Work Overview Summary by James Hogg

Beowulf Summary

            The story starts off talking about the king of the Danes, Shield Sheafson. He was a great king up until his death. He had a son named Beow, who took over as king after his died. After, Beow died, his son Halfdane took over the kingdom and then his son, Hrothgar became the king.

            Hrothgar had a great majestic mead hall built for the Danes in Heorot. They played loud songs, had great feasts, and drank mead at the hall. They talked about Gods creation of earth in the hall. All of this talk angered a demon named Grendal. Grendal lived in the swampland under the water in his lair. Finally, he couldn’t stand the songs and loud talk any longer and burst through the doors when everyone was asleep and killed 30 men. He did this every night when everyone was asleep. Heorot went from being a peaceful place to a fearful place every night.

            Beowulf lived in Geatland and was the nephew of the king. He heard of the tales of this great monster and decides to go to Heorot and take care of Grendal to help them. Beowulf was known all around as a great warrior and fighter. So, Beowulf and a few of his warriors got in a boat and sailed to Heorot to help Hrothgar with the demon.

            Once they got to the coast they were met by a coast watchman who led the group of men up the mead hall to meet the king. When Beowulf and Hrothgar start talking and recalled an old story about Beowulf’s father killing Heatholaf who was a Wulfing. Hrothgar sent gifts to the Wulfings in order to help establish peace and kept a war from happening. Beowulf’s father gave Hrothgar and oath of allegiance for doing his good deed. Beowulf told the king that he would fight Grendal with no armor and just his bare hands.  That night the king invites the Geats to a feast at the mead hall with the Danes.

            At the feast a man named Unferth starts telling a story of how Beowulf lost a swimming match once. He did not like all the glory that Beowulf was getting and tried to talk about the story of how he lost the match to show everyone that he was not as great as everyone made him out to be. Beowulf explained how he lost and everyone cheered and went back to the feast peacefully.  

            At the end of the feast everyone goes to sleep except Beowulf. He removes his armor and waits for Grendal to show his face. Later that night the monster ran into the hall and grabbed the first man he saw and tore him to shreds. He then tried to grab  Beowulf, but could not overcome the warrior’s strength. Beowulf tore Grendal’s arm off at the shoulder. He then ran back to the swamp to die. Everyone was amazed at his accomplishment and ran around celebrating.

            Hrothgar then held a banquet to honor Beowulf and gives him many gifts in appreciation. Wealhtheow also gave Beowulf a necklace of gold. That night when everyone is asleep, Grendal’s mother came to the hall. She is mad about what has happened to her son. She came in and got a sleeping man. All of the noise woke everyone up and she runs away. Hrothgar offers Beowulf a chest of gold if he went and killed Grendal’s mother. So, Beowulf and the warriors head toward the swamp land in search of her lair. Once they find it, Beowulf swims down to the bottom of the swamp. When he got to the bottom the demon strikes at him and grabs him but the armor stops her from crushing Beowulf.  He continuously is swinging his sword at her but it will not penetrate her skin. He finally sees a sword on the wall next to them that is larger. So, he grabs the sword and chops her head off. Grendal’s body was lying in the corner of the lair, so Beowulf chopped his head off and took it back with him. Beowulf gave the head to Hrothgar to show that the village is safe. Hrothgar gave him many treasures. Beowulf then sails back to the Geatland.

            Beowulf and his men returned to their homeland and were praised by their accomplishments. Once they get to the hall Beowulf tells storys of how the Danes were and their land. He then tells of how he defeated the monsters there. Hygelac is then killed and the kingdom becomes Beowulf’s. He then ruled for fifty more years in peacefulness.

            There is a dragon that lives beneath the earth guarding its hoard. One day a man breaks in and steals the goblet from the dragon’s home. When the dragon woke up and found that its goblet had been stolen it went crazy. The dragon went around to every village or town destroying everything and burning homes. The Geatland finally becomes threatened by the dragon. It burned the kingdom to the ground. Beowulf then decides to go and fight the dragon. When the fight starts Beowulf was striking the dragon with his sword and finds out that his strength is weaker than it used to be. As the dragon’s flame fill the countryside, Beowulf’s warriors get scared and all run away except one. His name was Wiglaf and he ran to help the king. Beowulf’s sword got snapped into trying to cut at the dragon and it bites Beowulf on the neck. Beowulf then stabs a fatal blow with a knife in the dragon. The knife cut was enough to kill the dragon but Beowulf finds out that the bite of the dragon was poisonous and he is dying. Once the king is dead they put his body on a cliff next to the sea and burned it. While the body is burning everyone praises him and recalls how good of a king he was to the people.

Commentary Summary by Condaci Crittenden

Beowulf a Great Warrior and King

            Beowulf has been called many names for being a great warrior. He has defeated many sea creatures and has always been loyal to the Geats. Beowulf is a study of kingship. Many people agree that he was a great warrior, but not a good king. Beowulf fought hard for his people and had the qualities of a good king. This made him a great warrior and king.

            Beowulf is at least in part a study of kingship. He was well known throughout the whole country and was labeled as mighty and powerful. “In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth, highborn and powerful” (Heaney 197). Beowulf showed many attributes of a good king by being a leader. “Whilst he moved about like the leader he was, enlisting men, the best he could find” (Heaney 205). He was eager to go to the aid of lord Hrothgar and fight Grendel the sea dragon. “I meant to perform to the uttermost what your people wanted or perish in the attempt…” (Heaney 635). This courageous action represents a great warrior and king. Beowulf showed qualities of a good king before he became one and was recognized by lord Hrothgar. “Nowhere, they said, north or south between the two seas or under the tall sky…was there anyone better to raise a shield or to rule a kingdom” (Heaney 860).  Beowulf was a great warrior who attributed qualities of a king and that is why he was, later, named king of the Geats.

            Beowulf has faced difficult challenges throughout his life as a warrior and king. His courageous battles with different sea dragons have earned him fame and fortune. “They sang then and played to please the hero, words and music for their warrior prince…” (Heaney 1063). Beowulf was referred to as a hero and that represents a king. After Beowulf became king, he was still recognized as a great king and warrior. He was the leader and protector of his people. “I risk my life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning…” (Heaney 2514). Even at an old age, Beowulf risks his own life for his people. This shows what a good warrior and a king would do for their people. This was Beowulf’s last fight with a sea creature and this caused great mourning throughout the country. “Mourning his loss as a man and a king” (Heaney 3172). The Geat people loved Beowulf as their king and knew there would be no one else like him. “They said that of all the kings upon earth he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame” (Heaney 3182). Beowulf made fame and fortune throughout his land and earned the title of a good king and warrior.

            Beowulf’s biggest flaw as a king was not having a son or child. “Now is the time when I would have wanted to bestow this armor on my son, had it been my fortune to have fathered an heir and live on in his flesh” (Heaney 2729). He left his people behind without an heir which could lead to a power struggle throughout the country. However, Beowulf was still a great king.

Beowulf characteristic of a warrior portrayed what a king should be like. He showed courage, loyalty, fame, fortune, leadership, and respect for the people. Beowulf put his own life at risk for his people to save them from the dragons. I don’t know anyone else that would have done what he did. Beowulf was a great warrior and king of the Geats.

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Group Project

James Hogg

Condaci Crittenden

Beowulf as Warrior

C-This is Beowulf as a warrior. We are going to point out parts that portray him as a warrior that lead up to his kingship. We start where Beowulf hears about Grendel attacks in the Danes territory.

J-After I heard about Grendel I “ordered a boat that would ply the waves to sail the swan’s road and seek out that king, the famous prince who needed defenders” (Heaney 198-201).

C-This shows how Beowulf was heroic and brave. In the book it quotes “there was no one else like him alive” (Heaney 196).

J-“They had seen me bolstered in the blood of enemies when I battled and bound five beasts, raided a troll-nest and in the night sea slaughtered sea-brutes” (Heaney 419-422).

C-Beowulf has approached Hrothgar, the Dane King and lets him know why he has come and lets him know about his “awesome strengths” (Heaney 416-418).

J-I took off all my armor and laid my sword down.

C-Beowulf was very confident in his strength. He laid without his armor, waiting on Grendel to show his face at the hall. He defeated Grendel with his bare hands.

J-My “doings were praised over and over again” (Heaney 855).

C-Beowulf was looked up to as a leader and was glorified with many gifts. The Danes stated “Nowhere north or south between the two seas or under the tall sky on the broad earth was there anyone better to raise a shield or to rule a kingdom” (Heaney 855-860).

J-We were trying to show how everyone thought of Beowulf as a leader and they would have figured him to be one of the greatest kings due to all of his accomplishments that he had done up to the point he was appointed King.

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Group Project

Britt Wilson

David Gafford

Beowulf as King

B – “The war-king planned and plotted his revenge; Beowulf their leader/ and Lord, began to plan it…” (2335-2337).

D- Beowulf plans for the battle but does not think about the consequences. He doesn’t think about the future of his people. His planning isn’t tactical because he doesn’t weigh out the options. His pride refuses to let him even think of the possibility of death or defeat.

B- “And now I shall fight for this treasure, fight with both hands and sword” (2509-2510)

D- This shows he does not fight for his people, he fights to acquire treasure. If his intentions were to guard his people he would’ve mentioned it but time and time again he mentions riches and fame.

B- “I am old now,/ But I will fight again, seek fame still, …” (2512-2513)

D- This is showing that he is still only concerned with gaining fame. He doesn’t display selflessness like a king should but is filled with thoughts of eternal fame. The desire for fame encompasses his thoughts so much that the idea of someone remembering him is more valuable than the idea of saving lives or doing what’s best for his kingdom.

B- “I risked my life often when I was young. Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning…” (1233-1234)

D- This once again shows that Beowulf is fighting for glory and fame, not for his people. If he were fighting for his people or for anyone else but himself he would have stated that that was the reason for his going into battle.

B- “Now is the time when I would have wanted to bestow this armor on my own son, had it been my fortune to have fathered an heir and live on in his flesh.” (1238)

D- This is Beowulf’s biggest flaw as a king. He has left his people behind without an heir which could lead to a power struggle and that will have a devastating effect of the people. Even in his death Beowulf still only wants a son so that he could live on through. He doesn’t want a son to rule the kingdom and serve the people; he’s still stuck on the idea of remaining in this world after death.

Commentary Summary by Gerald Black

Monsters and Individuals with Superhuman Strength: Fact or Fiction?

     According to Merriam-Webster’s definition of creature and monster, they DO exist.  Given the context in which we are studying them, they do not.  Webster’s says the definition for creature is something either animate or inanimate: as a lower animal, especially; A. farm animal, B. human being, C. a being of anomalous or uncertain aspect or nature.  Monster is defined as: 1.  A. An animal or plant of abnormal form or structure. B. one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior or character. 2.  A threatening force.  3.  A.  an animal of strange or terrifying shape. B. one usually large for its kind.

     What are your reasons for believing that such monstrous creatures as Grendel and men of superhuman strength like Beowulf did or did not exist?  While there is biblical and scientific proof that giants did and do exist, along with those that possess superhuman strength, all others are just complete fabrications of the mind.  Whether it is a figment of someone’s mind or just good schrooms monstrous creatures just do not exist.

     If they never lived, why did people of this early era compose stories about such creatures?  (Consider Greek mythology and the Bible.)  Bible:  1. Samson – superhuman strength. 2. David and Goliath (the Philistine giant).  Greek MYTHology says it all – MYTH.  Why people would create such stories can only be explained by: It Was Just My Imagination!!!  What would you really want to hear about?  The fact that I sat on the lake for 6 hours fishing and got one little nibble or that while I was fishing this big lake monster grabbed my line and dragged me all over the lake.

     Do people of today subscribe to any superstitious beliefs which find their way into modern stories, novels, plays, movies, and poetry?  Give examples.  Friday the 13^th, The Boogeyman, vampires, werewolves, Clash of the Titans.  Lots of movies have made various creatures seam very real, but there is no real evidence that they exist now or ever.

     So are there monsters and creatures? Yes by definition.  Are there monstrous creatures? NO!!

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Group Presentation

Miranda - Presentation of Video from YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_jgUgTZ-C0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Gerald - Overview of Introductory Paragraph

     According to Merriam-Webster’s definition of creature and monster, they DO exist.  Given the context in which we are studying them, they do not.  Webster’s says the definition for creature is something either animate or inanimate: as a lower animal, especially; A. farm animal, B. human being, C. a being of anomalous or uncertain aspect or nature.  Monster is defined as: 1.  A. An animal or plant of abnormal form or structure. B. one who deviates from normal or acceptable behavior or character. 2.  A threatening force.  3.  A.  an animal of strange or terrifying shape. B. one usually large for its kind.

Miranda - Overview of First Body Paragraph: “What are your reasons for believing that such monstrous creatures as Grendel and men of superhuman strength like Beowulf did or did not exist?”

      While there is biblical and scientific proof that giants did and do exist, along with those that possess superhuman strength, all others are just complete fabrications of the mind.  Whether it is a figment of someone’s mind or just good schrooms monstrous creatures just do not exist.

Brooke - Overview of Second Body Paragraph: “If they never lived, why did people of this early era compose stories about such creatures?  (Consider Greek mythology and the Bible.)” 

     Giants were real, as there are several references to them in the Bible. However, “monsters” are perhaps creatures that people have come up with for interesting tales or to explain reasons for their fears (e.g. the boogeyman for their fear of dark places or closets). There have even been some ideas that they were created long ago to explain dinosaur fossils. Here is an excerpt from an article that does very well at explaining this:

     A growing school of thought in recent years has suggested ancient man stumbling across fossils could have inspired fantastic legends of dragons, monsters, gods and heroes from the gryphon to the Cyclops to Hercules and the Norse giants.

     Adrienne Mayor, a research scholar in classics and history of science at Stanford University, California, led the way in exploring the links between myths and palaeontological remains by examining how the Ancient Greeks and Romans interpreted gigantic fossils.

     She said: ‘We really don't know which came first, myths about monsters or heroes that were larger than life or the observations of fossils. But it seems intuitive that some observations of skeletal remains—skulls and claws and tusks which looked really bizarre to people in antiquity—would have inspired some myths.

     “If you had the myths already and then came across bones like this, then you will immediately explain them by referring to your myth.”

     One example she uncovered was the story of the gryphon, which was said to have the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. It guarded gold in the deserts of central Asia.

     Mayor traced this story to Scythian nomads, who searched and prospected for gold in the deserts below the mountains of central Asia and had to pass through beds of fossils of protoceratops, a horned dinosaur which had a beak and clawed legs.

     She said: “These are among the most well-preserved dinosaur fossils in the world, so you would see the whole creature eroding out of soft sandstone and that would be pretty eerie and scary.

     “The story the Scythians came up with was that these creatures are guarding the gold. ...”

     Other examples include tales of Greek gods battling with giants and monsters, which may have roots in finding the fossils of large extinct mammals such as mammoths.

     Dinosaurs ranged from the gigantic planteaters to terrifying carnivores such as tyrannosaurus rex, while a variety of mammals, reptiles and birds were also on Earth during that era. These creatures continue to captivate modern-day audiences as a favourite subject for the big and small screen.

Citation: 

Duffy, Judith. "Dragons And Monsters Gods And Heroes." Read 61.8 (2012): 20-22. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 6 June 2012.

Brooke - Presentation of Pictures

“Cyclops” Compared to a Dwarf Elephant Skull

 www.fogonazos.es

 news.medill.northwestern.edu

“Griffin” or “Gryphon” Compared to a Protoceratops

 earthscienceinmaine.wikispaces.com

 www.flixya.com

“Loch Ness Monster” Compared to a Submerged Elephant

 www.foxnews.com

www.cryptomundo.com

Gerald - Overview of Third Body Paragraph: “Do people of today subscribe to any superstitious beliefs which find their way into modern stories, novels, plays, movies, and poetry?  Give examples.”

     Friday the 13^th, The Boogeyman, vampires, werewolves, Clash of the Titans.  Lots of movies have made various creatures seam very real, but there is no real evidence that they exist now or ever.

Gerald - Conclusion 

     So are there monsters and creatures? Yes by definition.  Are there monstrous creatures? NO!!

Commentary Summary by Justin Walker

Beowulf and His Counterparts

   Beowulf contains characteristics associated with folklore or fairy tales: lurid, sensational events; man-eating monsters; and heroes saving a people or a country from destruction.  Due to these elements, the poem has appealed to sophisticated audiences for more than twelve hundred years.

   The story of Beowulf creates a small glance into the Germanic and Scandinavian’s imagination. These people loved telling stories about good versus evil- heroes saving people from villains and getting rewarded for their efforts. This is evident in the story of Beowulf. While there probably never was a creature as terrifying as Grendel, the imagination of the people captivates and causes people in modern time to use their own imaginations to create heroes battling villains and being victorious. Gruesome parts of the poem, such as the scene in which Beowulf crushes and rips off Grendel’s arm, have seemed to interest audiences throughout the years, and have given ideas to copy those gruesome parts and make them even more horrid in today’s society and media.

   Other qualities that may intrigue these audiences are displayed demonstrations of alliteration. Alliteration is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words. Examples of alliteration in the poetic story of Beowulf are: “A canny pilot along coast and currents,” (Beowulf, 209), and, “Over the waves, with the wind behind her.” (Beowulf, 215) The style of writing may also appeal to sophisticated audiences because the vivid scenes that the words paint in people’s minds pull them in with the poetic, yet story-book theme.

   Then, there’s the subject of morals and the fact that these audiences could relate to those morals in the story of Beowulf. For example, loyalty to ones people or race is found throughout the poem. Loyalty establishes relationships and connections between the characters in these stories. Most audiences root for the people whose words don’t fall to the ground, and want to see the heroes standing up for what is honorable and truthful. Beowulf is the epitome of the word “loyal”. Even though a war was started by Beowulf’s father between the Geats and Danes, Beowulf did not hesitate to come to the aid of those who were once called “enemies”. Beowulf wanted to make right what his father had meant for wrong. And the fact that he came to the rescue of his own people as a warrior shows his honorable relationship between him and his people.

   In modern entertainment media today, there are counterparts to Beowulf in a variety of ways. These resemblances of Beowulf are created to reach everyone who may have an imagination just like those Anglo-Saxons. For example, most movies in today’s media contain a good side fighting a bad side. Superheroes are good examples of counterparts to Beowulf. Most superheroes are revealed to be very loyal to the people that they are watching over. Spiderman defeats many villains as he protects the huge city of New York.  Batman protects Gotham City and shows up whenever his SOS sign is flashed into the dark skies.  Captain America, who didn’t have any superpowers, but had super-human strength, could be compared to Beowulf. These superheroes go to where the danger is and save the day every time, just as Beowulf did.

   Even in today’s entertainment news broadcasts, there are real-life people who can be considered counterparts to Beowulf. Just as the mighty Geat traveled to Heorot to defeat Grendel, firemen travel throughout various places to defeat a modern-day villain known as fire. They risk their lives in the line of duty to help protect people from this raging enemy. Policeman serve the people by keeping their streets safe and families protected from villains, such as thieves and murderers.

  Stories and poems just like Beowulf were treasures used as entertainment in that time. And while those stories were passed down from generation, they led to even more stories that involve loyalty and honor and super-human strength. These sophisticated audiences are drawn in by those monsters and heroes. And they don’t have to look too hard before they will see a counterpart to those stories in the modern world.

                                                            WORKS CITED

Lawall, Sarah. The Norton Anthology: Western Literature. New York. 1984. Print

Food and Drink Correspondence with Invitation by Miranda Bullard

Picture from Oxford English Dictionary

Picture from Oxford English Dictionary

     Heorot, was a place built during prosperity throughout Hrothgars kingdom. The soldiers could feast and drink here. It was built for this purpose, and was an important place for king Hrothgar and his soldiers. They served foods like lamb, deer, and wild birds. They served mead, which is where the name “mead-hall” came from. In our society today this would be kind of like a Pub we would go to for dinner and drinks.

Bread

1 lb wholegrain flour (eg. Doves Farm Malthouse bread flour or Sharpham Park wholegrain spelt flour, singly or in combination)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp quick yeast
1 tsp honey
300 ml water
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Combine the flour, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl.

Add the honey and vegetable oil to the water, then stir into the dry ingredients (add more or less water as required – the dough should be tacky but not so sticky that you can’t get it off your hands easily).

Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and stretchy.

Shape into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Divide into five or six pieces (approx. 5 oz each or 4 oz each piece) and shape into buns. Place on a baking tray, cover and leave to rise for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

When risen, bake the buns in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and cover with a clean, dry cloth to keep the crusts soft.

Broth

4 1/2 oz pearl barley
500 ml ale
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1/2 lb trimmed leeks, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 carrots, diced
4 oz green beans, sliced
1 1/4 pints water
2 bay leaves
handful fresh mint leaves (1/4 oz)
12 oz frozen peas
1 tsp honey
2 1/2 oz bulgar wheat
salt, to taste

Put the barley and ale in a medium-sized saucepan, bring to the boil then cover and simmer gently until the barley is soft, c. 50 mins to 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan (this is your cauldron). Add the onion, leeks, garlic and carrot. Cook gently until softened.

Stir in the beans and water. Simmer gently until the beans are softened.

Add the bay leaves, mint, peas and honey to the cauldron. Simmer gently for a further 5 minutes.

Stir in the softened barley and ale.

Just before serving, stir in the bulgar wheat. Leave to stand for a couple of minutes, then stir. Check seasoning and add salt if necessary.

Spit-Roasted Chicken

4 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp honey
6 chicken thigh fillets, diced

Mix together the oil, garlic and honey in a medium-sized bowl or measuring jug. Leave to stand for 15 minutes to infuse the flavors.

Add the chicken thigh pieces and stir to cover evenly with the infused oil. Marinade for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Thread the chicken pieces onto barbeque skewers and suspend across a baking tray. Drizzle over any remaining oil or garlic.

Cook in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.

To serve: Place the bread on a wooden board in the centre of the table. Remove the chicken pieces from the skewers and place in a large serving bowl on the table. Serve the broth in individual bowls (wooden, if possible) with spoons. Each person should help themselves to the bread and chicken, eating them with their hands and using the bread to scoop up copious amounts of the good rich broth.
http://amerrierworld.com/2011/02/22/beowulfs-feast-the-broth-the-bread-and-the-spit-roasted

http://amerrierworld.com/2011/02/22/beowulfs-feast-the-broth-the-bread-and-the-spit-roasted

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Invitation

Old English Correspondence by Hannah Morgan

Old English vs. Modern English

Funden “found”     

Geong adj.” Young”

Hwile “time”

Wig “war”

Cume “should come”

Cunning secgan “ cannot say”

            Old English has been around for many years, though no one uses it anymore it’s the roots of our language. There are very few words that look or sound the same as old English though. Old English is a mix of Germanic and English words it has our mean yet sound like german. Most of the letters that were in old English our not part of our alaphabet. The six words above come from Beowulf the old English version. They look some what and the means if the words we use today. Old English is very hard to read, most of time what the word looks like it means completely different.
            Many people wonder what happen to old English or what you can find, well on the links below there is a sound bite of Old English being read in Old English Language.  I have also included a link that will show you the text to read along with the narrator. The whole poem of Beowulf is on the link below if you can translate some the words you will find that Beowulf had to be changed to fit into some parts of our language because some words do not exist anymore.

            

Video of "Beowulf Prologue in Old English"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkaPNlOz0N4

Link to Beowulf Prologue in Old English: 

http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~beowulf/old/oldpro.html

Eulogy and Timeline by Britt Wilson

Eulogy

        A man of bravery and chivalry can only be described as one thing, and that would be a hero. Like the thundering clash of the Symplegades, Beowulf stuck his head high and charged into battle, always nearly avoiding the jaws of death. No person can ever surpass his greatness for Beowulf expected nothing in return but fame and reverence, aspects he certainly deserved. Anyone who came to mourn, know this; Beowulf did not die in vain, he died protecting his people, that alone is something to respect him for. Take what you can from his model for everyone should try to be like him, God is the only one Being greater. A mastermind, a warrior, and a king! Hail Beowulf.

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Timeline

• Beowulf, along with a group of Geatish warriors, sails across the sea to the land of the Danes to fight the demon Grendel.
• Beowulf is graciously received by King Hrothgar and Queen Wealhtheow, who gratefully accept his offer of help.
• When Grendel attacks Heorot Hall, Beowulf meets him in hand-to-hand combat. Beowulf tears Grendel's arm from his socket, mortally wounding the monster.
• Beowulf is thanked by King Hrothgar, who bestows rich gifts on him and hosts a feast in his honor.
• Beowulf goes to sleep after the feast, but in his absence Heorot is attacked again by Grendel's mother.
• He tracks Grendel's mother to her lair in a cave under a lake and kills her with a sword he finds there.
• Beowulf returns to the surface with Grendel's head and the hilt of the sword that killed Grendel's mother.
• Beowulf receives additional gifts and thanks from King Hrothgar.
• He and his followers return to Geatland.
• Beowulf presents the gifts he has received from Hrothgar to Hygelac.
• After Hygelac and his kinsmen are killed in battle, Beowulf becomes the king of the Geats and reigns for fifty years.
• When he hears about a marauding dragon, Beowulf suspects that he will die fighting it.
• Beowulf tracks the dragon to its lair and fights it with the help of his follower, Wiglaf.
• Beowulf kills the dragon, but receives a mortal wound in the fight.
• He asks Wiglaf to bring some of the dragon's treasure to the surface to show him before he dies.
• Having gazed on the treasure and given his golden necklace to Wiglaf, Beowulf dies.
• Beowulf's body is burned on a funeral pyre by his people and a barrow is built on the site to honor him.

       www.shmoop.com/beowulf/beowulf-character-timeline.html

Editorial Column by Lakelyne Brown

The Better Leader

Bjarni from “Thorstein Staff – Struck” is better leader than Beowulf from “Beowulf”. There are many characteristics to each of these characters that prove why one would make a better leader. For instance Beowulf, who only thinks about himself and no one else, is not a good leader. Throughout the poem he shows signs of many bad qualities he has when it comes to leadership.

Beowulf has no concern for what might happen to his people as a result of his constant need to increase his fame by fighting. Also Beowulf only wants to get gold for himself and not for the good of his people.  Beowulf does not want any other person to acquire fame equal to, or above his, so he never has an heir to the throne when he becomes king which puts his people in complicated situation when he dies. Beowulf’s concern for fame and treasures is for only himself, and not for the good of his people or his country. Beowulf does not give his people any sign of continuity.  As result, Bjarni from “Thorstein Staff – Struck” would make a better leader.

Bjarni exhibits many great signs of leadership in “Thorstein Staff –Struck”. Bjarni is not vengeful, and does what he can for the good of his people.  For example, when Thorstein kills Thord, Bjarni’s servant, he has him outlawed to give his people relief. Another example that shows why Bjarni is a better leader is when his people start spreading rumors instead of getting angry, he goes to Thorstein himself. He begins a fight with Thorstein, as the fight Bjarni starts to realize what a good man Thorstein is and does not kill him. Instead Bjarni request that Thorstein come and work for him.

In conclusion Bjarni from “Thorstein Staff –Struck” is a much better leader than Beowulf from “Beowulf”. Beowulf is warrior not a leader. He is only concerned for himself. Beowulf only wants treasure and to be the most famous, he has no concern for his people. However Bjarni acts as leader and makes wise decisions. He does not take head to any of the gossip, but instead goes and finds out for himself.