Literary Terms from Beowulf

A detailed Summary of Literary Terms from Beowulf


A Kenning is a metaphorical phrase or compound word used to name a person, place, thing, or event indirectly.

"Twelve winters of grief for Hrothgar, king

Of the Danes, sorrow heaped at his door

The word in bold red print is an example of a kenning. The word hell-forged is a compound word that is describing what type of hands have brought sorrow to Hrothgar.

Hrothgar's gold-ringed queen, greeted

The warriors; a noble woman who knew

What was right." ( Beowulf, 614-616)

"For each, till the bracelet-wearing queen

Had carried the mead-cup among them and it was

Beowulf's turn to be served." (Beowulf, 622-624)

The words gold-ringed and bracelet-wearing are also both kennings in that they both are compound words that describe the Queen Welthow.

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in words that are close to one another.

"He moved quickly through the cloudy night,

Up from his swampland, sliding silently

The words that are in blue are a classic example of alliteration in Anglo-Saxon poetry. The echoes of this line increase the poe


Another characteristic of an Epic Hero is that they must go on a quest. In his quest he must defeat monsters that embody dark, destructive powers. At the end of this quest, the hero is glorified by the people he has saved. This is especially seen when Beowulf conquers Grendel and then later Grendel's mother. Afterward he is rewarded by Hrothgar with treasures.

If anything will ever and the evils



Some common words found in the essay are:
Marched Beowulf, Grendel Grendel's, Alliteration Alliteration, Examples Hermond, Epic Hero, Higlac's Follower, Examples Twelve, Forever Herot, Hrothgar Hrothgar's, Grant Lord, epic hero, differences characters, particular society, embodies values particular, values particular society, hands beowulf, example foil, key characteristic, characteristic epic, serpents swimming, example caesura, particular society examples, characteristic epic hero, epic epic, murderous creatures banished,

Approximate Word count = 1352
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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