Beowulf

**Kenning**
A kenning is a literary device unique to Anglo-Saxon literature. It's a name game in which a description is used in place of a character's name or an object.

In Herot, //a mighty prince// mourning the fate of his lost friends = **Hrogthgar**

//That shepheard of evil, guardian of crime,// knew at once that nowhere on earth had he met a man who hands were harder = **Grendel**

//The mighty protector of men// meant to hold the monster till its life leaped out = **Beowulf** //**1.) The Coming of Grendel**// This segment of Beowulf's epic opens with kingly praise and detailed explanation of Herot hall. Readers learn that the hall was built with the people's tax money, and was used as a place for festivities to praise the soldiers, and the only thing that could destroy it would be fire.

About line 25, the description of Grendel begins. We are first introduced to Grendel by means of the **kenning (**descriptive element subsituting names) "a powerful monster," instead of his actual name. The explanation for his introduction is explained in lines 25-37; joy and mirth cause the creature to stir, since he is forever banished to the dark perimeters of the Dane's land. He is related to the readers as living down in the darkness; which is an archetypal for badness and evil. Dark vs. Light --- and dark will always triumph in the night, good things do not happen in the dark.

His dark depiction is related through Christian subtilties -- //"He was spawned in that slime, Conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous cratures banished by God.......The Almighty drove those demons out, and their exile was bitter"// Grendel is depicted as the manifestation of man's sin -- pure evil, and a demonic creature.

Line 52 has reference to darkness once again, when Grendel emerges from his hole in the ground, that bad things happen in the night. The following lines emphasize Grendel's size, as he //'Snatched up thirty men'// (59) yet goes undetected, which proves to the reader that he's not blundering about, and has a stealthy ability about him. Which is terrifying.

His capability to eat, cause destruction and reak havoc without being able to be stopped goes on for quite a while, which makes Hrothgar look week, and vulnerable to the monster and his attacks, his honour is on the line, and being taken from him by a creature of the demonic night.

The rest of the lines continue to explain how Herot hall is closed for twelve years (which is a factor of three) and stories of the demon haunting the land are told, and word spreads of Hrothgar's curse. People become aware that Grendel is in this for the kill, the pure enjoyment and satisfaction of murder; he has no diplomacy, there is nothing that he can be bribed with. The Chrisitan Monk sticks his hand in for a good while and explains that the Danes would not have been under the retribution of this creature if they didn't pray to their Pagan gods, and that God is love, but God doesn't love Grendel. So basically, everybody is just waiting for demise. That is, until the Geat, Beowulf hears the tale, and sails overseas to save the day.

__**The Burning of Beowulf's Body**__
Years and years after Beowulf conquered the monster, Grendel, he becomes king. In an unfortunate battle against a dragon, his people abandon him in fear of death which ultimately leaves him to fight alone. Only one man stays loyal to his king and his name is Wiglaf. Although they win the fight and kill the dragon by attacking from below and above his head, Beowulf suffered a wound in his throat which lead to his death. Before dying, Beowulf asks for all of his spoils to go to his people and for a burial near the ocean.

The Burial

The town's people feel great remorse for the loss of their king, Beowulf. This care is shown by the proper burial they provide him with helmets hung, battle shields and shining mail shirts (All of which Beowulf had asked for). We can tell how important he was by the immense respect and seriousness that the people demonstrated in preparing his burial. Thick, black smoke rose and Beowulf's heroic body was gone. An old woman begins to sing a song of misery and deep sadness, crying and mourning her passed king. This indicates that she has been alive long enough to know how great he really was by witnessing his heroic acts through out her life. She has complete awareness of how important his presence was among the town. Then, the heavy smoke is swallowed up by Heaven. This tells us he has been brought up to Heaven by God to reward him for saving the people and town itself.

Although the town's people prove their respect for Beowulf by doing everything he had asked for after his death, there is one thing they refuse to pursue, taking his treasures. After spending 10 long days building his monument, they bury his things with his body. This seems like they are disobeying their king, but they feel complete guilt for leaving him to fight the dragon with just one man, and therefor, do not think they deserve his treasures. So, his body is buried along with his rings, necklaces, silver, shields and ancient armor, never to be touched again.

From that day on, Beowulf's followers rode with pride for their beloved king, praising that there has never been a king as great as he was.