Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun An anonymous Old English epic poem believed to have been composed in the early eighth century, principally concerning the exploits of the warrior Beowulf and containing historical and legendary tales about the Geats, Danes, and other older Germanic peoples.
- noun The legendary hero of this epic, who slays the monster Grendel and its mother, becomes king of the Geats, and dies fighting a dragon.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- proper noun poetic An Anglo-Saxon personal name, usually with reference to the hero of an Old English epic poem, or to the poem itself.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the legendary hero of an anonymous Old English epic poem composed in the early 8th century; he slays a monster and becomes king but dies fighting a dragon
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Beowulf.
Examples
-
But when the waters cleared, hope returned to their hearts, and when, at length, Beowulf uprose from the water of the mere and they saw that in his hand he bore the head of the Grendel, there was no lonely scaur, nor cliff, nor rock of the land of the Danes that did not echo the glad cry of "_Beowulf!
A Book of Myths Jeanie Lang
-
In all this I am referring, of course, to the long eighth-century Anglo-Saxon poem only recently accorded the title Beowulf (the single extant manuscript in the British Museum is without one) and not to its phenomenally muscular monster-killing hero.
Grendel and Beowulf Were Two Pretty Boys Bateson, F.W. 1971
-
Adapted from the oldest story in the English language, "Beowulf" is a hyper violent and highly sexualized tale of the warrior Beowulf (Ray Winstone) who must slay the monster Grendel (Crispin Glover).
Archive 2007-07-01 Mary Kate Hurley 2007
-
Put together from pieces of a fragmented past, "Beowulf" is a poem we know, perhaps, only by its reputation -- we know it by what we've been left.
Archive 2007-11-01 Mary Kate Hurley 2007
-
Put together from pieces of a fragmented past, "Beowulf" is a poem we know, perhaps, only by its reputation -- we know it by what we've been left.
Ruins and Poetry: Beowulf Mary Kate Hurley 2007
-
Adapted from the oldest story in the English language, "Beowulf" is a hyper violent and highly sexualized tale of the warrior Beowulf (Ray Winstone) who must slay the monster Grendel (Crispin Glover).
And So It Begins...again. Mary Kate Hurley 2007
-
As an example of that whole wise where women are concerned thing, your description of Grendel's Mother (Angelina Jolie) in Beowulf (2007) as being on the receiving end of the ol 'male fear of female sexuality.
Caroline Hagood: On Yippee Ki-Yay Moviegoer!, Movies, and Manhood Caroline Hagood 2010
-
As an example of that whole wise where women are concerned thing, your description of Grendel's Mother (Angelina Jolie) in Beowulf (2007) as being on the receiving end of the ol 'male fear of female sexuality.
Caroline Hagood: On Yippee Ki-Yay Moviegoer!, Movies, and Manhood Caroline Hagood 2010
-
As an example of that whole wise where women are concerned thing, your description of Grendel's Mother (Angelina Jolie) in Beowulf (2007) as being on the receiving end of the ol 'male fear of female sexuality.
Caroline Hagood: On Yippee Ki-Yay Moviegoer!, Movies, and Manhood Caroline Hagood 2010
-
While I was very disappointed with A Christmas Carol as the story was stale and I thought the motion capture was better in Beowulf, I think Yellow Submarine is a perfect fit with the technology.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.