addition to earthly protection, there is also the sense that all earthly good,
be it success or wealth, derives from God. For example, when about to fight Grendel's mother
in her cave, Beowulf sees a great weapon hanging on the wall. But he does not take credit for
this perception. The credit is given to God: "But the Wielder of Men granted me that I should
see hanging on the wall a fair, ancient great-sword" (1.5). And later in the
passage,Hrothgar tells Beowulf that even the status of king is achieved through the grace of
God. When telling of Heremod, a king who falls victim to pride and
selfishness, Hrothgar tells Beowulf "he turned away from the joys of men, alone, notorious
king, although mighty God had raised him in power, in the joys of strength, had set him up over
all men" (4.4). And again, "It is a wonder to say how in His great spirit God gives wisdom to
mankind, land and earlship. He possesses power over all things. At times He lets the thought of
a man of high lineage move in delight" (5.1). In other words, a king's earthly power is only an
illusion. The true power lies with God. Any "delight" that a man enjoys here on earth is
achieved only through the grace of God.
3. The Anglo-Saxons were a viking culture (they came to the UK). The story of Beowulf is set in
Scandinavia, which is also home to viking cultures. Beowulf is a Geat, that was a Viking culture
found in Sweden. And the Danes, were also a Viking culture found in the area we call Denmark
today (roughly). Grendel's Mother may be influenced by viking mythological creatures like the
'ketta' or the 'draugr' as seen in other sagas found in various Viking-related cultures. Concepts
like wyrd/fate, wergild, comitatus, values of the culture, the Viking concept of the "Hero" or
Warrior, etc.
4. Code of loyalty: in Beowulf, at those times loyalty was the main or most important quality that
a man should have. It was honourable to be faithful to the king or any other figure that the
worshipped like gods, kings, warriors, heroes.

Society structure: King, warriors-who were loyal to the king, villager-common people.

Good king quality: eloquent speaker, renewed leaders, great warriors, noble ancestors, be a
hero, be courageous and strong.

Courageous: brave, able to face and deal with danger, heroic, fearless, firm in purpose and
belief, audacious, dauntless, lion-hearted, and determined.

5. Grendel and the other monsters were descendants of Cain, and according to the Bible they
were murderous creatures and they represented evil. On the other hand it is set that God
favours Beowulf’s pride over Grendel and grants overwhelming victory. Beowulf as a
representative of good, had always fought with fate on his side but in the last battle, glory was
denied to him because he was already doomed to die.
6. The women that appear in Beowulf are: Wealhtheow, Hygd, Hildeburh, Freawaru, Thyrth and
Grendel’s mother. There are two queens among them: Wealhtheow and Hygd. They are both
queens in that they are married to the king, and they are hostesses in that they receive people
in the hall and make sure that everyone is drinking and having a good time.
7. At those times he was considered a hero because he protected the innocent and fought off the
monsters that sought to kill and destroy the land and the people. He also reunited the qualities
that at those times were considered necessary to have so as to be a hero. Nowadays our idea
of a hero is different from that we just have said. We do not expect a hero to kill or to promote
violence, so Beowulf is a hero or not depending on what you consider a hero is.
8. Reputation: was a motivating factor for Beowulf. He is concerned about how the rest of the
world will see him. Reputation is also the single quality that endures after death, his key to
immortality.(ex. lines: 228-239;392-395;572-575;1025-1031)
9.
GRENDEL DRAGON
CAUSE A slave entered in its tower
and stole a cup to buy his
freedom.

BEOWULF’S MOTIVATION To help Hrothgar, but also to

show off his abilities and to
not let his people down.
THE SEAFARER.
1- Hunger, loneliness, fear, pain, cold, storms, desolation.
2- Very keen and excited, nothing else matters when he leaves the shore.
3- “Orchards blossom, the towns bloom, fields grow lovely as the world springs fresh…”
4- “The days are gone when the kingdoms of earth flourished in glory; now there are no
rulers, no emperors, no givers of gold, as once there were, when wonderful things were
worked among them and they lived in lordly magnificence. Those powers have vanished,
those pleasures are dead.”
5- To be Christian, to follow God, to live in harmony, to treat world with love or hate but
never with harm.
6- Hopelessness.
7- The attitude towards fate in the poem "The Seafarer" is a negative one. The seafarer feels
threatened; never knowing which of Fate's three threats would fall: illness, age, or an
enemy's sword, snatching the life from his soul.
8- No, the speaker always talks about desolation and sadness during his life. ”My feet were
caste in icy bands, bound with frost, with frozen chains, and hardship groaned around my
heart”.
10- The home is land or the shore, not sailing.
11- At the sea the speaker suffers but, on the one hand, it is his own decision. He love
sailing but he also suffer during his trips.
12- The message is religious because at the beginning of the poem the writer shows a
suffering atmosphere. But then, when he starts to talk about God and his power of
salvation things start to go well.
Ecclesiastical History of English people.

1- Arguments that convinced Edwin to convert to Christianity:

“These new doctrines (…) are found to be better and more effectually let us accept them at once
without any delay”. “If this new doctrine brings us more certain information, it seems right that we
should accept it.” “I confess openly that the truth shines out clearly in this teaching which can bestow on
us the gift of life, salvation and eternal happiness”.

2- It is the story of the sparrow flying through the Kings Hall in winter that interests me today. We
can imagine that little bird in the howling cold outside the hall being drawn towards the
warmth, the light and the sounds of the Kings feast. He flies into the hall perhaps pausing
briefly to peck at a few crumbs on the floor before being disturbed and flying out again into the
dark night. That story of course stands for our journey through life. Without God and eternal
life it seems like our journey is brief and with a little comfort but essentially from the dark and
the unknown into the dark and the unknown. Like a senseless bird, few stop to consider the
meaning of this curious journey, this fleeting flight of consciousness, this brief life.

4- Before his dream, Caedmon was skillful in composing religious and devotional songs, although he had
never learnt anything about poetry, and he followed a secular occupation.

After his dream, he was instructed in the events of sacred history, joined the monastery and learnt the
narratives of the bible. He became a deeply religious man and firmly resisted all who tried to do evil.

5- Caedmon had to give an account of his dream and repeat the verses in the presence of many learned
men so as to verify the origin and quality of his poetry. It revealed that Caedom’s gift has been given him
by our Lord, and when they had explained to him a passage of scriptural history of doctrine, they asked
him to render it into verse if he could.

7- The poem that came to Caedmon’s mind talks about God and worships him and all he created.
Heaven is compared to a roof that covers men and the earth is compared to the place for them to live
in.

9- A humble poet was so revered during his time because people used to think that the ability of making
such beautiful songs and poems was a gift given from God. And, as Christianity was a new belief , no one
dared to call into question a poet like Caedmon.

Nowadays, poets are not so important because the can write about any matter. Not just religious
themes as in Caedmon’s times.