Lesson video

Hi there, I'm Mr. Buckingham, and I'm so glad you've decided to join me for today's lesson.

Today, we're going to continue reading the next part of the epic story of our hero Beowulf.

As you know, so far we've seen Beowulf defeat two monsters in Denmark, and today we'll find out what happens next in his story.

Let's get going.

Today's lesson is called Beowulf Completes His Danish Mission, and it comes from our unit called "Beowulf" Reading.

By the end of today's session, you'll have described the events in the second half of Chapter 5, and you'll have discussed how Beowulf fulfills the role of a hero.

And for this lesson, you will need to have access to the 2013 Oxford Children's Classics Edition of "Beowulf," written by Kevin Crossley-Holland and illustrated by Charles Keeping.

If you've got that with you, let's make a start.

Here are our keywords for today's lesson.

A kenning is a phrase of two words that replaces a noun that is often used in Old English poetry.

If you summarize, you pull out the key information and ideas from the text.

A hero is a protagonist or main character with noble qualities, often saving or helping others.

And attributes are qualities or features of a person's personality.

Here's our lesson outline for today.

We're going to start off by looking at a section of the text where Beowulf returns to his companions, and then we'll look at a section where Beowulf leaves the Danes.

As you know, we are reading a translation and adaptation of the Old English epic poem "Beowulf." And this version is written by Kevin Crossley-Holland.

In the first half of Chapter 5, up to that word feet on page 34, we read the following events.

Grendel's mother had taken and killed a Dane, and Beowulf and his companions set off across bleak countryside to find her under-lake lair.

Then Beowulf dove into the lake and he grappled with the monster before they emerge in a large underwater hall.

And he tried to kill her with Unferth's sword, but it was no good.

And then she tried to stab him with a dagger, but his armor protected him.

And finally, he found a giant-made sword and he used it to kill her.

So he's defeated both Grendel and Grendel's mother now.

So compared to killing Grendel, do you think Beowulf found it easier to kill Grendel's mother, and why? Pause the video and have a think.

Well done, good thinking.

Here's what Lucas thought, "Killing Grendel was easier, he could do that with his bare hands and no armor!" With Grendel, there was never a point where Beowulf nearly died, here, if he'd not been wearing his armor, he would have died!" So Lucas is saying when he's fighting Grendel's mother, he was much more at risk, it was much more difficult, and if he hadn't had the armor on, he would've died for sure.

Here's what Jacob says, "Yes, he was very lucky this time with Grendel's mother that he found the sword.

He also had to dive deep into a lake and travel a long way this time, it was much trickier altogether!" So Lucas and Jacob are basing their opinions on evidence from the text and information they've read about the two different situations, and they're saying this situation with Grendel's mother was much more tricky for Beowulf.

Really well done for your thoughts there too.

Here's another question.

In the first part of Chapter 5, we've seen Beowulf kill Grendel's mother, so what do you predict will happen next? I want you to go a bit deeper than just that little bit about Heorot, what might happen when they do, and what might be next in Beowulf's story? Pause the video and have a think.

Well done, great thinking.

So here's what Jun says, "He'll want to prove to people that he's killed Grendel's mother so maybe he'll take some part of her body as proof.

Then, he'll swim back up to the surface where all the Danes and the Geats will be waiting and they'll all go back to Heorot for a huge feast.

And Beowulf has saved the Danes twice now, so I think they'll give an amazing reward, maybe they'll make it their next king after Hrothgar!" So can you see how Jun's made a really good educated guess there based on what he's read, and he's tried to think about different steps that might happen along the way in the future for Beowulf.

So that's a really nice clear prediction from Jun, and we'll find out if he's right later on.

So we're going to read the rest of Chapter 5 in this lesson.

Here's some vocabulary we'll see in the first section we'll read.

We're going to read it in two parts, but these words come up in the first section.

A slayer, as you know, is a killer.

A recess is where part of a wall is set back from the rest.

So we might say, "That part of the wall is recessed." Severed means cut off, and thawed, as I'm sure you know, means melted.

So you might say, "Oh, the the snow has thawed overnight," it's melted away.

Gory means bloody.

And a battering-ram is a thick, wooden pole used to break down doors.

So it might take lots of people to carry it, and they push it against the door to try and break it down.

Ghastly means horrifying, and plunder means to steal things.

And finally, embraced means hugged.

So can you now read from for on page 33 to the word rest near the end of page 34.

Pause the video and have a go.

Well done, good job.

So we've seen that Beowulf has taken Grendel's head back to Heorot to show a very grateful King Hrothgar.

And there were lots of interesting things to discuss in this section.

First of all, we saw that when Beowulf got back to the surface of the lake, the Danes had gone, but the Geats still had hope that he would return, so they had stayed behind.

So perhaps the author here is trying to show us that the Geats are more loyal and determined than the Danes are.

And the Danes have given up easily, haven't they? Beowulf's been gone a while, they've assumed he's failed, they've assumed he's died and they've returned to Heorot.

So the fact that Unferth's sword was useless kind of adds to this divide between the very brave and noble Geats and the kind of cowardly, little bit lazy Danes, so maybe the author's trying to show us a contrast there.

And we also see the use of a kenning, this word death-shadow on page 34, Beowulf is talking to Hrothgar.

So Beowulf is using this kenning to refer to the monsters kind of casting a darkness over Denmark, and that darkness is now gone.

So he is saying, "You used to live under a death-shadow because of these monsters, and now because I killed them, that death-shadow has gone and you don't any longer have to live with this threat of violence, this threat of murder from the monsters." So have a look at page 33 and the paragraph that begins with the word for.

What are we reading in this paragraph? Is it things the Geats and Danes are saying about Beowulf? Is it things Beowulf is saying about himself or thinking about himself? Or is it things Beowulf is thinking about Hrothgar? Pause the video, have a look back and decide.

Well done.

Well done for looking back so carefully.

It is B, isn't it? These are things Beowulf is thinking about himself, and we actually see him kind of praising himself there.

He's thinking about all the glory he's won through the actions that he's done, and we know that that's a big motivation for Beowulf is the idea that he's going to be remembered for these great things he's done after he's died.

Well done for spotting that.

Now have a look at these four statements, are they true or false? Pause the video and decide.

Well done, good job.

The first one says Beowulf found Grendel's body and cuts off his head.

That is true.

Then it says he took the whole sword and Grendel's whole body with him.

Now, that's not true, took parts of each.

C says the Geats and Danes stayed by the lake to wait for Beowulf.

That's false because only the Geats had stayed and the Danes had gone.

D says the same night, the Geats presented Grendel's head to Hrothgar, and that is correct.

So all happened in that one day, they got back to Heorot from the lake.

Really well done for getting this.

Now let's look at page 34 and the paragraph beginning with the word Hrothgar.

Hrothgar says that Beowulf is the darling of fate, and this is a complicated idea so let's try and work out what he means by it.

First of all, we know that darling is a term that we use for people we love, so it seems positive.

And if you are a darling of something, you are loved by that thing.

So you might say the football player was the darling of the fans, he's someone who the fans really admire.

Hrothgar is saying Beowulf is loved by fate, so he's a darling of fate.

Fate loves him.

So fate here is referring to good fortune or to luck, so he's saying that luck loves him.

So if luck loves Beowulf, that means Beowulf is very lucky.

So Hrothgar is saying that Beowulf has been very lucky to get through all his challenges without dying, that's what makes him the darling of fate.

So do you agree with Hrothgar that Beowulf is lucky to have escaped in all these situations? Pause the video and have a think.

Well done, good thinking.

Here's what Sam says, "I can only think of one time he's been lucky, when he found the sword and used it to defeat Grendel's mother.

Every other time, he wasn't lucky, he won by being brave or strong! And it wasn't lucky that he was wearing the armor that protected him from Grendel's mother's dagger, it was good preparation.

I think maybe in the past, people believed more in luck and fate than we do now, which might explain Hrothgar's words." And we do know that a Beowulf himself has referred to the idea that if he dies, he dies, and if he wins, he wins.

It's kind of not in his control, and that links to the idea of fate.

So fate was a much more significant part of people's lives in the past than we think of it mostly today.

So perhaps Sam is right that the reason Hrothgar is talking this way is partly due to when the story is set, the historical context of the book.

Now, let's do our first task of this lesson, we're going to act in role as Hrothgar and Beowulf.

I want you to work in a pair and take on one of these roles each, and I want you to reenact the scene where Beowulf returns and shows Hrothgar Grendel's head.

You're going to say aloud the dialogue, the conversation that you may have, and try to go beyond what's in the text, thinking about the following things.

How do you feel as Hrothgar now that the danger is passed? What will you do to reward Beowulf? How might Beowulf tell the story of his victory dramatically? Because he's going to need to do that as part of your conversation, and what might Beowulf want for his work? Maybe he's going to make a request of Hrothgar or maybe Hrothgar will offer something and Beowulf will choose to accept or reject that.

So imagine you're Beowulf entering Heorot, having this conversation with Hrothgar and see if you can play out how that conversation might go.

Pause the video and have a go at acting in role.

Well done, great job.

Here's an example of how the start of your dialogue might have sounded.

"Hrothgar, great king of the Danes, I have returned, and this time with Grendel's head." We've got Beowulf bringing in the head here.

Let's see what Hrothgar says.

"My dear Beowulf! Can it really be true? You are surely the bravest man ever to enter Heorot!" "Yes, I'm afraid this sword Unferth lent me was useless, but I managed to kill the beast's mother just the same." We Danes are lucky to count you as a friend, and luck seems to follow you wherever you go as well.

Tell us how it happened!" So here's how the next part might sound.

"First, the beast attacked me in the lake, but we soon found ourselves in a huge underground hall.

There, she nearly stabbed me with her dagger, but I found a vast sword and slashed her throat! You need fear these beasts no longer." "No-one but you could have done this, Beowulf! Tell me, what can I give you in return?" "All I ask is that the Danes never forget the name Beowulf! Have your poets write a song commemorating this victory!" So in my version I've said that Beowulf maybe he's got enough gold and riches from the first time when he defeated Grendel that he's already been given by Hrothgar, so I've used that idea of Beowulf caring about his fame by having this idea of Beowulf asking for a song to be written about him.

Really well done for your effort in that role play, I hope you really enjoyed it.

So now we're going to look at a section of the story where Beowulf finally leaves the Danes.

So now that the two monsters have been defeated, it's time for Beowulf to return home.

So we're going to read the final part of Chapter 5 where that happens.

And here's some vocabulary we're going to see.

If you proclaim something, you say it out loud.

Someone's successor is the person who takes their job or role afterwards.

Your exploits are the bold and daring things you do, and gannets are large sea-birds.

If you conceal, that means you hide something, and stallions are male horses.

Finally, moorland is barren, open land.

I'd like you now to read from the final paragraph of page 34 to the end of the chapter on page 37.

Pause the video and have a go.

Well done, fantastic job.

Which of the following are reasons that Beowulf gives for wanting to return home in that chapter? Pause the video and have a think.

Well done, great job.

Is it because the Danes have not shown the Geats enough respect? No, he feels respected by them.

They've given him an awful lot of riches and of respect as well, haven't they? B says the Geats want to see their family and friends.

That's true, they do give that reason.

C says the Danes did not help him defeat Grendel's mother.

Well, it's true that they didn't help, but that's not a reason that Beowulf gives.

D says he wants to tell King Hygelac, his own king, the king of the Geats, about what he's done.

That is true, he does mention that.

So he wants to go home and almost maybe be famous there as well for what he's done in Denmark.

So those were the two main reasons that he gave.

Good work.

I have two questions for you here.

First of all, for A, look at that final paragraph of page 37, the last page, what words tell us the Geats are keen to return home there? And on page 37 again, where Beowulf and Hrothgar are embracing, what evidence is there that Hrothgar cares for Beowulf? So, pause the video, look back at those sections on page 37 and see if you can answer these questions by finding the evidence.

Well done, great job.

So what words tell us the Geats are keen to return home? Well it's mostly these words galloped and hurried that show they're going speedily, they're going fast, which tells us how keen they are.

For the evidence that Hrothgar cares for Beowulf, we have a few more things.

First of all, he gave him 12 treasures, he hugged and he kissed him, he cried at the thought of him leaving, and said also that he loved Beowulf deeply.

So loads of evidence there to show how grateful Hrothgar is, and the respect and love that he has for Beowulf as well.

Well done for finding all the evidence.

We've also got two kennings used in the final paragraph of the chapter on page 37.

Can you find those kennings and see if you can explain what they mean? What are they referring to? Pause the video and have a look.

Well done for looking back so carefully.

So Andeep found one, he says, "The first is gold-hall.

This is describing Heorot.

Gold, we know, is shiny and valuable, and this suggests that Heorot is bright and joyful and special.

Maybe it has golden memories for the Geats too." So it's interesting, isn't it? Because gold-hall sounds like it's describing a hall which is literally full of gold, but that's not what Heorot is, it's a drinking hall really, isn't it? So the use of gold-hall there is suggesting something special and joyful about Heorot instead.

Here's another one, it's whale-road.

I really love this one.

So Alex says, "This is describing the sea, which is full of whales, but it's also their road home to Geatland in their boat.

But also it is literally a road for whales as well, isn't it?" So we're using the kenning whale-road there to suggest the idea of the sea as being a route home for the Geats and a route across the sea for animals as well.

So now that Beowulf's mission in Denmark is complete, we can summarize his exploits, the things that he's done.

So how would you summarize what Beowulf has achieved while he's been in Denmark? Pause the video, talk to your partner, and choose four main points together.

Well done, good job.

Here's the four that I would choose.

First of all, he defeated Grendel by ripping off his arm, then he defeated Grendel's mother by using a sword.

More broadly we could say that he's made the Danes and Heorot safe again, and he's ended this long history of bad feeling, of tension between the Geats and the Danes, they are now friends and allies as well.

So I've picked two main points that he did and then kind of the effect of those things, which was to add safety to Denmark and to fix this division between the two countries.

Well done for your summary as well.

So do you agree with Izzy here, and why or why not? She says, "Beowulf's done amazing things for the Danes, but I don't really see him as a great character because he only did it all so he would be famous!" Do you agree, and why or why not? Pause the video and have a think.

Well done, good thinking.

Here's what Laura says, "Just because he wants fame doesn't mean he doesn't also care about the Danes as people! And who cares why he did it, he's made their whole country safer! It's not like he wants to be a celebrity for the sake of it, he wants to be famous for his bravery and his strength." Now, you might have had different ideas, perhaps you agreed with Izzy, but well done for discussing them so well.

Let's do our final task for this lesson.

We know that Beowulf's time in Denmark has shown him to be a great hero.

And the hero is a common character in mythology and in epic poems like "Beowulf." And heroes typically have certain attributes, character traits, that set them apart from others.

For instance, courage, nobility or honor, selflessness, strength, compassion, determination, leadership, and adaptability.

Let's quickly think about what some of those words mean.

We know courage is bravery.

Nobility and honor to do with doing the right thing.

Selflessness means putting others before yourself.

We know what strength means.

Compassion is like kindness, isn't it? Determination means keeping going through obstacles.

We know what leadership means.

And adaptability means changing what you're doing in order to fit the circumstances and get the best possible outcomes.

So those are all attributes we commonly see in heroes in myths and stories like "Beowulf." So I want to think about Beowulf's time in Denmark and say to your partner or to yourself where he's shown each of these attributes.

So you might say, "Beowulf showed leadership when this happened." So see how many of the attributes you can say Beowulf has shown and give an example of when he's shown them during his time in Denmark.

Pause the video and have a go.

Well done, great job.

So here are some of the ways Beowulf has shown the attributes of a hero.

He showed courage in taking on terrifying foes, Grendel and his mother.

He showed selflessness by being willing to die to defeat those monsters.

He showed physical strength by pulling off Grendel's arm.

He showed by not stopping until both of monsters were dead.

He showed leadership, of course, by inspiring the Geats and the Danes to follow him.

He showed compassion towards Unferth, forgiving his behavior when Unferth had been so rude.

And he showed adaptability in his fight with Grendel's mother, thinking on his feet and finding a way to defeat her when his sword failed.

So we've seen Beowulf there show loads of the attributes of a hero, which partly explains why he's so respected and also explains probably why his story is still so exciting for us to read all these years later.

Really well done for finding all those.

Let's summarize our learning in this lesson.

We've seen that Beowulf returns to Heorot with Grendel's head, and he tells Hrothgar how he has defeated Grendel's mother as well.

Beowulf then explains to Hrothgar that he must return to Geatland.

Hrothgar is very sad to see him go and rewards him with more treasure.

During his time in Denmark, Beowulf has achieved many great things and he has shown many of the attributes of a hero.

And a hero is a common character in mythology and epic poetry, showing attributes such as courage, leadership and compassion.

Really well done for your effort in this lesson.

Now, we've seen that Beowulf has reached the end of his time in Denmark, but he's now heading back to Geatland, his home, where he's going to face another adventure.

I'd love to see you in the next lesson to find out what it is.

Goodbye.