Tyr’s Day, August 26: lofdædum
EQ: What is Old English, and what did it look and sound like?
 Welcome! GET INTO
GROUPS AND GATHER
Beowulf packet from
front, pen/pencil, wits!
Get ready to write/read!

Review and Preview:
Critical Lenses

Beowulf Intro:
The Seamus Heaney
Translation

Reading Beowulf:
lofdædum

Freewrite:
Reading Journal Entry
ELACC12RL-RI1: Cite strong and
thorough textual evidence
ELACC12RL-RI2: Determine two
or more themes or central ideas of text and analyze their development over the course of the text
ELACC12RL3: Analyze the impact of the author’s choices
ELACC12RL6: Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is
directly stated in a text from what is really meant.
ELACC12RL-RI9: Analyze works of British literary and historical importance for theme,
purpose and rhetoric
ELACC12RL10: Read and comprehend complex literature independently and proficiently.
ELACC12SL1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions
ELACC12SL2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and
media in order to make informed decisions and solve problems
ELACC12SL4: Present information, findings, and supporting evidence
Strength
Gender
Leaders
Heroes
Monsters
Technology
Ontology
Excerpts from Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus
Heaney. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.
The so-called “Cotton Manuscript,” the oldest version of Beowulf that exists. It was probably
written by a Christian monk in about 1000 CE. It was badly damaged by a church fire in 1731.
Beowulf in Saxon (Old English)
Hwæt! We Gardena
in geardagum,
þeodcyninga,
þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas
ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scefing
sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum,
meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas.
Syððan ærest wearð
feasceaft funden,
he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum,
weorðmyndum þah,
oðþæt him æghwylc
þara ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade
hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan.
þæt wæs god cyning!
ðæm eafera wæs
æfter cenned,
geong in geardum,
þone god sende
folce to frofre;
fyrenðearfe ongeat
þe hie ær drugon
aldorlease
lange hwile.
Him þæs liffrea,
wuldres wealdend,
woroldare forgeaf;
Beowulf wæs breme
(blæd wide sprang),
Scyldes eafera
Scedelandum in.
Swa sceal geong guma
gode gewyrcean,
fromum feohgiftum
on fæder bearme,
þæt hine on ylde
eft gewunigen
wilgesiþas,
þonne wig cume,
leode gelæsten;
lofdædum sceal
in mægþa gehwære
man geþeon.
Excerpts selected and adapted from Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by
Seamus Heaney. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.
So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by
And the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.
We have heard of those princes’ heroic campaigns.
1
There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes,
A wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes.
This terror of the hall-troops had come far.
A foundling to start with, he would flourish later on
As his powers waxed and his worth was proved.
In the end each clan on the outlying coasts
Beyond the whale-road had to yield to him
And begin to pay tribute. That was one good king.
10
mead-benches – mead was a warm,
gritty honey-beer drunk by Norse kings.
Much of this poem occurs in mead halls
(Saxon meduselda) like Heorot, below.
whale-road – the sea; a good example
kenning, found often in Saxon poetry.
Afterwards a boy-child was born to Shield,
A cub in the yard, a comfort sent
By God to that nation. God knew what they had tholed,
The long times and troubles they’d come through
Without a leader; so the Lord of Life,
The glorious Almighty, made this man renowned.
Shield had fathered a famous son:
Beow’s name was known through the north.
And a young prince must be prudent like that,
Giving freely while his father lives
So that afterwards in age when fighting starts
Steadfast companions will stand beside him
And hold the line. Behavior that’s admired
Is the path to power among people everywhere.
foundling – orphan. Note how many
characters have problematic parentage.
God – Beowulf was a pagan poem, not a
Christian; words like “God” and “Lord”
were added by monks writing the poem
down centuries later. A word like wyrd,
“fate,” would have been here originally.
20
tholed – suffered
Beow is a son of the Danish king S¢yld
S¢efing. Beowulf is a Geat, from a
different tribe entirely. Different guys.
25
[ll. 26-63 tells of Shield’s death and burial at sea in a boat with treasure won in
battle. Beow rules Denmark, years later, his grandsons fight for the throne.]
The fortunes of war favored Hrothgar.
Friends and kinsmen flocked to his ranks,
Young followers, a force that grew
To be a mighty army. So his mind turned
To hall-building: he handed down orders
For men to work on a great mead-hall
Meant to be a wonder of the world forever….
Far and wide through the world, I have heard,
Orders for work to adorn that wall stead
Were sent to many peoples. And soon it stood there,
Finished and ready, in full view,
The hall of halls. Heorot was the name
He had settled on it, whose utterance was law.
Nor did he renege, but doled out rings
And torques at the table. The hall towered,
Its gables wide and high and awaiting
A barbarous burning. That doom abided,
But in time it would come: the killer instinct
Unleashed among in-laws, the blood-lust rampant.
Spear-Danes….Shield Sheafson. The
poem is set not in England but in Norse
countries like Denmark, founded by the
war king S¢yld S¢efing, here “Shield
Sheafson.” Later the poet calls the
Danes “Shieldings” – children of Shield.
64
Behavior that’s admired – The original
Saxon word here is lofdædum, literally
“love-deeds,” deeds done out of love. As
you read, watch for this insistence: that
deeds must be done out of love for the
people, and in order to get their love.
The fortunes of war favored … Think
about how different this is from saying,
“Hrothgar won many battles.”
70
74
80
Orders … peoples – think about who
these “peoples” are, and how they might
feel about being forced to build a mead
hall to glorify Hrothgar.
Heorot – The Danes’ mead hall is
named for a stag, ancient symbol of
masculine power and dominance.
awaiting … abided – this refers not to
Grendel’s coming but to a family feud
not otherwise mentioned in the poem.
Group Project: Meditations on Beowulf
20 point Major Grade ~ Presentations Tu-Wed, Jan. 29-30
In groups you will read, study, and discuss Beowulf through one of several “critical lenses”:
 Strength
 Gender
 Heroes
 Choices
 Leaders
 Ontology
 Monsters
 Technology
Your group will make a presentation to define your topic, explain why it’s
important, and make a point about how the idea works in life and in Beowulf.
Each presentation needs to:

Define and explain the concept that forms the group’s “critical lens.” Don’t
just read a dictionary’s definition; show that you understand it by putting it into
your own words, and by being able to answer questions about it.

Illustrate the concept by discussing what it means and how it operates in
Beowulf. This means your presentation will need:
o a thesis, just as if it were an essay – which, indeed, presentations lead to;
o discussion of 2-3 specific passages. Don’t summarize, but read the
passages and explain how point is illustrated at that moment in poem.
Presentations will be governed by the following parameters:

You must do all that is asked above: define and explain the concept generally,
then tell how it operates in the poem, first giving a thesis and then illustrating it
with passages from the text, citing lines.

Presentation must fill at least 10 minutes to pass, at least 15 minutes to make an A.

All group members must be clearly involved in the presentation.

Presentation goes on scheduled day even if some group members are absent. Each
individual must be able to carry the presentation to at least a rudimentary degree. This
is what will be expected of you in the “real world”; the show must go on.

You may use notes, but don’t simply read them. Do something instead, or additionally:
poster, playact, puppet show, pantomime, palindromes, panorama, panic (no, don’t).
This is a twenty-point MAJOR grade. Each member of the group must be clearly involved to
earn credit. Grade will be determined and recorded using the rubric on the back of this sheet.
Project Rubric: Meditations on Beowulf
\ Score
Criteria \
20-60% credit
Standard met
Standard met
PASSING WORK GOOD WORK
70 – 80% credit 80 – 90% credit
Standard Exceeded
EXCELLENT!
90 – 100% credit
Most work done
by one member
All do some work Work shared more
but not equally
or less equally
Group or member
frequently needs
redirecting or is
disruptive
Group or member Group members
sometimes needs need no redirecting,
redirecting or is
are not disruptive
disruptive
All members fully
involved at all stages
of discussion, writing
and presentation
All are thin:
Two are thin:
One is thin:
All three ROCK:
- definition of
concept
- definition of
concept
- definition of
concept
- definition of
concept
- explanation of
concept
- explanation of
concept
- explanation of
concept
- explanation of
concept
- discussion of
two episodes
from poem,
quoting text
and citing lines
- discussion of
two episodes from
poem, quoting text
and citing lines
- discussion of
two episodes from
poem, quoting text
and citing lines
- discussion of two
episodes from poem,
quoting text and
citing lines
- discussion of three
or more episodes
from poem, quoting
text and citing lines
Presentation
runs <10 min.
Presentation runs
10 – 11 mins.
Presentation runs
11-12 mins.
Presentation runs
12-14 mins.
Presentation
runs 15+ min.
Speaker(s)
frequently
stumble over
names / words
Speaker(s) have
a few stumbles
over words
Good group focus,
no stumbles
Presentation
ROCKS
Standard
Not Met;
Standard
Not Yet Met
No Credit
Some group
members not
_____/10 points involved in
Presentation
or Project
Work
Group Work:
Presentation:
Content
Lacks:
- definition of
concept
_____/60 points
- explanation
of concept
Presentation
AS
Presentation
Group
_____/30 points members not
focused in
presentation or
disrupt other
presentations
Presentation
consists only of
reading notes
Presentation
includes more
than reading
from notes, but
not a lot more
Presentation
includes dynamic,
engaging work
beyond reading
from notes
Group Project Score = _______ / 100
BritLitComp Group Reading/Teaching: Beowulf
Complete this worksheet and submit it today. I will use it to remind you of your mission.
Group Name:
Group Members’ Names:
Group’s chosen “critical lens”:
Group description of what your “critical lens” entails, means, implies:
BritLitComp Group Reading/Teaching: Beowulf
Complete this worksheet and submit it today. I will use it to remind you of your mission.
Group Name:
Group Members’ Names:
Group’s chosen “critical lens”:
Group description of what your “critical lens” entails, means, implies:
Individual Reading Journal Entry:
100 word response: “lofdaedum”
(“behavior that’s admired is the path to power …”)
Turn in now OR for homework due start tomorrow
Group Freewrite: 50 words:
Focus your group’s Critical Lens on a
specific passage from today’s reading
(group produces a single document
which every group member signs)
Turn in NOW