Blog #47 Modern Mythology 2020

1/14/20

James Pannone

Period 1

Aim: How did the medieval Anglo-Saxons use figurative language to develop the oral tradition?

Do Now: What connections can be drawn between the Norse and Beowulf’s history? They are very different. Norse mythology really focuses on the Gods, stories of Loki and Thor. In Beowulf, the story is more focused on actual people. These books were not in a sense Christian, they both survived the burning of books. In way of the origin, both types of stories originate from Scandinavia, differing from many other religious stories.

Stock- Epithets adjectives that point out (hyphen enhances the word)

Kenning- ex) my two-year-old rambunctious puppy

Used to narrow the meaning and focus. Lots of figurative languages, you may need to guess what is being said. Different from Norse Mythology which is straight forward

Illusion- A reference to something else.

It is everywhere, in Taylor Swift songs and in the picture above of Adam and Eve.

Cain and Abel- Adam and Eve kicked out for eating the forbidden fruit. They had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain grew food, and Abel brought baby flocks. Both gifted their products to God, but he only thanked Abel. Abel told him to be patient and love God. Cain killed Abel and he said, “Am I my brother's keeper.” God forbade him from growing crops and forced him to be a homeless wanderer. Cain left the Lord’s presence and made a city Enok. 

1. Abel’s sacrifice is more valuable, the first of the flock is much more than what Cain pulled out of his mill. 
2. Cain was very angry and threatened to kill Abel. Abel was very righteous and the lesson is to fear God and trust him. 
3. There is retribution because they started fresh and they had the chance to make up for what Eve did. They became successful farmers and shepherds and were given the chance to make up for their mother's sins.

A List of Characters and Places

Geat- A tried in Southern Sweden during that time

Major importance to the traditions. The drinking of wine and the grand hall is a mimicking of Valhalla on Earth. Gifts attained on the battlefield are shared with his men. It creates a strong brotherhood of loving servants because of how sharing and giving they are.

A brief summary of what we learned was a prologue to Beowulf. We learned about the background of the story, and the history of it. Some examples are, the country it was written in, how a monk was possibly the one who wrote it, and how it is believed to have survived a burning of books period. All this was taught to prepare us in our reading of it. Knowing the background is always positive when reading something. I will use what was learned in my reading of the story. Keeping it in mind and making connections to it whilst reading.