Pi$$ poor design by a so-called professional for use in an English class. The "designer" has an advanced degree (masters in library science) and thinks this is an effective - and good - presentation to use in a senior English class.

1. how beowulf helped Found modern
Fantasy
beowulf to tolkien and
on

2. Beowulf’s history
• Written sometime between 700 – 800 A.D.
• Most likely an oral story
• Author unknown
• Oldest surviving English writing

3. who were the Anglo saxons?
• Called the first “Englishmen”
•
Blend of people from many cultures
• Celts – Romans – Vikings – Jutes
•
Each of these invaders shaped the culture
• Language – History – Law – Religion
•
Continually at war with other tribes
• Fierce warriors

4. who were the Anglo saxons?

5. Anglo saxon culture
• People lived in tribal communities
•
Each tribe had its own king
•
Built walled farms and wood-hut villages
•
Grew crops and used bronze and iron tools
•
Continually warred with other tribes
•
Life was hard, unstable and often violent
•

6. wood hut villages

7. mead halls

8. Anglo saxon weapons

9. Anglo saxon sword welding

10. Beowulf’s setting
• Around 500 A.D. (around 1,500 years ago)
• Takes place in Denmark & Sweden
• Tribal cultures (the Geats & the Danes).

11. Beowulf’s language – old English

12. j. r. r. tolkien
• Soldier in WWI
• Linguist
• Professor
• Helped write the Oxford English Dictionary
• Writer of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings,
as well as a version of Sir Gawain and the
Green Knight, and a translation of Beowulf.

13. j. r. r. tolkien on beowulf
• Soldier in WWI
• Linguist
• Professor
• Helped write the Oxford English Dictionary
• Writer of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings,
as well as a version of Sir Gawain and the
Green Knight, and a translation of Beowulf.

14. things tolkien pinched from beowulf
• Beowulf’s welcome at Hrothgar Hall
• Coming to offer aide
• Laying down of arms before entering
• An unconqurable foe
vs
• The Fellowship’s welcome at Rohan
• Coming to offer & request aide
• Laying down of arms before entering
• An unconquerable foe

15. things tolkien pinched from beowulf
• Grendel
• Descended from something human-like
• Child-like
• Evokes some sense of pity
• Hunt with bare hands
• Vicious, violent, and beast-like
vs
• Gollum
• Descended from something hobbit-like
• Child-like
• Evokes some sense of pity
• Hunt with bare hands
• Vicious, violent, and beast-like

16. things tolkien pinched from beowulf
• Anglo saxon culture
• Mead Hall
• Names from Beowulf = Eomer,
Hama
vs
• Rohan culture
• Meduseld (literally means Mead
Hall in Anglo Saxon)
• Names from Beowulf = Eomer,
Hama

17. things tolkien pinched from beowulf
• Beowulf’s Dragon
• Dragon Hoard
• Extreme Greed
• Angered by the theft of a cup
Vs
• Tolkien’s Smaug
• Dragon Hoard
• Extreme Greed
• Angered by the theft of a cup
• Literally admitted to stealing
this bit.

18. Tolkien’s influence on modern fantasy
• George R. R. Martin
• Author of the Song of Fire and
Ice series also known as Game
of Thrones.
• Martin told Variety, “He made
me love the form he created —
epic fantasy. He redefined
fantasy of everything that had
been before.”

19. Tolkien’s influence on modern fantasy

20. Tolkien’s influence on modern fantasy
• Robert Jordan
• Pen name of James Oliver
Rigney, Jr. author of the Wheel
of Time series.
• Stated in an interview that the
first half of his first book pulls
largely from Lord of the Rings.

21. Tolkien’s influence on modern fantasy

22. Tolkien’s influence on modern fantasy
• Terry Brooks
• Author of The Shannara
Chronicles
• “I was impressed enough by
how it had changed the face of
epic fantasy that I never gave a
second thought to not using it
as the cornerstone of my own
writing."

23. Tolkien’s influence on modern fantasy

24. Tolkien’s influence on modern fantasy

25. And so…
• Tolkien’s work would not be possible
without Beowulf
• George R. R. Martin, Robert Jordan,
Terry Brooks, Christopher Paolini, and
JK Rowling would not be possible
without Tolkien.

26. Tolkien’s, “Lay of Beowulf”