Beowolf Questions

Prelude

1. Shield became the ruler of the Danes despite being an orphan. He got the throne through the strength in battle. When he died he was cast out to sea on a boat filled with treasure, and everybody mourned his death. Shield is Hrothgar's great-grandfather. 

Heorot is attacked

1. Hrothgar's magnificent achievement was the hall that he had constructed, Heorot. It was attacked by Grendel with horrible results. Grendel the nightmarish beast would attack the hall every night killing the men inside, and terrorized Hrothgar's rule for twelve years. The Danes tried to offer him gold to stop, but he still continued as the Danes prayed to Pagan gods for the attacks to stop.

The Hero Comes to Heorot

1. When Beowulf hears of Grendel he decided to go try to stop him, so he sailed off with a group of warriors to help Hrothgar. 

2. When the Geats first reach Denmark they meet one of Hrothgar's guards on the coast. He questions the group of armed warriors and they say that they will help Hrothgar, so they are allowed to land.

3. Hrothgar's herald is Wulfgar who tells them that they are very brave men. He tells to same to Hrothgar, specially mentioning Beowulf's strength. Hrothgar is very happy to hear the news and trusts Beowulf to help him. Yes, it is surprising that Hrothgar knows Beowulf since they come from different cultures separated by the sea.

4. Beowulf tells Hrothgar that he will kill Grendel with his bare hands. Hrothgar settled a feud that Beowulf's dad had started.

Feast at Heorot

1. Unferth accuses Beowulf of vanity and losing to Breca in a contest. Beowulf explains that he was busy killing nine sea monsters, and declares his strength. Then he accuses Unferth of being responsible for the death on his family. This does indeed show Beowulf's arrogance and will to prove himself to others.

2. During the feast Queen Wealhtheow greeted everyone including Beowulf, and she thanked god he had come.

 The Fight with Grendel

1. Instead of arming for battle Beowulf disarms for battle, removing his armor and putting away his sword.

2. Grendel kills a man grotesquely when he enters the room then goes after Beowulf. Beowulf grabs Grendel and Grendel thrashes around trying to break free. Beowulf tore off Grendel's arm as he tried to escape. He does escape, but loses his arm, a fatal wound.

Celebration at Heorot

1. Beowulf is like Sigemund because he is a hero who saved others from a monster and he's not like Heremod because Heremod was a selfish king who never protected his people, unlike Beowulf. 

2. Hrothgar considers Beowulf as a son, and gives him a sword, a shield, a golden set of armor, and a helmet. Unferth has nothing more to say as Beowulf is clearly a hero. 

3. Finn's (leader of the Frisians) step brother (leader of the Scyldings) dies in battle, and his second in command makes truce in the war with the Frisians. With the truce the Scyldings stayed with Finn over winter, eventually killing him and leaving back with his sister Hildeburh. Using a woman to heal relations is not a good idea.

4. Wealhtheow asks Hrothgar not to give the throne to Beowulf. 

5. The necklace Beowulf is given, Beowulf eventually gives to his uncle Hygelac. Wealhtheow asks Beowulf to look after and care for her sons.

6. So many men remain in the beer hall because they don't know the danger to come, that Grendel's mother is soon coming to find revenge.

Another Attack

1. Grendel's mother has come to Heorot because she is angry about the death of her son. It is not for the same reason that Grendel had, she has come in anger and vengeance for her son.

2. Hrothgar is in great sorrow after Grendel's mother takes the kings advisor and close friend, Aeschere. Hrothgar offers Beowulf chests of gold and riches to slay the evil monster and free them yet again from evil.

3. The mere is like a lake, except it has water that boils and is full of sea serpents and dragons. No man has ever reached the bottom of the mere and very few have ever gone near it. It is where Grendel and his mother have their den.

Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother

1. Beowulf tells Hrothgar to respond to Grendel's mother by sending Beowulf and his men to slay her so that they can be free from the demons.

2. The warriors find the severed head of the adviser for the king, who had been killed the previous night by Grendel's Mother. This puts the soldiers into an uneasy and frightened state of mind.
3. Beowulf puts on mail and  takes the sword Hrunting into battle, which was the sword of Unferth, which he had said that he will shape glory with the sword, and not fail until death.
4. As Beowulf enters the mere, Beowulf is grabbed by Grendel's Mother and there is a fight between the two. He swings Hrunting into the side of the Mother's head, to no effect, then discards the sword to fight bare-handed. After Beowulf finds the massive sword to slay the Mother, he notices that the realm is filled with treasure and artifacts, in which would lay much riches, but Beowulf cared not.
5. The sword of Unferth is cast aside and then retrieved after the battle with Grendel's Mother because it is not strong enough to pierce her skin.
6. The Woven mail that he had put on himself before the battle had deflected the blow from the knife of Grendel's Mother. Then he got back on his feet and found the extremely large sword that would slay Grendel's Mother.

7. Beowulf decapitated Grendel’s mother with an enormous sword too large for any ordinary man that he grabbed from the hall. He chops off Grendel’s head and takes it with him as a trophy for his victory. When he does this, the sword melts from Grendel’s poison blood.

8. When Beowulf returns to the surface, only his loyal followers remained as the rest had assumed he had died fighting the beast and returned to Heorot. His men had not expected him to return and they rejoiced with joy when he did.

Further Celebration at Heorot

1. When Beowulf decides to leave, he gives Hrothgar the sword he had discovered in the hall while fighting Grendel’s mother.

2. Hrothgar has a message for Beowulf about Heremod. He tells us that Heremod is the father of Scyld and that he had died in battle while trying to defend his people, which is something that Beowulf had just succeeded in. The whole point of bringing up Heremod seems to compare and contrast Beowulf and Heremod.

3. He returns Unferth’s sword to him as he leaves, the swords name was Hrunting and it was ineffective against Grendel’s mother.

Beowulf Returns Home

1. He will be the king of Geats, receive many treasures, and make peace with other nations. It’s a very hopeful future.

2. Hygd is very young and beautiful. She is wise while Modthryth  is very evil and merciless.

3. He wants to end the feud between the Danes and Ingeld. Ingled will devoice the daughter and attack Hrothgar.  An old warrior will convince Ingeld to fight. No because hero’s are supposed to be always act with honor. 

4. He reports his adventures in a very exaggerated way. He’s honest about the story but he explains it in a way that builds himself up more. It’s not that expected because he’s supposed to a noble hero but he is concerned about glory so it makes sense.

5. Beowulf gives most of his treasure to Hygelac and Hygd and in return Hygd gives him treasure and land for himself. 

The Dragon Wakes

1. Part 2 takes place forty winters (forty years) later.  Hygelac has died and  there is now a dragon.

2. Thief has stolen his gold (cup). The man was poor and hungry. It was left there by a man from an ancient race who realized he like his ancestors would die and therefore buried the treasure.

3. The dragon just rampaged through the land trying to find the thief and destroys his throne hall.

4. He believes he has angered God. He makes a new shield to fight the dragon.  He will fight it alone. He will die.

5. He dies against the Frisians. Beowulf was able to get away but he mourned for his death. He was offered the thrown. He did not out of respect for Hygelac.

6.   Heardred is killed while fighting the Swedes.  Beowulf avenges him by killing Onela, the Swedish king.

7.  Beowulf brings eleven men (he is “one of twelve”) with him to meet the dragon.

8.  Hygelac’s oldest brother Herebeald was killed by a relative (Haethcyn).  An arrow missed its target and him Herebeald, killing him.  King Hrethel was devastated.  There is a lengthy portion detailing his lamentations.  War breaks out between the Swedes and the Geats.  Beowulf avenges Hygelac’s death by defeating Daeghrefn in front of “the legions”.

Beowulf Attacks the Dragon

1.  Beowulf tells his companions to wait back while he fights the dragon.  He reasons that he is the only one among them that has any hope of killing it.

2.  The first time Beowulf faces the dragon, his shield, helmet, and sword fail him, and he is wounded.  His companions all flee the dragon, except for Wiglaf, who stays to help.  He tells the others that Beowulf chose them as his companions because he believed them to be great warriors, and that they should not abandon him now in his time of need.  He rushes in to aid Beowulf.

3. The second time Beowulf meets the dragon, the dragon bites him on the neck—leaving a mortal wound.  Wiglaf ultimately impales the dragon. 

4.  Beowulf tells Wiglaf to bring the dragon’s treasure to him.  Beowulf thanks God for the treasure.  Beowulf wants to be buried in tower on a high cliff by the water.  He wants sailors to see the tower and remember his name.

Beowulf’s Funeral

1. The warriors see Wiglaf trying to reviveBeowulf. Wiglaf gets mad at them for leaving Beowolf. Wiglaf expects the Geatsto be attacked and their nation destroyed.

2. The messenger announces that Beowulf is dead.Ongentheow and his men make fun of the Geats. Hygelac comes to the Geats withreinforcements. Ongentheow retreated once he saw more men. Ongentheow wascornered by Hygelac and was killed. The messenger says that the treasure iscursed. Beowulf can’t be cursed because he had never been greedy. The finalimage is of a dragon.

3. Wiglaf tells the crowd how great Beowulf was atfighting.

4. The dragon was pushed off the edge of the cliffinto the ocean because it was evil.

5. The Geats mourned and sung and everyone was sadduring the ten day burial.

6. The Geats say that Beowulf was a kind man. It isnot something you would usually call a war hero who is killing a lot of people.