Beowulf Mind Map

Beowulf is an adventure-based epic poem. It is considered the pinnacle of Old English literature as well as the first European vernacular epic. The protagonist of the epic, Beowulf is a Geatish hero who fights the monster Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a fire-breathing dragon. Beowulf's boasts and encounters reveal him to be the strongest, ablest warrior around. In his youth, he personifies all of the best values of the heroic culture.

The story is set in pagan Scandinavia in the 6th century. Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, whose mead hall in Heorot has been under attack by the monster Grendel. After Beowulf slays him, Grendel's mother attacks the hall and is then defeated. Victorious, Beowulf goes home to Geatland and becomes king of the Geats. Fifty years later, Beowulf defeats a dragon, but is mortally wounded in the battle. After his death, his attendants cremate his body and erect a tower on a headland in his memory.

The work is set in the early sixth century, and while its exact year of production is unknown, some researchers assume it was composed in the eighth. The poem was originally nameless, but was eventually renamed after the Scandinavian hero Beowulf, whose achievements and character serve as poem's unifying subject.