Beowulf

For more than a thousand years, Beowulf has been part of the foundation on which all English literature is built. The epic is filled with monsters and heroes, including the fiercely strong Beowulf, as archetypal a hero as exists in literature.

Here's a list of Beowulf vocabulary for reference and study.

"Not much Anglo-Saxon poetry of the pagan period has come down to us. By far the most important remaining example is the epic 'Beowulf,' of about three thousand lines."

Written around the tenth century A.D., Beowulf is one of the greatest works of the Medieval era. It describes a Scandinavian warrior of the sixth century. Read more about Beowulf.

The story of Beowulf and his monsters is a long and complicated record of terror, blood, glory, and death. The setting draws us to a place and time that's foreign to our understanding.

Read the text of Beowulf.

This site is a supplement to an undergraduate course at Pace University taught by Martha Driver.

Find out about the discovery of hidden and erased words and passages visible through fiber-optic and ultraviolet readings.

Here's a version of the story of Beowulf, simplified.