1.

Beowulf Vocabulary
Beowulf was not
originally written down. It
Words
would have been told to the people by a

scop.
scop composers and storytellers of AngloSaxon poetry
2. The men aboard the ship moored it to the
dock, so it would not float away.
moored secure a ship
3. The House of Seven Gables is named after
a home in Salem that features seven of
the architectural designs.
gables decorative triangular-shaped roofing
structure

Beowulf Vocabulary Words

4. . During Anglo-Saxon times, a person could pay
a wergild and be set free from punishment for a
crime.
wergild a fine paid to the relatives of a murdered
person to free the offender from further
obligations or punishment
5. Often, halls would be accented with linden; the
lighter wood was often used as a design
element.
linden soft light wood
6. The men drank mead in celebration of their
victories.
mead an alcoholic drink of fermented honey and
water

Beowulf Vocabulary Words

7. I often become vexed when my students
do not listen to my instructions.
vexed irritated, annoyed
8. Upon returning from battle, the warriors
would gorge themselves on the banquets
provided by the king.
gorges eats greedily
9. The sentinels would often have post at
the top of the castle towers to watch for
intruders or attacks.
sentinel a person or thing that stand
watch

Beowulf Vocabulary Words

10. Eagles use their large talons to grab
prey from the ground.
talons claws
11. Beowulf could hear the sinews in
Grendels arm tearing as Beowulf ripped
it free from the shoulder.
sinews tendons
12. They would bestow upon their hoary
king all of the gleaming treasure from
across the sea.
hoary gray or white with age

Beowulf Vocabulary Words

13. In Star Wars, Luke sets up a pyre for Darth
Vadar after he dies fighting the Dark Lord.
pyre a bonfire for burning a dead body
14. My sister was known to hoard items as a
child, this ranged from candy after Halloween
to birthday money.
hoard a hidden or carefully guarded supply or
accumulation of valuables
15. In movies, we often watch in slow motion
as the warrior pulls his sword from his
scabbard.
scabbard a sheath for a sword

Beowulf Vocabulary Words

16. The warriors would locate the town's hidden
hoard, then head back to their ship, their
sacks filled with golden chalices, and ancestral
swords whose hilts, engraved with runic
characters, told of ancient times.
runic consisting or set down in an ancient
alphabet used for writing Germanic script,
especially in Germanic languages, most often
of Scandinavia and Britain from about the third
to the thirteenth centuries
17. When my roommate has a bad day, I try to
show her solace in an attempt to improve her
mood.
solace to console or cheer

Beowulf Vocabulary Words

18. I skulked around the corner in an attempt
to conceal my location from my niece so that I
could surprise her.
skulked moved stealthily
19. You can tell a lot about peoples scruples
by the way they treat people they feel are
lower than themselves.
scruples morals or ethical considerations that
restrain ones behavior and inhibits certain
actions
20. The comitatus between Hrothgar and his
men was evident to Beowulf when he arrived.
Comitatus a bond between a king and his men