Anglo-Saxon Literature test

Individuals who preserve Anglo-Saxon oral traditions, often performing in communal halls.

Beowulf displays Grendel’s severed arm in Herot.

The act of killing one’s sibling.

A poem that mourns the death of a person or laments something lost.

What country is this?

Brought to England during the Anglo-Saxon era, merging with and overtaking the previous system.

What country is this?

Group that occupied England until about 43 AD.

Shakespearean play written in Modern English.

Monster that attack’s the mead hall and which Beowulf must defeat.

A quest story on a grand scale.

Beowulf’s loyal soldier, who stays by his side when fighting the dragon.

Anglo Saxon epic written in Old English.

Danish King whose mead hall has been ravaged by Grendel.

They helped preserve Anglo-Saxon stories by transcribing them in scriptoriums.

Prehistoric monument built by Celtic priests.

Archaeological site in southeastern England that provides clues to Anglo-Saxon culture.

A special metaphor made of compound words, a staple of Anglo-Saxon literature.

Germanic language brought to England by the Anglo-Saxons in the 400s.

Friend of Beowulf’s and fellow competitor in a swimming race.

Biblical brothers. One kills the other. Grendel is a descendent.

Central figure in a long narrative reflecting the values and ideals of a particular society.

What country is this?

Sword given to Beowulf by Unferth. The sword fails.

Written history of England from the beginning of the Christian ear until the twelfth century.

Beowulf fathered the dragon after an affair with Grendel’s mom.

A rhythmical pause that divides a line of verse in half.

What country is this?

A Roman defensive fortification meant to keep barbarians in the north of England.

Hrothgar’s subject, who is critical of Beowulf’s attempt to help.

French group who invaded England from the south in 1066 and changed the language.

Beowulf fights a dragon in Denmark.

The repetition of initial consonant sounds in a line of verse.

Anglo-Saxon warrior code which prohibits the warrior from deserting his men during combat.

Character who sets off another by strong contrast, making the the traits of each distinctive.

Developed when French mixed with the previous Germanic language following the Norman Conquest.

Group that occupied England from 43 AD to 410 AD.

Hrothgar fathered Grendel after an affair with Grendel’s mom.

Developed over the 15th through 17th centuries as a result of a vowel shift.

Old religion of celts in England. Parts of it blended with a new religion in England.

Group that occupied England from about 449 AD to 1066 AD.

Poem whose speaker morns the loss of heroes and prefers life on the ocean to life in town.

Group from Scandinavia that continually invaded England from the 8th to the 11th century AD.

Hrothgar’s wife.

Middle Ages text written in Middle English.

United the Anglo-Saxons against the Vikings. A successful ruler who promoted education.

Mead hall which Beowulf must defend.