historiCAlBACkgrounD
→ thE EpiC poEmBEowulF, writtEn in olDEnglish, is thE EArliEst Existing gErmAniC EpiC AnD onE oF Four survivingAnglo-sAxon mAnusCripts.AlthoughBEowulF wAs writtEn By An AnonymousEnglishmAn in olDEnglish, thE tAlE tAkEs plACE in thAt pArt oF sCAnDinAviA From whiCh gErmAniC triBEs EmigrAtED toEnglAnD、BEowulF ComEs From gEAtlAnD, thE southEAstErn pArt oF whAt is now swEDEn. hrothgAr, king oF thEDAnEs, livEs nEAr whAt is now lEirE, on zEAlAnD,DEnmArk’s lArgEst islAnD、thEBEowulF EpiC ContAins thrEE mAjor tAlEs ABoutBEowulF AnD sEvErAl minor tAlEs thAt rEFlECt A riCh gErmAniC orAl trADition oF myths, lEgEnDs, AnD FolklorE.
→ thEBEowulF wArriors hAvE A Foot in Both thEBronzE AnD ironAgEs. thEir mEAD-hAlls rEFlECt thE wEAlthy living oF thEBronzEAgE northmEn, AnD thEir wooDEn shiElDs, wooD-shAFtED spEArs, AnD BronzE-hiltED sworDs ArE thosE oF thEBronzEAgE wArrior. howEvEr, thEy CArry iron-tippED spEArs, AnD thEir BEst sworDs hAvE iron or iron-EDgED BlADEs.BEowulF Also orDErs An iron shiElD For his Fight with A DrAgon. iron rEplACED BronzE BECAusE it proDuCED A BlADE with A Cutting EDgE thAt wAs strongEr AnD shArpEr. thE northmEn lEArnED how to ForgE iron in ABout 500B、C、Although thEy hAD BEEn supErior to thEEuropEAnCElts in BronzE work, it wAs thECElts who tAught thEm how to mAkE AnD DEsign iron work. iron wAs ACCEssiBlE EvErywhErE in sCAnDinAviA, usuAlly in thE Form oF "Bog-iron" FounD in thE lAyErs oF pEAt in pEAt Bogs.
thEBEowulF EpiC Also rEvEAls intErEsting AspECts oF thE livEs oF thEAnglosAxons who livED inEnglAnD At thE timE oF thE AnonymousBEowulF poEt. thE gErmAniC triBEs, inCluDing thEAnglEs, thE sAxons, AnD thE jutEs, invADEDEnglAnD From ABoutA、D、450 to 600.By thE timE oF thEBEowulF.poEt,AnglosAxon soCiEty inEnglAnD wAs nEithEr primitivE nor unEu turED

→Although thEBEowulF mAnusCript wAs writtEn in ABoutA、D、1000, it wAs not DisCovErED until thE sEvEntEEnth CEntury.
sCholArs Do not know whEthErBEowulF is thE solE surviving EpiC From A FlourishingAnglo-sAxon litErAry pErioD thAt proDuCED othEr grEAt EpiCs or whEthEr it wAs uniquE EvEn in its own timE.
mAny sCholArs think thAt thE EpiC wAs proBABly writtEn somEtimE BEtwEEn thE lAtE sEvEnth CEntury AnD thE EArly ninth CEntury. iF thEy ArE CorrECt, thE originAl mAnusCript wAs proBABly lost During thE ninth-CEntury viking invAsions oFAngliA, in whiCh thEDAnEs DEstroyED thEAnglo-sAxon monAstEriEs AnD thEir grEAt liBrAriEs. howEvEr, othEr sCholArs think thAt thE poEt’s FAvorABlE AttituDE towArD thEDAnEs must plACE thE EpiC’s Composition AFtEr thE viking invAsions AnD At thE stArt oF thE ElEvEnth CEntury, whEn thisBEowulF mAnusCript wAs writtEn.
→ thE iDEntity oF thEBEowulF poEt is Also unCErtAin.
hE AppArEntly wAs AChristiAn who lovED thE pAgAn hEroiC trADition oF his AnCEstors AnD BlEnDED thE vAluEs oF thE pAgAn hEro with thEChristiAn vAluEs oF his own Country AnD timE.BECAusE hE wrotE in thEAngliAn DiAlECt, hE proBABly wAs EithEr A monk in A monAstEry or A poEt in AnAnglo-sAxon Court loCAtED north oF thE thAmEs rivEr.
AppEAl AnD vAluE
BEowulF intErEsts ContEmporAry rEADErs For mAny rEAsons. First, it is An outstAnDing ADvEnturE story. grEnDEl, grEnDEl’s mothEr, AnD thE DrAgon ArE mArvElous ChArACtErs, AnD EACh Fight is uniquE, ACtion-pACkED, AnD ExCiting. sEConD,BEowulF is A vEry AppEAling hEro. hE is thE pErFECt wArrior, ComBining ExtrAorDinAry strEngth, skill, CourAgE, AnD loyAlty. likE hErCulEs, hE DEvotEs his liFE to mAking thE worlD A sAFEr plACE. hE ChoosEs to risk DEAth in orDEr to hElp othEr pEoplE, AnD hE FACEs his inEvitABlE DEAth with hEro