Beowulf
E21035
Beowulf is an Old English epic poem that recounts the heroic deeds of its eponymous warrior as he battles monsters and a dragon, and is considered one of the most important works of early English literature.
Aliases (2)
Statements (63)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Old English epic poem
→
heroic poem → literary work → |
| adaptedAs |
films
→
graphic novels → novels → operas → |
| approximateCompositionCentury |
10th century
→
8th century → 9th century → early 11th century → |
| approximateLineCount |
3182 lines
→
|
| associatedTribe |
Danes
→
Geats → Swedes → |
| author |
unknown
→
|
| authorship |
anonymous
→
|
| centralConflict |
Beowulf vs Grendel
→
Beowulf vs Grendel's mother → Beowulf vs the dragon → |
| compositionDate |
between 8th and early 11th century
→
|
| containsEpisode |
battle with Grendel in Heorot
→
battle with Grendel's mother in her mere → final battle with the dragon → |
| countryOfOrigin |
England
→
|
| culturalSignificance |
earliest surviving epic poem in English
→
one of the most important works of early English literature → |
| featuresCharacter |
Grendel
→
Grendel's mother → Hrothgar → the dragon → |
| featuresGroup |
the Danes
→
the Geats → |
| genre |
epic poetry
→
heroic epic → |
| historicalElements |
references to Scandinavian kings and tribes
→
|
| influenced |
J. R. R. Tolkien
→
modern fantasy literature → |
| language |
Old English
→
|
| length |
over 3000 lines
→
|
| literaryPeriod |
Old English literature
→
|
| literaryTradition |
Anglo-Saxon literature
→
|
| mainCharacter |
Beowulf
→
|
| manuscript |
Nowell Codex
→
|
| manuscriptLocation |
British Library
→
|
| manuscriptShelfmark |
Cotton Vitellius A XV
→
|
| meter |
Old English alliterative meter
→
|
| narrativeStructure |
three main battles
→
|
| primaryLocation |
Denmark
→
Geatland → |
| protagonist |
Beowulf
→
|
| religiousContext |
Christian narrator with pagan setting
→
|
| setting |
Scandinavia
→
|
| theme |
fate
→
generosity and gift-giving → good vs evil → heroism → kinship → loyalty → mortality → reputation → the heroic code → |
| verseForm |
alliterative verse
→
|
Referenced by (8)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Robert Zemeckis
→
Seamus Heaney ("Beowulf: A New Translation") → |
notableWork |
|
Robert Zemeckis
→
|
directed |
|
British Library
("Beowulf manuscript")
→
|
hasCollection |
|
Old English
→
|
hasLiteraryWork |
|
Anglo-Saxon England
→
|
literaryWork |
|
Beowulf
→
|
mainCharacter |
|
Beowulf
→
|
protagonist |