Beowulf vocabulary
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This document provides definitions for various vocabulary terms that appear in the epic poem Beowulf. It defines words like "solace," "mail," "affliction," "banner," "fetters," "loathsome," "venerable," "scop," "druid," "elegiac," "heroic," "epic," "kenning," "caesure," "wyrd," and "pagan" that are relevant to understanding the language and context of the Old English poem.
Beowulf vocabulary
- 2. Solace Comfort in sorrow, misfortune, or trouble; alleviation of distress or discomfort
- 3. Mead An alcoholic liquor made by fermenting honey and water.
- 4. Mail Flexible armor of interlinked rings. Any flexible armor or covering, as one having a protective exterior of scales or small plates.
- 5. Affliction A state of pain, distress, or grief; misery OUCH!
- 6. Banner A flag formerly used as the standard of a sovereign, lord, or knight
- 7. Fetters A chain or shackle placed on the feet.
- 9. Venerable Commanding respect because of great age or impressive dignity.
- 10. Scop An Old English bard or poet; a storytelling minstrel often accompanied by a harp.
- 11. Druid A member of a pre-Christian religious order among the ancient Celts or Gaul, Britain, and Ireland.
- 12. Elegiac Expressing sorrow or lamentation.
- 13. Heroic Having or involving recourse to boldness, daring or extreme measures.
- 14. Epic Noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, in which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in elevated style
- 15. Kenning A metaphorical phrase used in Anglo-Saxon Poetry to replace a concrete noun. the whales home = the sea
- 16. Caesure/Caesurea A break, usually near the middle of a verse, and marked in scansion by a double vertical line, as in know then thyself || presume not God to scan.
- 17. Wyrd A concept in Old English and Old Norse culture roughly corresponding to fate or karma. Fate personified
- 18. Pagan A person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim; an irreligious or hedonistic person