Tuesday 10 September 2013

New Beowulf course for autumn-winter 2013





IN SEARCH OF BEOWULF

 A 20 week course looking at the meaning, origin and background of England's oldest heroic poem - including the archaeological, historical and mythological traditions that underlie this fantastic tale.

PART I: OLD ENGLAND

1: Where Now the Horse and Rider? The Lost Literature of Old England
2: The Keenest for Fame – the plot and language of the poem
3: The Bear’s Son – what is Beowulf about?: The main theories.
4: Clans of the Sea Coasts – who were the English?
5: Former Days – the Prehistory of Scandza
6: On the Altars of their Idols – Scandinavian paganism
7: In Dread Waters – Vanir religion and sacrifice – first clues to the identity of the monsters.

PART II: GODS AND MONSTERS

8: Scyld Scefing and the Barley God
9: Freyr and Ing: The Wagon Ran After – pagan Gods in Old English Literature
10: Elves and Evil Shades – the anatomy of Beowulf’s monsters
11: Choosers of the Slain – the dark side of the Vanir gods

PART III: TO KILL A KING

12: Who’s who in Beowulf – the Scylding family tree
13: Royal Obligations – a sacrificial Kingship?
14: The Hall turned to Ashes – Hrolf’s Saga in depth
15: The Wandering Inguz – The Celtic connection
16: A Midwinter Game – Grendel and the Green Knight

PART IV: BARLEY WOLF

17: The Demon’s Head – The Indo-European myth behind the poem
18: The Brimwylf – Odin, werewolves and wargs
19: The arrival and the conversions of the Anglo-Saxons
20: People of the Wolf – The Sutton Hoo connection

Starts 7th November, at the University of Kent Campus in Canterbury 7-9pm
Price: £190  UKC Students £150

Please contact me on grigsby_john@hotmail.com to book or for more information