Beowulf: fighting to be remembered

Was Beowulf pagan or Christian? Was he a viking? What was his motivation? This lecture introduces the historical and cultural context of the Old English poem Beowulf. Key themes are the syncretism of Anglo-Saxon Christianity and Old Norse paganism, the role of medieval women as "peace-weavers," poetic techniques such as kennings and understatement, the king-thane relationship in chiefdoms, "ubi sunt" laments for the impermanence of life, and the double-meaning of "dom" or "judgement" (both worldly and divine).