Beowulf: Fact or Fiction?
Destini Shepard and Lidia Burnett
Historical Context
The Anglo Saxons controlled England for 600 years. The Anglo Saxons used to be separated, they were the Angles, and the Saxons. They joined forces in the Viking era. The Angles and the Saxons were very alike. They were both invaders that took over land and conquered it.(Bloom 1)
The Dark Ages, as the Anglo-Saxon period is often called, was a time of bloody conflicts, ignorance, violence, and barbarism.(Allen et al. 23
Background of Beowulf
Scholars consider the author of Beowulf a good poet, but that is all that is really known about him. His name and information were not kept, causing people to believe that the story is fake. Some people believe that each of the poem's three fights were written by a different author, and later combined by others who added their piece of the story. While the poet did had knowledge of Christianity, he also spreads culture throughout their writings. Although Beowulf seems most connected to Old Norse folklore, some of it is based on fact.(Bloom 1)
Archeological Finds
The only solid evidence of the poet's existence is a manuscript produced around the year 1000. Two different scribes copied the poet's work in West Saxon, an Old English literary dialect, and an early editor gave the poem its title.(Bloom 1)
Factual Connections
Hrunting
Beowulf stabbing the dragon
Grendel
Opinions
Works Cited
Bloom, Harold, ed. "Beowulf." Beowulf, Bloom's Guides. Chelsea House
Publishing, 2008. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 29 Sept. 2014
Bloom, Harold, ed. "Background to Beowulf." Beowulf, Bloom's Guides. Chelsea House Publishing, 2008. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 29 Sept.