Historical Background ~ Summaries and Notes ~ Dragons ~ Class Notes
Reading Questions ~ Vocabulary ~ Fun Stuff ~ Web Quest ~ Comparing Texts

Study Guide Home Least Tern

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The text to which all page numbers refer is Beowulf the Warrior, retold by Ian Serraillier, illustrated by Severin, 1994, Bethlehem Books, ISBN 1-883937-03-5.

Historical Background - See also the book Viking Life, by John Guy, Barron's Educational Series, 1998.

• Learn what was happening around the world at the time this tale was told by going to: HyperHistory Online

• Angelcynn: Anglo-Saxon Living History, 400-900AD - a site rich in background content - the most useful parts:

  • History - includes some sound files and resource links.

  • Clothing - men's and women's clothing - follow the link to read about clothing and appearance of the Early-Christian Anglo-Saxons.  

  • There is now information specific to Beowulf when you click the Poetry link

• Anglo-Saxon Culture - follow the links to Art and Archaeology and Living History to link to some other resources.

• Beowulf Room - some history - follow the link at the bottom to the Sutton Hoo Room.

• Illustrations from Sutton Hoo and other cultural sites - scroll a bit down the page for these excellent photographs

• Celts and Saxons - this is a college resource! some of the links are dead, but if you have a research topic, you should find a link to follow

• Danes, Swedes/Geats & Vikings

  • Horsens Guide to the History of Denmark

  • The Danish History, by Saxo Grammaticus - no, I do not expect you to read this all, but it fun to look at what college students need to know!

  • Danish History - a timeline - use this along with one of the Beowulf background essays to find out what was happening when the epic was written.

  • Running a Household in the Viking Era - food, clothes, practical things

  • The Viking Experience - a reenactment group gone commercial - browse the catalogs of costumes and props

  • Female Viking Dress - what the women wore - pay attention to dates

• A Living History - photo reenactment of scenes from the epic

• The Village of Wichamstow - interactive village to tour - find out about Anglo-Saxon life

• The Mead Hall - how to make mead, who drank mead, and other historical fun

• Medieval and Anglo Saxon Recipes and A Boke of Gode Cookery

• The Sutton Hoo Horde - the great helmet plus links to other items

• Costume Page - resources, history, links

Summaries and Notes

• Class Notes - These are the notes we will review in class. Please print them and tape them inside the front and back covers of your text. The document covers: What is an Epic? and What is an Epic Hero?  (this link opens a Word document - download to your hard drive) - .pdf version

• The Beowulf Project - An illustrated summary of the epic, including pictures of Anglo-Saxon culture

• The Beowulf Room - plot summary with illustrations

• Beowulf: The Main Characters - printing this will provide you with good set of notes

• Beowulf : background, illustrations, link to audio files - link to map does not work

• Bulfinch's Age of Fable - includes a summary of the story, with links, plus links to other resources for more information

• Grendel's Mother's Attack - page focusing upon this section - has a manuscript photo.

• Beowulf: the Last Moments - focusing upon the end of the epic - has a manuscript photo.

• More About Beowulf - a very short summary, from ShrinkLits.

Dragons - These pages discuss the Western dragon, its appearance, habits, and stories, and other background.

• Dragon Lore - you are interested in European Dragons - read the legend of St. George and of the Nibelung Horde

• Here Be Dragons - follow links to What is a Dragon and Dragons in History

Reading Questions - The questions are divided into the same sections as the book. You will need to have two ways to record answers: An on-going document (or writing journal) which will end up as your own Hero Epic; and the "hand it in or discuss it" written answers to the short, specific questions. Keeping track of these both will be important!

Grendel ~ Grendel's Mother ~ Fire Dragon

 

Vocabulary - This is an in-class exercise.You will work as a class group to define and understand ("read") the following words and the sentences containing them.  You will actually be tested on only the words contained in the Vocabulary Lists handed out in class.

One at a time, locate the words assigned to you on the page indicated. Enter the words into the Vocabulary Worksheet, making sure that you are entering into the correct form. Complete the information for each word and Submit.  You will be returned to the form to enter another word. When the class has completed a list, copy the Vocabulary Page, paste into a Word document, save it into your Beowulf folder.  You are encouraged to print the words as well.

Grendel Vocabulary ~ Grendel's Mother Vocabulary ~ The Fire Dragon Vocabulary

For each word, you must record:

• Correct spelling of the word and its various other forms

• Meaning as it is used in the text, including any information we discuss connected to the word and the meaning of the sentence, line or phrase in which the word is used

• Other meanings, if any, especially more modern ones

Grendel	Grendel's Mother	The Fire Dragon
2-wrought rune fen fiend minstrel ravening fell 4 - valiance abounding sickle keel shingle 9- grovelling puny brine sinewy murkily 10 - wayward bounteous clarion revive 12 - revelry abundant tumult havoc 13 - unslaked lair stupor asunder 14 - banishing countenance cleave 16 - recompense serene tranquillity	19 - shackled 20 - torrents plummet sounded clamourous 22 - manifold cloven cataract brink plumage 24 - undulation gluttonous 25 - mere infallible tyrant 26 - dismal realm dinned 27 - keening lustre cumberous 28 - traversed lingered myriad 29 - stalwart careering crags mead 31 - thane beget	37 - confounded turreted flagons 38 - riotous wrathful 39 - rampart brandishing 40 - waning forsook chiding 42 - steadfast conflagration smiting 43 - hewed despoil 44 - covetous 46 - requital 47 - cumbrous ravenous 48 - valour

Vocabulary Pages (check any time, but do not copy until all words have been entered):

Grendel Vocabulary ~ Grendel's Mother Vocabulary ~ The Fire Dragon Vocabulary

Fun Stuff

• Adventures of Beowulf - a prose adaptation by Dr. David Breeden - read another version of the story

• The Illustrated Beowulf - starring Bill Clinton and Big Bird - read the note on the first webpage - this is the only way to "steal" a website legally! - and a 2nd posting: Illustrated Beowulf

• Star Wars Beowulf - a spoof from MIT - this is an 11mb file so be sure to download it - the site is not always active

• Beowulf: Maurice Sagoff's version for "ShrinkLits" - read it and you will understand what ShrinkLits are.

• The Adventures of Wishbone: Be a Wolf! by Brad Strickland - illustrated, of course - Chapters 1 & 2 are online - also available for purchase from Amazon.com

• Beowulf, the movie starring Christoper Lambert - available on DVD - read a review

• Beowulf : Book 1, Beowulf: Book 2, Beowulf: Book 3 by Gareth Hinds - a wonderful new comicbook  version that follows the basic story line of our text - few words, but captures the zest of the original - purchase online: thecomic.com.

 

Least Tern

Elizabeth Sky-McIlvain 2/14/05