Summary of Beowulf

Beowulf is longest and greatest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem. The story about epic in the sixth century in what is now known as Denmark and southwestern Sweden. Beowulf is a young warrior in Geatland,He comes to Scyldings'aid with 14 of his finest man. At a feast before nightfall of the first day of the visit, an obnoxious, drunken scylding named Unferth insults Beowulf and claims that the Geat visitor once embarassingly lost a swimming contest to a boyhood acquaintance named Breca and is no match for Grendel. Grendel is a huge man-like ogre. Beowulf fighting with Grendel in lake, when in the battle Grendel have lose. Grendel's mother have known about her son,Grendel's mother attacks and hauls the Geat warrior to her dimly lit cave. The mother moves to kill beowulf with her knife , but his armor protects him. After more celebration,gifts and a sermon by Hrothgar warning of the dangers of pride and the mutability of time, Beowulf and his men return to Geatland. Beowulf is the named king and rules succesfully for 50 years. Beowulf was died and leaves his kingdom to Wiglaf and request that his body of be cremated in a funeral pyre and buried high on a seaside cliff where the passing sailors might see the barrow.