Question

Beowulf is the first known ________________ to be composed in Old English

Answer 1

Beowulf is the first known epic poem composed in Old English, representing an era when stories were traditionally transmitted orally before being written down. This work is a cornerstone of English literature and a window into Anglo-Saxon culture.

Step-by-step explanation:

Beowulf is the first known epic poem to be composed in Old English. This monumental work is not just significant as a work of English literature but also provides a unique glimpse into the culture and values of the Anglo-Saxon period, which lasted from 450 to 1066 A.D. The text moves through the heroic deeds and battles of its protagonist, Beowulf, against various monsters and his eventual kingship. Like much of the early literary tradition, it emerges from a robust oral culture that celebrated warriors and their fateful struggles.

Before being set down in manuscript form, stories like Beowulf were shared orally, much like other European epics such as the Song of Hildebrand and the Song of the Nibelungs. The transition from oral to written narratives marked an important development in the preservation and transmission of these cultural sagas. Contrary to the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is the earliest surviving work of literature from Mesopotamia, Beowulf remains the oldest epic poem in English and a testament to the early stages of the English language, then in its Old English form.

Answer 2

Beowulf is the first known epic poem composed in Old English, originating from an oral tradition among the Germanic peoples and transcribed during the period of 450 to 1066 A.D. It reflects similar cultural practices of storytelling as seen in other cultures, such as Homeric epics in ancient Greece.

Step-by-step explanation:

Beowulf is the first known epic poem to be composed in Old English. Dating back to the period between 450 to 1066 A.D., Beowulf is a significant piece of literature illustrating the rich oral tradition of the Germanic peoples, who primarily transmitted information and cultural traditions through spoken epics before these stories found their way onto the written page.

Similar to how verses such as the Song of Hildebrand and the Song of the Nibelungs were passed down orally before being written, Beowulf too was an oral narrative before being transcribed. The manuscript's origins can be traced thanks to Aldred, a 10th-century priest who provided a translation in vernacular English. This epic revels in the tales of heroes, such as its eponymous protagonist, who confront their destiny with valor. Though the Germanic peoples had a tradition of oral storytelling, they were influenced by cultural shifts such as the conversion to Christianity in Denmark, as documented by the runic inscriptions on the Jelling Stones.

The influence of oral tradition on the composition of literature is not unique to the Germanic culture, as seen in the Homeric epics Iliad and Odyssey, which were also products of an oral culture before being written down using the Greek alphabet during the eighth century BCE.