Study Beowolf literary terms Flash Cards

 
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Beowolf literary terms

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scruples
morals or ethical considerations that restrain one's behavior
niggardly
reluctant to give or spend. stingy
runic
written or recorded in the ancient alphabet of runes.
scabbard
sheath for a sword
pyre
bonfire for burning dead body
hoary
gray or white with age
sinews
tendons
talons
claws
sentinel
a person or thing that stands watch
gorges
eats greedily
vexed
irritated, annoyyed
mead
alcohol made from honey and water
linden
soft, light wood
gables
decorative triangular-shaped roof structure
moored
secured ship
wyrd
fate determined by actions
wergild
"man payment"
paying a mans family to atone for the deed of killing them to prevent revenge.

Hrothgar paid a wergild to Beowulf's father.
versification
accent based meter of four stressed beats
undetermined number of stressed beats per line

two half lines separated by caesura. third stress alliterates with first or second. fourth never alliterates
synecdoche
part of something used to designate a whole
"keel" for "ship"
"Wheels for "car"
scop
storyteller who traveled from court to court in Anglo-Saxon time
metony y
a figure of speech where one thing is used to designate something with which it is commonly associated
"bottle" for "liquor"
litotes
deliberately steep understatement, often stated with a word of negotiation . DENYING OPPOSITE
person= slightly ugly
litote= "not unattractive"
kennings
form of compounding with metaphoric meaning.
whales road= ocean
gardens blood sphere= tomato
formulas
ready made phrases that are repeated.
staple of oral tradition.
Beowulf the Greet!
epic poetry
long epic poem about super human
epic hero
superhuman main character /hero of epic poem
Compounding
combination of two words to make a new word.

Life-sick= mortally wounded
comitatus
Germanic Code of loyalty;
1. thanes swore loyalty to king
2. king gave thane gifts
3. King was hospitible
4. Reputation of a thane had to king was of utmost importance
alliteration
repetition of stressed sounds (consonants at the beginnings of words)
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