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List Of Beowulf Characters
This is a list of ''Beowulf'' characters. ''Beowulf'' is an Old English language, Old English heroic epic poem. Its creation dates to between the 8th and the 11th centuries, the only surviving manuscript dating to circa 1010. At 3183 lines, it is notable for its length. It has reached national epic status in England (although its setting is Scandinavia, not the British Isles). . There are a great many characters in ''Beowulf'' ranging from historical people such as Hygelac to purely mythological dragons. Characters [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beowulf
''Beowulf'' (; ) is an Old English poetry, Old English poem, an Epic poetry, epic in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 Alliterative verse, alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and List of translations of Beowulf, most often translated works of Old English literature. The date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating is for the manuscript, which was produced between 975 and 1025 AD. Scholars call the anonymous author the "''Beowulf'' poet". The story is set in pagan Scandinavia in the 5th and 6th centuries. Beowulf (hero), Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes (Germanic tribe), Danes, whose mead hall Heorot has been under attack by the monster Grendel for twelve years. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother takes revenge and is in turn defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland and becomes king of the Geats. Fifty years later, Beowulf def ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beowulf (hero)
Beowulf (; ) is a legendary Geatish hero in the eponymous epic poem, one of the oldest surviving pieces of English literature. Etymology and origins of the character A number of origins have been proposed for the name ''Beowulf''. Beowulf Henry Sweet, a philologist and linguist specializing in Germanic languages, proposed that the name ''Bēowulf'' literally means in Old English "bee-wolf" or "bee-hunter" and that it is a kenning for "bear".Sweet, Henry. (1884) ''Anglo-Saxon Reader in Prose and Verse'' The Clarendon Press, p. 202. Recorded instances of similar names mirror this etymology. The 1031 AD ''Liber Vitae'' records the name ''Biuuuwulf''. The name is attested to a monk from Durham and means ''bee wolf'' in the Old Northumbrian dialect.Chadwick, Hector Munro (1983) ''The Origin of the English Nation'', p. 294. The 11th century English ''Domesday Book'' contains a recorded instance of the name ''Beulf''. The scholar suggested that the name ''Beowulf'' derived from a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heaðolaf
Heaðolaf (Proto-Norse *''Haþulaibaz'') (archived link, 12 June 2004) was a member of a named the Wulfings, which according to the of ruled the |
Wulfing
The Wulfings, Wylfings or Ylfings (the name means the "wolf clan") was a powerful clan in ''Beowulf'', ''Widsith'' and in the Norse sagas. While the poet of ''Beowulf'' does not locate the Wulfings geographically, Scandinavian sources define the Ylfings (the Old Norse form of the name) as the ruling clan of the Eastern Geats. The Wulfings play an important role in ''Beowulf'' as Beowulf's father Ecgþeow of the Wægmunding clan had slain one of its members, and was banished for not paying the weregild. The Danish king Hroðgar, who was married to Wealhþeow, a Wulfing woman, graciously paid the weregild, and when Beowulf arrived at the Danish court in order to slay Grendel, Hroðgar interpreted this as a son's gratitude. In Old Norse sources, the clan figure prominently in the ''Heimskringla'' and in '' Sögubrot'', where Hjörvard and his son Hjörmund belong to it. It is also mentioned in the '' Lay of Hyndla'' and in ''Skáldskaparmál'' where Eiríkr the Wise was one of it ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norse Clans
The Scandinavian clan or ''ætt/ätt'' (pronounced in Old Norse) was a social group based on common descent, equivalent to a clan. History In the absence of a police force, the clan was the primary force of security in Norse society, as the clansmen were obliged by honour to avenge one another. The Norse clan was not tied to a certain territory in the same way as a Scottish clan, where the chief owned the territory. The land of the Scandinavian clan was owned by the individuals who had close neighbours from other clans. The name of the clan was derived from its ancestor, often with the addition of an -ung or -ing ending. The original meaning of ''ætt/ätt'' seems to have simply been "those who are related". A person could technically belong to several clans, but usually the identification of an individual came with ancestry of most prestige. Therefore, through mostly the exception to the rule, a clan could have matrilineal name if the descent of the ancestral mother was consi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wægmunding
The Wægmundings were a prominent probably Swedish clan (an ''ätt'', see Norse clans) in ''Beowulf''. A name such as ''Wægmunding'' meant "belongs to Wægmund", i.e. they were the descendants of a man named Wægmund. This was the normal way of naming a Germanic clan (e.g. Sigurd the Völsung, descendant of king Völsung, Folkung escendants of Folkeand Yngling Freyr.html" ;"title="escendants of Yngvi-Freyr">escendants of Yngvi-Freyr. Members: *Wægmund (the ancestor of the clan) *Ælfhere (seems to have been a distinguished member of the clan as Wiglaf is described as his kinsman) *Ecgþeow (joined the Danes and the Geats as he was banished for slaying a man from another clan) *Beowulf (character), Beowulf (son of Ecgþeow and the hero of the epic by his name) *Weohstan (Swedish champion and slayer of his fugitive countryman prince Eanmund) *Wiglaf (''the last of the Wægmundings'' and son of Weohstan. He fought with Beowulf against the dragon) The story of this clan in ''Be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ecgþeow
Ecgþēow (pronounced ), Edgetho (Proto-Norse *''Agiþewaz''), or Ecgtheow is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic ''Beowulf''. He is not mentioned outside the ''Bēowulf'' manuscript, and it is not known whether he was based on a real person. He belonged to a probably Swedish family (an ''ätt'', see Norse clans) called the '' Waegmundings''. He married the daughter of Hreðel, king of the Geats, and was the father of Bēowulf. His name could be read as ''eċġ'' + ''þēow'', "edge-servant" (that is, sword-thane); alternatively, if his name was a compound of the ancient '' bahuvrihi'' type as were many other Germanic heroic names, it would indicate proficiency with the sword, meaning literally, "whose servant is the sword". He is first mentioned in ''Bēowulf'' at lines 262–266, when Beowulf tells the coast-guard that "My father was known to everyone," calls him a "noble battle-leader", and says that he died after living through "many winters" and that he is remembered wel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Unferð
In the Old English epic poem ''Beowulf'', Unferth or Hunferth is a thegn (a retainer, servant) of the Danish lord Hrothgar. He appears five times in the poem — four times by the name 'Hunferð' (at lines 499, 530, 1165 and 1488) and once by the appellation "the son of Eclafes" (at line 980). The name ''Unferth'' does not appear in any Old English manuscript outside of the Nowell Codex, which contains ''Beowulf'', and the meaning of the name is disputed. Several scholarly theories about Unferth have been proposed. Etymology 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": similarly, J. R. R. Tolkien considered the name to mean Unpeace/Quarrel, or perhaps 'Unfriend'. However, Searle's ''Onomasticon Anglo-Saxonicum'' lists several mentions of medieval historic personages, such as bishops and archbishops, named Hunfrith. Another reading, by Fred C. Robinson, is to see it as ''un'' + '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eanmund
Eanmund was a Swedish prince of the Scylfing dynasty, whose existence is alleged in ''Beowulf''.''Beowulf'', lines 2612-2615. Life according to ''Beowulf'' Unlike his relatives, Eanmund is only mentioned in Beowulf. Eanmund was the son of Ohthere, and was the brother of Eadgils. If he existed in real life, his real name was probably Proto-Norse *''Aiwamunduz'' (Old East Norse ''Ēmund'') or ''Āmunduz'' (Old East Norse ''Āmund''). Ohthere died, and Ohthere's younger brother Onela, usurped the Swedish throne. Since their uncle had seized power, Eanmund and Eadgils sought refuge among the Geats. This caused Onela to attack the Geats, an attack which was also motivated by the fact that the Geatish thane Eofor had killed Onela's father Ongentheow. During the battle, Eanmund was killed by Onela's champion Weohstan and Heardred was killed as well. Eadgils, however, survived and according to the poem Beowulf later helped him avenge Eanmund and Ohthere by slaying Onela, an event which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Norse Saga
Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between Icelandic families. However, sagas' subject matter is diverse, including legendary saga, pre-Christian Scandinavian legends; Heilagramannasögur, saints and Biskupasögur, bishops both from Scandinavia and elsewhere; konungasögur, Scandinavian kings and Samtíðarsögur, contemporary Icelandic politics; and chivalric romances either translated from Continental European languages or composed locally. Sagas originated in the Middle Ages, but continued to be composed in the ensuing centuries. Whereas the dominant language of history-writing in medieval Europe was Latin language, Latin, sagas were composed in the vernacular: Old Norse and its later descendants, primarily Icelandic language, Icelandic. While sagas are written in prose, they s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eadgils
Eadgils, ''Adils'', ''Aðils'', ''Adillus'', ''Aðísl at Uppsölum'', ''Athisl'', ''Athislus'' or ''Adhel'' was a semi-legendary king of Sweden, who is estimated to have lived during the 6th century. ''Beowulf'' and Old Norse sources present him as the son of Ohthere and as belonging to the ruling Yngling (Scylfing) dynasty. These sources also deal with his war against Onela, which he won with foreign assistance: in ''Beowulf'' he gained the throne of Sweden by defeating his uncle Onela with Geatish help, and in two Scandinavian sources (''Skáldskaparmál'' and ''Skjöldunga saga''), he is also helped to defeat Onela in the Battle on the Ice of Lake Vänern, but with Danish help. However, Scandinavian sources mostly deal with his interaction with the legendary Danish king Hrólfr Kraki (Hroðulf), and Eadgils is mostly presented in a negative light as a rich and greedy king. Snorri Sturluson, who documented many of the Scandinavian traditions, reported that the Swedes called h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Germanic Dragon
Worm, wurm or wyrm (, , ''ormr'', ), meaning serpent, are archaic terms for dragons (, , ) in the wider Germanic mythology and folklore, in which they are often portrayed as large venomous snakes and hoarders of gold. Especially in later tales, however, they share many common features with other dragons in European mythology, such as having wings. Prominent worms attested in medieval Germanic works include the dragon that killed Beowulf, the central dragon in the Völsung Cycle – Fáfnir, Níðhöggr, and the great sea serpent, Jǫrmungandr, including subcategories such as lindworms and sea serpents. Origin, appearance and terminology Etymology In early depictions, as with dragons in other cultures, the distinction between Germanic dragons and regular snakes is blurred, with both being referred to as: "worm" (, , , ), "snake" (, , , ), "adder" (, , ), and more, in writing; all being old Germanic synonyms for serpent and thereof (compare the English names for the co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
