Beowulf PowerPoint

Aim
• To learn the story of Beowulf. A

• To learn about Britain at time the story was told.
Success
Success Criteria
Criteria
• IStatement
can retell1the
Lorem
mainipsum
eventsdolor
in Beowulf.
sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.
• IStatement
can explain
2 what a legend is.
• Sub
• I can statement
explain what an epic poem is.
• I know two facts about Britain at the time of Beowulf.
An Epic Poem
Beowulf is a famous epic poem.
‘Epic’ means a very long poem about heroes and
warriors.
Beowulf is one of the first recorded stories we have in

Britain and it was written in Old English.
Beowulf is the hero of a Scandinavian tribe, the Geats, and the

poem tells of his battle with a monster called Grendel.
Other famous epic poems are The Song of Hiawatha,

Gilgamesh and the Iliad.
Beowulf
The story of Beowulf, first told around 800AD, tells of events around
200 years before that. It wasn’t written down back then. Instead, the
story was passed down orally by storytellers.
There is one surviving manuscript in the British Museum. Experts

believe it is around 1000 years old!
Old English, the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons, was very

different to the English we speak today.
Listen to the start of Have a look at Beowulf

Beowulf in Old English! written down. Can you
Can you understand any understand any of it?
of it?
Characters and Places
Beowulf (bay-oh-wolf) the hero of the story from Geatland
Hrothgar (hroth-gar) the King of Denmark

Grendel (gren-dell) a monster believed to be a descendent of Cain
Grendel’s Mother a hag who lives in a swamp

Wiglaf (wee-lahf) a young kinsman of Beowulf
Denmark (den-mark) where the Danes lived
Geatland (gaey-aht-land) where the Geats lived
Heorot (hay-oh-roht) Hrothgar’s hall
Hrothgar Builds Heorot
The story began when the King of the Use dictionaries and the
Danes, Hrothgar, built a mead-hall. He Internet to find a modern
called the hall, Heorot, meaning hart. English word which means
‘hart’.
Why do you think Hrothgar

called the mead-hall
Heorot? What does the
word symbolise?
Grendel Attacks
Once Heorot was built, King Hrothgar and his people enjoyed
feasts and celebrations there. The hall was filled with the sounds,
sights and smells of happy gatherings.
Grendel, a monster who lived nearby, despised the noise from the
celebrations. One night, he decided to attack the hall, killing and
devouring thirty of Hrothgar’s warriors.
What does the word ‘devouring’ make you think

about Grendel?
Why do you think Grendel ‘despised’ the noise from

the celebrations?
Heorot Lies Silent
After Grendel’s attack, King
Hrothgar and the Danes were
terrified of Grendel. The
celebrations and feasts at Heorot
came to an end.
The Danes lived in fear of

Grendel for over twelve years!
During that time, the people
abandoned Heorot and lived
quietly in their homes.
Heorot lay empty for twelve years. What does this

tell you about what Hrothgar’s people felt about
Grendel?
Beowulf Travels to Denmark
Eventually, news travelled over the water to the Geats where
the young warrior Beowulf heard of King Hrothgar’s plight. He
sailed to Denmark to offer help.
King Hrothgar was grateful for Beowulf’s help and agreed to

hold another feast in Heorot. After the feast, Beowulf stayed in
the great hall while all the Danes went back to their homes.
Why did it take so long for Beowulf to hear of Grendel’s

attack? How would the news have travelled?
Beowulf’s First Battle
Grendel was furious about the feast and attacked Heorot!
Beowulf, pretending to be asleep, leapt up and fought Grendel.
His men drew their swords but Grendel’s skin was so tough that
they could not pierce it.
After a long battle, Beowulf, using no

weapons, finally managed to defeat Grendel
by tearing off his arm! Grendel fled to his
home in the marshes and died.
Why did Beowulf insist on

fighting Grendel without any
weapons? What did this prove
about him?
Beowulf’s Second Battle
After hearing that Grendel had been killed, Hrothgar and his
thanes returned to Heorot. They ate and slept in the hall once
again, finally feeling safe.
However, Grendel’s mother was angry that her son had

been killed and attacked Heorot. She killed one of
Hrothgar’s best warriors before escaping.
Beowulf and his men tracked her to her lair below a lake. One of
his men gave him his sword to fight her but when it was useless.
Instead, he took her own sword from her and cut off her head
with it. Her poisonous blood dissolved the weapon! Beowulf
returned to Heorot triumphant!
Beowulf Returns Home
Hrothgar was overjoyed when Beowulf returned to
Heorot. He declared Beowulf a hero and gave him many
gifts including his family’s heirloom sword. He thanked
Beowulf for his help and told him they would always be
friends.
Before he returned to Geatland, Hrothgar warned Beowulf

about the dangers of pride and fame…
Why do you think King Hrothgar gave Beowulf a warning?

What does this suggest might happen at the end of the story?
Beowulf King of the Geats
Many years later, Beowulf became the King of his people, the Geats.
He reigned for a long time and was well liked by his people because he
was a good king.
Fifty years after Beowulf killed Grendel’s mother, one of King

Beowulf’s servants stole a golden cup from a dragon’s lair.
The dragon was furious and left its cave, burning everything in its path.
Beowulf’s Third Battle
Beowulf told his warriors that he would fight the dragon alone and they
were to wait for him. By now an old man, Beowulf quickly found himself
outmatched and overpowered by the dragon.
Frightened, all but one of his warriors ran to hide in the forest
nearby. The one who remained was named Wiglaf and he came
to Beowulf’s aid. They defeated the dragon together but not
before Beowulf was fatally wounded.
Explain how King Hrothgar’s warning relates to Beowulf’s

defeat by the dragon.
Beowulf’s Funeral
The Geats burned Beowulf on a huge funeral pyre and he was greatly
mourned. His people didn’t know who would protect them with Beowulf
gone.
To honour their great king, they built a barrow, which could be

seen from the sea, in his memory. He was buried with the gold
and treasures given to him by Hrothgar.
What was a barrow? Some

famous barrows are found at
Sutton Hoo. Use the Internet to
find out what these are.
Glossary
Barrow a small hill or tumulus built over a burial chamber
Epic very long tale about a legendary hero

Despise to dislike a lot
Devour to eat something quickly and eagerly
Funeral pyre a pile of wood for burning the bodies of the dead
Heirloom an object passed down through the generations of a family
Lair an underground hiding place

Manuscript an old handwritten book
Mead hall a large hall or palace for Scandinavian tribes

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Aim

• To learn the story of Beowulf. A

Beowulf is one of the first recorded stories we have in

Beowulf is the hero of a Scandinavian tribe, the Geats, and the

Other famous epic poems are The Song of Hiawatha,

There is one surviving manuscript in the British Museum. Experts

Old English, the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons, was very

Listen to the start of Have a look at Beowulf

Hrothgar (hroth-gar) the King of Denmark

Grendel’s Mother a hag who lives in a swamp

Why do you think Hrothgar

What does the word ‘devouring’ make you think

Why do you think Grendel ‘despised’ the noise from

The Danes lived in fear of

Heorot lay empty for twelve years. What does this

King Hrothgar was grateful for Beowulf’s help and agreed to

Why did it take so long for Beowulf to hear of Grendel’s

After a long battle, Beowulf, using no

Why did Beowulf insist on

However, Grendel’s mother was angry that her son had

Before he returned to Geatland, Hrothgar warned Beowulf

Why do you think King Hrothgar gave Beowulf a warning?

Fifty years after Beowulf killed Grendel’s mother, one of King

Explain how King Hrothgar’s warning relates to Beowulf’s

To honour their great king, they built a barrow, which could be

What was a barrow? Some

Epic very long tale about a legendary hero

Heirloom an object passed down through the generations of a family

Lair an underground hiding place

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