Beowulf

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem. It may be the oldest surviving long poem in Old English and is commonly cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature. A date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating pertains to the manuscript, which was produced between 975 and 1025. The author was an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet. The history is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall in Heorot in has been under attack by a monster known as Grendel. After Beowulf slays the monster, Grendel's mother attacks the hall and is defeated by Beowulf, who later becomes king of the Geats. After a period of fifty years has passed, Beowulf has to fight against a dragon, but is mortally wounded in the battle. The poem was composed for entertainment, and does not separate between fictional elements and real historic events. Though Beowulf himself is not mentioned in any other Anglo-Saxon manuscript, scholars generally agree that many of the other personalities of the text also appear in Scandinavian sources, and the dating of the events in the poem has been confirmed by recent archaeological excavations. The full poem survives in the manuscript known as the Nowell Codex that is currently housed in the British Library. It has no title in the original manuscript, but has become known by the name of the story's protagonist.