03-01-2014, 12:00 AM
i live only about 7 miles from Sutton Hoo in Suffolk
the 'uff' in suffolk, i assume comes from wuff
somewhere along the line.
Beowulf the Poem
The poem may have been brought to England by
people of Geatish origins.[8] It has been
suggested that Beowulf was first composed in the
7th century at Rendlesham in East Anglia, as the
Sutton Hoo ship-burial also shows close
connections with Scandinavia, and also that the
East Anglian royal dynasty, the Wuffings, were
descendants of the Geatish Wulfing
Beowulf has consequently been used as a source
of information about Scandinavian personalities
such as Eadgils and Hygelac, and about
continental Germanic personalities such as Offa,
king of the continental Angles.
Beowulf Story
Beowulf begins with the story of King Hrothgar, who constructed the great hall Heorot for his people.
In it he, his wife Wealhþeow, and his warriors spend their time singing and celebrating, until Grendel,
a troll-like monster who is pained by the noise, attacks the hall and kills and devours many of Hrothgar warriors while they sleep.
But Grendel does not touch the throne of Hroðgar, for it is described as being protected by the power of God.
Hroðgar and his people, helpless against Grendel's attacks, abandon Heorot.
Beowulf, a young warrior from Geatland, hears of Hroðgar's troubles and with his king's permission leaves his homeland to help Hroðgar.
Beowulf and his men spend the night in Heorot.
Beowulf bears no weapon because this would be an "unfair advantage" over the unarmed beast.
After they fall asleep, Grendel enters the hall and attacks, devouring one of Beowulf's men. Beowulf
has been feigning sleep and leaps up to clench Grendel's hand. The two battle until it seems as though the hall might collapse.
Beowulf's retainers draw their swords and rush to his aid, but their blades cannot pierce Grendel's skin.
Finally, Beowulf tears Grendel's arm from his body at the shoulder and Grendel runs to his home in the marshes and slowly dies.
Second battle: Grendel's mother
The next night, after celebrating Grendel's defeat, Hrothgar and his men sleep in Heorot. Grendel's mother,
angered by the punishment of her son, appears and attacks the hall.
She kills Hroðgar's most trusted warrior, Æschere, in revenge for Grendel's defeat.
Hroðgar, Beowulf and their men track Grendel's mother to her lair under a lake.
Beowulf prepares himself for battle; he is presented with a sword,
Hrunting, by Unferth, a warrior who had doubted him and wishes to make amends.
After stipulating a number of conditions to Hroðgar in case of his death
(including the taking in of his kinsmen and the inheritance by Unferth of Beowulf's estate),
Beowulf dives into the lake. He is swiftly detected and attacked by Grendel's mother.
However, she is unable to harm Beowulf through his armour and drags him to the bottom of the lake.
In a cavern containing Grendel's body and the remains of men that the two have killed, Grendel's mother and Beowulf engage in fierce combat.
At first, Grendel's mother appears to prevail.
Beowulf, finding that Hrunting cannot harm his foe, discards it in fury.
Beowulf is again saved from his opponent's attack by his armour.
Beowulf grabs a magical sword from Grendel's mother's treasure, and with it beheads her.
Travelling further into the lair, Beowulf discovers Grendel's dying body and severs its head.
The blade of the magic sword melts like ice when it touches Grendel's toxic blood, until only the hilt is left.
This hilt is the only treasure that Beowulf carries out of cavern, which he presents to Hroðgar upon his return to Heorot.
Beowulf then returns to the surface and to his men at the "ninth hour" (l. 1600, "non", about 3pm). He
returns to Heorot, where Hroðgar gives Beowulf many gifts, including (possibly) the sword Nægling, his family's heirloom.
The hilt prompts a long reflection by the king, sometimes referred to
as "Hrothgar's sermon", in which he urges Beowulf to be wary of pride and to reward his thanes.
Third battle: The dragon
Main article: The Dragon (Beowulf)
Beowulf returns home and eventually becomes king of his own people.
One day, fifty years after Beowulf's battle with Grendel's mother, a slave steals a golden cup from the lair of an unnamed dragon at Earnaness.
When the dragon sees that the cup has been stolen, it leaves its cave in a rage, burning everything in sight.
Beowulf and his warriors come to fight the dragon, but Beowulf tells his men
that he will fight the dragon alone and that they should wait on the barrow.
Beowulf descends to do battle with the dragon but finds himself outmatched.
His men, upon seeing this display and fearing for their lives, creep back into the woods.
One of his men, however, Wiglaf, who finds great distress in seeing Beowulf's plight, comes to Beowulf's aid.
The two slay the dragon, but Beowulf is mortally wounded.
After Beowulf's death, he is buried in Geatland on a cliff overlooking the sea, where sailors are able to see his tumulus.
the 'uff' in suffolk, i assume comes from wuff
somewhere along the line.
Beowulf the Poem
The poem may have been brought to England by
people of Geatish origins.[8] It has been
suggested that Beowulf was first composed in the
7th century at Rendlesham in East Anglia, as the
Sutton Hoo ship-burial also shows close
connections with Scandinavia, and also that the
East Anglian royal dynasty, the Wuffings, were
descendants of the Geatish Wulfing
Beowulf has consequently been used as a source
of information about Scandinavian personalities
such as Eadgils and Hygelac, and about
continental Germanic personalities such as Offa,
king of the continental Angles.
Beowulf Story
Beowulf begins with the story of King Hrothgar, who constructed the great hall Heorot for his people.
In it he, his wife Wealhþeow, and his warriors spend their time singing and celebrating, until Grendel,
a troll-like monster who is pained by the noise, attacks the hall and kills and devours many of Hrothgar warriors while they sleep.
But Grendel does not touch the throne of Hroðgar, for it is described as being protected by the power of God.
Hroðgar and his people, helpless against Grendel's attacks, abandon Heorot.
Beowulf, a young warrior from Geatland, hears of Hroðgar's troubles and with his king's permission leaves his homeland to help Hroðgar.
Beowulf and his men spend the night in Heorot.
Beowulf bears no weapon because this would be an "unfair advantage" over the unarmed beast.
After they fall asleep, Grendel enters the hall and attacks, devouring one of Beowulf's men. Beowulf
has been feigning sleep and leaps up to clench Grendel's hand. The two battle until it seems as though the hall might collapse.
Beowulf's retainers draw their swords and rush to his aid, but their blades cannot pierce Grendel's skin.
Finally, Beowulf tears Grendel's arm from his body at the shoulder and Grendel runs to his home in the marshes and slowly dies.
Second battle: Grendel's mother
The next night, after celebrating Grendel's defeat, Hrothgar and his men sleep in Heorot. Grendel's mother,
angered by the punishment of her son, appears and attacks the hall.
She kills Hroðgar's most trusted warrior, Æschere, in revenge for Grendel's defeat.
Hroðgar, Beowulf and their men track Grendel's mother to her lair under a lake.
Beowulf prepares himself for battle; he is presented with a sword,
Hrunting, by Unferth, a warrior who had doubted him and wishes to make amends.
After stipulating a number of conditions to Hroðgar in case of his death
(including the taking in of his kinsmen and the inheritance by Unferth of Beowulf's estate),
Beowulf dives into the lake. He is swiftly detected and attacked by Grendel's mother.
However, she is unable to harm Beowulf through his armour and drags him to the bottom of the lake.
In a cavern containing Grendel's body and the remains of men that the two have killed, Grendel's mother and Beowulf engage in fierce combat.
At first, Grendel's mother appears to prevail.
Beowulf, finding that Hrunting cannot harm his foe, discards it in fury.
Beowulf is again saved from his opponent's attack by his armour.
Beowulf grabs a magical sword from Grendel's mother's treasure, and with it beheads her.
Travelling further into the lair, Beowulf discovers Grendel's dying body and severs its head.
The blade of the magic sword melts like ice when it touches Grendel's toxic blood, until only the hilt is left.
This hilt is the only treasure that Beowulf carries out of cavern, which he presents to Hroðgar upon his return to Heorot.
Beowulf then returns to the surface and to his men at the "ninth hour" (l. 1600, "non", about 3pm). He
returns to Heorot, where Hroðgar gives Beowulf many gifts, including (possibly) the sword Nægling, his family's heirloom.
The hilt prompts a long reflection by the king, sometimes referred to
as "Hrothgar's sermon", in which he urges Beowulf to be wary of pride and to reward his thanes.
Third battle: The dragon
Main article: The Dragon (Beowulf)
Beowulf returns home and eventually becomes king of his own people.
One day, fifty years after Beowulf's battle with Grendel's mother, a slave steals a golden cup from the lair of an unnamed dragon at Earnaness.
When the dragon sees that the cup has been stolen, it leaves its cave in a rage, burning everything in sight.
Beowulf and his warriors come to fight the dragon, but Beowulf tells his men
that he will fight the dragon alone and that they should wait on the barrow.
Beowulf descends to do battle with the dragon but finds himself outmatched.
His men, upon seeing this display and fearing for their lives, creep back into the woods.
One of his men, however, Wiglaf, who finds great distress in seeing Beowulf's plight, comes to Beowulf's aid.
The two slay the dragon, but Beowulf is mortally wounded.
After Beowulf's death, he is buried in Geatland on a cliff overlooking the sea, where sailors are able to see his tumulus.