This page is about the epic story. For the character, see
Beowulf (hero).
Beowulf |
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First page of Beowulf in Cotton Vitellius A. xv |
Author(s) | Unknown |
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Language | West Saxon dialect of Old English |
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Date | c. 700–1000 AD (date of story), c. 975–1010 AD (date of manuscript) |
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State of existence | Manuscript suffered damage from fire in 1731 |
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Manuscript(s) | Cotton Vitellius A. xv |
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First printed edition | Thorkelin (1815) |
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Genre | Epic heroic writing |
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Verse form | Alliterative verse |
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Length | c. 3182 lines |
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Subject | The battles of Beowulf, the Geatish hero, in youth and old age |
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Personages | Beowulf, Hygelac, Hrothgar, Wealhþeow, Hrothulf, Æschere, Unferth, Grendel, Grendel's mother, Wiglaf, Hildeburh. |
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Beowulf is an Old English heroic epic poem. It is not known who wrote it, and there is no agreement as to when it was written. Estimates for the date range from AD 608 right through to AD 1000, and there is no consensus. The poem has only one manuscript source, written about 1010. Beowulf is 3182 lines long. Tolkien describes and illustrates many of the features of Old English poetry in his 1940 essay On translating Beowulf.