- þeodcyninganounChapter 1 →
An Old English compound meaning 'kings of the people' or 'nation-kings' — rulers who hold power over an entire tribe or people, not just a household or warband.
“Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum, þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon.”
- geardagumnounChapter 1 →
An Old English word meaning 'days of old' or 'bygone days' — the distant heroic past that the poem looks back on with reverence.
“Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum, þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon.”
- treasurynounChapter 1 →
A lord's store of gold, weapons, and precious objects used to reward loyal followers; in this heroic world, giving from the treasury is how a king earns and keeps allegiance.
“good things by gifts from his father's treasury, that later in life loyal companions will stand by him when war comes”
- thanesnounChapter 1 →
Warriors who serve a king or lord in exchange for land, gifts, and protection; the noble fighting men who feast in the mead-hall and owe their lord military loyalty.
- marchesnounChapter 2 →
Wild, borderland territory at the edge of settled land — the dark, unclaimed frontier where monsters and outcasts dwell, far from the safety of the hall.
“Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens”
- maraudingverbChapter 2 →
Roaming aggressively through an area, attacking and plundering; here it describes Grendel's nightly raids as he hunts across the open land around Heorot.
“Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens”
- fensnounChapter 2 →
Low-lying, waterlogged marshland — boggy, mist-covered wasteland associated in the poem with exile, darkness, and the dwelling-places of monsters.
“marauding round the heath and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain's clan”
- banishedadjectiveChapter 2 →
Formally cast out and forbidden from the community; in the poem this refers to the race of monsters descended from Cain, exiled by God as punishment for the first murder.
“he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain's clan”
- mead-hallnounChapter 2 →
A large communal building where a king feasts his warriors, distributes treasure, and holds court; the center of social and political life in the heroic world of the poem.
- counselnounChapter 2 →
Deliberate advice or a plan worked out by wise men together; here it refers to the serious discussion among Hrothgar's advisors about how to deal with Grendel's attacks.
“Many a wise man sat down to weigh the counsel of what a band of strong men might do.”
- renounceverbChapter 3 →
To formally give up or reject something; Beowulf publicly declares he will set aside his sword and shield so that the fight with Grendel will be on equal, weaponless terms.
“I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield”
- scornsverbChapter 3 →
Treats something with contempt and refuses to use it; the text says Grendel scorns weapons, meaning he considers them beneath him and fights only with his bare hands.
“I have heard moreover that the monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons”
- recklessadjectiveChapter 3 →
Acting without caution or care for consequences; used here to describe Grendel's wild, heedless refusal to follow any code of combat.
“I have heard moreover that the monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons”
- merenounChapter 5 →
A dark, still lake or pool — in the poem, the specific haunted body of water beneath which Grendel and his mother live; a place of dread and supernatural danger.
“The mere's surface / burns like a torch. No one knows its bottom.”
- hoardnounChapter 5 →
A large hidden store of treasure, typically gold and jeweled objects, accumulated over centuries and jealously guarded — in the poem, the dragon's ancient underground treasure pile.
“Sigemund's glory / grew and grew, for he had killed the dragon, / guardian of the hoard”
- trophynounChapter 5 →
A physical token taken from a defeated enemy as proof of victory; in the poem, Grendel's severed arm hung in Heorot serves as the warriors' prize and public evidence of Beowulf's triumph.
“She had snatched their trophy, / Grendel's bloodied hand.”
- bargainnounChapter 5 →
An exchange in which both sides pay a cost; used here to describe the grim, equal suffering of the conflict — both Danes and monsters have lost lives, making it a costly deal for everyone.
“The bargain was hard, / both sides having to pay / with the lives of friends.”
- eoteniscadjectiveChapter 6 →
An Old English word meaning 'of the giants' or 'giant-made'; it describes the enormous ancient sword Beowulf finds in the underwater cave, forged by a race of giants in a former age.
“Geseah ða on searwum sigeeadig bil, / ealdsweord eotenisc, ecgum þyhtig”
- wræcnounChapter 7 →
An Old English word for exile, misery, or punishment endured far from home; the poem uses it to describe the suffering a warrior must bear when driven out by a lord's decision.
“Oft sceal eorl monig anes willan / wræc adreogan”
- wormnounChapter 7 →
An archaic word for dragon; in Old English heroic poetry 'worm' refers specifically to the great fire-breathing serpent, not a small creature.
“Then the worm began to vomit flames and burn the bright courts”
- venturenounChapter 8 →
A dangerous undertaking or mission that one takes on at personal risk; Beowulf uses it to claim sole right to face the dragon, insisting the perilous task belongs to him alone.
“It is not your venture, nor the right of any man except me alone to match his strength against the monster”
- unfægneadjectiveChapter 9 →
An Old English word meaning 'not fated to die' or 'undoomed'; it describes a warrior whose death has not yet been decreed by fate, and who may therefore survive through courage.
“Wyrd oft nereð / unfægne eorl, þonne his ellen deah.”
- wyrdnounChapter 9 →
The Old English concept of fate or destiny — an impersonal, unavoidable force that determines when and how a person will die, central to the poem's view of heroic life.
“Wyrd oft nereð / unfægne eorl, þonne his ellen deah.”
- ellennounChapter 9 →
An Old English word for courage, valor, or fighting spirit — the inner strength and determination that drives a warrior to act bravely even when facing certain death.
“Wyrd oft nereð / unfægne eorl, þonne his ellen deah.”
- barrownounChapter 9 →
A large burial mound of earth raised over a grave or treasure; in the poem it is both the dragon's underground lair and the great funeral monument built for Beowulf on the headland.
- lofgeornostadjectiveChapter 9 →
An Old English word meaning 'most eager for glory' or 'most desirous of fame'; it is the final word used to describe Beowulf, summing up the heroic ideal of seeking lasting renown.
“Hī ymbe hlæw riodan / hildediore, hæleða bearn… lofgeornost.”
BeowulfNovel by Anonymous