Check Your Understanding: Epic Poetry

Before moving to Lesson 1.2, make sure you can answer these questions:

1. What is a kenning? Can you create an example of your own?
2. What is the comitatus system, and why did it matter to Anglo-Saxon society?
3. Why was the mead-hall important, and what role did the scop play there?
4. What does wyrd mean, and how does it connect to the importance of reputation?

If you can answer all four with confidence, you're ready to read the poem. If not, re-read the relevant sections in Lesson 1.1. This vocabulary and context will be essential for your close reading in Lesson 1.2.