Beowulf

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem and one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature. Preserved in a single manuscript within the Nowell Codex of the British Library (Cotton Vitellius A.xv), it is generally dated to the early medieval period, with scholars placing its composition between the 8th and 11th centuries. The poem is written in Old English alliterative verse and runs to roughly 3,000 lines.

The narrative follows Beowulf, a hero of the Geats in southern Sweden, who travels to aid King Hrothgar of Denmark. Hrothgar's hall Heorot has suffered under the monster Grendel. Beowulf fights Grendel unarmed, sundered by his strength, and Grendel dies after Beowulf rips off his arm. Later Grendel's mother attacks the hall, and Beowulf tracks her to a subterranean lake, where he kills her.

Returning home, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats and rules for fifty years. In old age a dragon threatens his realm. Beowulf and a small group of loyal thanes confront the dragon; Beowulf slays the dragon but is mortally wounded. The dragon's hoard is recovered by the surviving warriors, and Beowulf dies, his body cremated and a funerary barrow raised in his memory; his loyal aide Wiglaf speaks of his deeds.

Beowulf blends pagan heroic ideals with Christian elements and explores themes such as fate, courage, loyalty, fame, and the responsibilities of leadership. It offers valuable insight into early medieval culture and language and has influenced later literature and scholarship on Old English, Germanic myth, and epic storytelling.