BEOWULF AND GAME OF THRONES WHAT DO YOU

BEOWULF AND GAME OF THRONES

WHAT DO YOU THINK. . . IS SHAKESPEARE OLD ENGLISH, MIDDLE ENGLISH, OR MODERN ENGLISH?

• 1500 -

THE CANTERBURY TALES BY WILLIAM CHAUCER 1100 -1500

BEOWULF HTTP: //PLAY ER. SLIDEPL AYER. COM/3 3/8260678/D ATA/IMAGES /IMG 10. PNG

OLD ENGLISH ALPHABET • LET'S DO A QUICK TRANSLATION ACTIVITY

HISTORY OF THE CELTS (BRITONS) AND ANGLO SAXONS • GAME OF THRONES RIPPED OFF CELTIC RELIGION AND NORSE MYTHOLOGY

CELTIC GREAT BRITAIN 700 B. C. • THE SPIRIT OF THE CELTS • RELIGION WAS A FORM OF ANIMISM (LATIN FOR SPIRIT) • SAW SPIRITS EVERYWHERE. . . IN TREES, RIVERS, STONES, PONDS, FIRE, AND THUNDER. • DRUIDS LIKE PRIESTS— CONNECTION TO SPIRIT WORLD • DRUID MEANS "KNOWNING THE OAK TREE" • THE TREE WAS SACRED AND THEY PERFORMED THEIR RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES IN THE GROVES Just like the weirwood trees in GOT!

CELTIC HEROES AND HEROINES: A MAGICAL WORLD • CELTIC RELIGION AND MYTHOLOGY INFLUENCED BRITISH AND IRISH Queen Maeve of Ireland: She "led her troops in an epic battle over the ownership of a fabulous white bull whose back was so broad fifty children could play upon it. " WRITERS • CELTIC STORIES ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM ANGLOSAXON • MOST CELTIC LEGENDS ARE FULL OF STRONG WOMEN LIKE QUEEN MAEVE AND BOADICEA Boadicea: "She was very tall, the glance of her eye most fierce; her voice harsh. A great mass of the reddest hair fell down to her hips. "

ROMAN CONQUERORS AND GREAT ADMINISTRATORS • CELTS WERE CONQUERED BY THE ROMANS IN 55 B. C. BY JULIUS CAESAR • FORCED NORTH OR INTO SLAVERY • ROMAN RULE • BUILT A NETWORK OF ROADS • DURING ROMAN RULE CHRISTIANITY TOOK ROOT THE OLD CELTIC RELIGION BEGAN TO VANISH • DEFENSIVE WALLS TO KEEP OUT FOREIGN INVADERS. . . BUT NOT FOR LONG • NO CENTRAL GOVERNMENT LED TO TRIBAL WARRING AND FOREIGN INVASION "But there are some who still keep to the Old Way, worshipping the faceless gods of the Children of the Forest and the First Men. " -Bran Stark Old gods of the forest and the Faith of the Seven

THE ANGLO-SAXONS SWEEP ASHORE MID 5 TH CENTURY OR 450 B. C. • ANGLES AND SAXONS FROM GERMANY AND THE JUTES FROM DENMARK CROSSED THE NORTH SEA • DROVE OUT THE OLD BRITONS OR CELTS • RENAMED ENGLA LAND OR ENGLAND FROM THE ANGLES • CELTS DID PUT UP A STRONG RESISTANCE BUTK ING ALFRED UNIFIED THE ANGLOS AND SAXONS USING CHRISTIANITY AS A COMMON SYSTEM OF FAITH ESTABLISHING RIGHT AND WRONG • DROVE OUT DANISH VIKINGS WHO CROSSED THE NORTH SEA IN THEIR DRAGON BOATS • THE NORSE EVENTUALLY SETTLED IN NORTHEAST ENGLAND

HOW DOES ALL OF THIS HISTORY PERTAIN TO BEOWULF? • THERE ARE CHRISTIAN, NORSE (VIKING), AND CELTIC BELIEFS OR REFERENCES INTERWOVEN INTO THE EPIC POEM • CHRISTIANITY: GRENDEL (OUR MONSTER) IS THE SPAWN OFC AIN • • BEOWULF OFTEN PRAYS TO GOD YET, OLD NORSE STORIES TELL OF THE "DRAUGAR" OR DEAD MEN OF SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH WHO WALKED AT NIGHT, SPREADING EVIL AND TERROR • THE "DRAUGAR" ALSO HAD A MOTHER EVEN MORE TERRIBLE CALLED A "KETTA" OR "SHECAT"

ANGLO-SAXON LOYALTY • LOYALTY AND STRENGTH WERE VERY PRINCIPLE INA NGLO-SAXON CULTURE AND BELIEFS • THE CHIEFTAIN AND HIS FOLLOWERS WERE BOUND TO EACH OTHER UNTIL DEATH (KIND OF LIKE THE MEN OF THE NIGHTS WATCH!) • IF THE LORD WAS KILLED, HIS WARRIORS HAD TO AVENGE HIS DEATH OR DIE BESIDE HIM. AFTER BATTLE THE WARRIORS GATHERED IN THE MEAD HALL OF THE LORD AND FEASTED AND DRANK! • LOYALTY GREW OUT OF NECESSITY AS WELL AS CUSTOM • SUCH A STRONG LEADER WAS NECESSARY TO PROTECT THE CLAN FROM THE ENEMY INFESTED WILDERNESS AND LONG DARK WINTERS

ANGLO-SAXON WARRIOR GODS AND BARDS • GERMANIC ANGLO-SAXONS BORROWED FROM NORSE BELIEFS AND MYTHOLOGY • NORSE ODIN (GOD OF DEATH, POETRY, AND MAGIC) • ANGLO-SAXON WODEN • • WHICH WE DERIVED WEDNESDAY OR WODEN'S DAY THUNOR LIKE THE NORSE GOD THOR • GOD OF THUNDER AND LIGHTNING • THUNOR'S DAY OR THURSDAY! • BARD: SKILLED STORYTELLER WHO SANG OF HEROES • THE BARD WAS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS A HERO • CREATING POETRY WAS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS FIGHTING, HUNTING, FARMING, ANDL OVE • WE CAN TELL THAT BEOWULF IS ANE PIC POEM THAT WAS TOLD ORALLY BECAUSE OF THE REFERENCES TO NORSE, CHRISTIANITY, PAGANISM • IT ALSO HAS MANY SIDE STORIES!

WHAT IS AN EPIC AND WHY WERE THEY SO IMPORTANT? • THERE WAS NO AFTERLIFE, ONLY THIS LIFE TO THE ANGLOSAXONS • THEY WANTED TO BE REMEMBERED FOREVER (IMMORTALITY THROUGH EPIC) • SO SCOPS OR BARDS SANG OF GREAT WARRIORS IN THE LORDS' MEAD (STRONG ALE) HALL

BEOWULF POETIC EPIC- LONG NARRATIVE POEM FEATURING A HERO ON A QUEST! (CLASSIC ARCHETYPES) • 3, 200 LINES OFP OETRY WITH AN UNKNOWN AUTHOR! • ALLITERATION • • • "UP FROM HIS SWAMPLAND, SLIDING SILENTLY TOWARD THAT GOLD-SHINING HALL" • "HE FOUND THEM SPRAWLED IN SLEEP, SUSPECTING NOTHING, THEIR DREAMS UNDISTURBED" KENNINGS: A SPECIAL FORM OF COMPOUNDING WORDS • BANHUS (BAN + HUS) IS LITERALLY "BONE-HOUSE", WHICH WOULD REFER TO WHAT? • HRONRAD "WHALE ROAD", WOULD REFER TO. . . • RODORES CANDEL "SKY'S CANDLE" REFERS TO. . . PRESENT DAY KENNINGS: • GAS-GUZZLER • COUCH POTATO • GOLD DIGGER Caesura: the caesura is a break in the line where the speaker pauses This is another indicator that proves the orality of Beowulf. A scop or bard would need a pause to catch his breath or take a swig of mead!

BEOWULF'S PAGAN AND CHRISTIAN ELEMENTS • PAGAN • BELIEF THAT FATE OR WYRD CONTROLLED THEIR LIVES • BELIEF IN MAGIC AND DRAGONS • CALLS UPON GOD TO HELP IN HIS CAUSE • BEOWULF'S SWORD CALLED HRUNTING HAS MAGIC PROPERTIES AND INSCRIBED WITH ANCIENT RUINS. BEOWULF SPEAKS OF THE SWORD ALMOST AS IF THE SWORD ITSELF IS ALIVE! • GIVE THANKS TO GOD IN THE MEAD HALL FOR HELP IN BATTLES AGAINST EVIL • GOOD VS. EVIL AND THE DESTRUCTION OF EVIL • GRENDEL AS A DESCENDANT OF CAIN • A HERO MUST PROVE HIMSELF IN THIS LIFE— PESSIMISTIC EARTH-BOUND VIEW • • CHRISTIAN FAME IS IMMORTALITY "My warrior band dwindles, driven by Wyrd Into Grendel's grasp; but God may easily End this monster's mad career. "

CHARACTERS AND WORDS/CONCEPTS IN BEOWULF • CYNING: T THE ANGLO-SAXON KING USUALLY THE STRONGEST WARRIOR • THANE: WARRIOR WHO SOUGHT OUT GLORY • WERGILD: PART OF WARRIOR CODE • "DEATH-PRICE" • BEOWULF IS THERE TO SETTLE DEBTS AND OF COURSE GAIN FAME AND GLORY • MEAD HALL CALLED HEROT IN BEOWULF: • MEAD IS AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE MADE FROM FERMENTED HONEY AND WATER • PLAN BATTLES CELEBRATE. . . DO MANLY THINGS • BEOWULF (BEAR): SON OF ECGTHEOW AND KING OF THE GEATS • GRENDEL: MAN-EATING MONSTER; DECENDANT OF CAIN. LIVES AT THE BOTTOM OF A MERE OR MOUNTAIN LAKE • GRENDEL'S MOTHER: WANTS REVENGE FOR HER SON • HROTHGAR: KING OF THE DANES, BUILDER OF HEROT. WAS A FRIEND OF BEOWULF'S DADDY • WIGLAF: WARRIOR AND BEOWULF'S BEST BUDDY