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Beowulfs

Beowulfs is not a standard term in English-language scholarship. The topic most often discussed under the name Beowulf is the Old English epic poem Beowulf and its central hero, Beowulf of Geatland. The plural form Beowulfs may appear in casual use to refer to multiple instances of the Beowulf legend, adaptations, or to people named Beowulf, but it is not common in academic literature.

Beowulf is a compound given name from Old English beadu "battle" and wulf "wolf"; it means "battle-wolf".

Beowulf narrates the exploits of a Geatish hero who defeats Grendel, then Grendel's mother, and later a

Beowulf survives in the Nowell Codex (Cotton vitellius A. xv) of the British Library, dating from the

The
name
appears
in
various
medieval
Scandinavian
and
English
sources
and
persists
as
a
modern
given
name
in
some
cultures.
dragon.
The
poem
is
set
in
Scandinavia
and
composed
in
Old
English;
it
extols
courage,
fame,
leadership,
and
loyalty
while
contemplating
mortality,
fate
(wyrd),
and
the
responsibilities
of
kingship.
Its
language
uses
alliterative
verse,
kennings,
and
a
mix
of
pagan
and
Christian
elements.
late
10th
or
early
11th
century;
the
author
is
unknown.
The
work
is
a
cornerstone
of
Old
English
literature
and
has
influenced
medieval
and
modern
fantasy
writing.