10 Fascinating Facts About Beowulf

TLDRBeowulf, the longest poem in Old English, is set in Scandinavia and doesn't mention the British Isles. The original manuscript was damaged in a fire, but one copy remains at the British Library. J.R.R. Tolkien fell in love with Beowulf during his school years and quoted lines in Old English. The poem contains a mash-up of dialects from four different areas of medieval Britain. Beowulf was an oral tale before being written down in the 10th or 11th century. The epic form of Beowulf shares similarities with the Aeneid and the Iliad. Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf became a bestseller. The 2007 film adaptation made changes to the original poem. Michael Crichton wrote a novel inspired by Beowulf called 'Eaters of the Dead.' Grendel, the villain of Beowulf, is seen from a different perspective in a novel by John Gardner.

Key insights

📜Beowulf is the longest poem in Old English and is set in Scandinavia, not the British Isles.

🔥The original manuscript of Beowulf was damaged in a fire in 1731, but one copy remains at the British Library.

🧙‍♂️J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was a fan of Beowulf and quoted lines in the original Old English.

🗣️The language used in Beowulf is a mix of dialects from four different areas of medieval Britain.

📚Beowulf was originally an oral tale before being written down in the 10th or 11th century.

Q&A

Where is the original manuscript of Beowulf kept?

—The original manuscript of Beowulf is kept at the British Library in London.

Who was a fan of Beowulf and quoted lines in the original Old English?

—J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was a fan of Beowulf and quoted lines in the original Old English.

What language is used in Beowulf?

—The language used in Beowulf is a mix of dialects from four different areas of medieval Britain.

When was Beowulf written down?

—Beowulf was originally an oral tale before being written down in the 10th or 11th century.

What are some similarities between Beowulf and other epic poems?

—Beowulf shares similarities in structure and texture with The Aeneid and The Iliad.

Timestamped Summary

00:00[Music]

00:01I'm Russell Jaffe, four-course hero, and

00:04here are 10 things you probably didn't

00:06know about Beowulf

00:18despite being the longest poem in Old

00:21English the action is all set in

00:32aren't mentioned anywhere in the story

00:37the original copy of the Beowulf

00:40manuscript was badly damaged in a fire

Browse more