Beowulf Vocabulary: Kenning: A metaphorical compound noun or

phrase: ‘whale’s road’ for ‘ocean’Litotes: Understatement, in which

something is affirmed by the negation of its opposite: ‘he was less than helpful’ for ‘he was not helpful at all’

Allusion: A reference to something from another literary work or historical event: when the Beowulf poet refers (or alludes) to different Anglo-Saxon heroes or Biblical characters

More vocabMetonymy: A thing is substituted with

something closely associated with it: ‘crown’ for ‘royalty’ or ‘The White House’ for ‘the President’

Synecdoche: Substituting the name of a thing with the name of a part of the thing: ‘wheels’ for ‘car’ or ‘threads’ for ‘clothing’

Alliteration: Repetition of the same consonant sounds : ‘Hot-hearted Beowulf was bent upon battle’ This was also a way to help remember the lines in an oral poem

Yet more vocabDidactic: Intended to instruct of teach: ‘So

should a king act,’ phrases with the word ‘should’ in general

Scop: Old English poet or bard: http://youtu.be/Y13cES7MMd8

Hwæt: The first word in Beowulf, means something like “So,” “Listen,” or “Hey.” An attention getter.

Important CharactersHumans:

BeowulfHrothgarWealhtheowUnferthWiglaf

Monsters

GrendelGrendel’s MotherDragon (wyrm)