Part 1: The Husband’s Message translated by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Now that we’re alone I can explain The secret meaning of this stave. I was once a child.But now one of the sons of men, living far from here,Sends me on errands over the salt-streams,

5 Commands me to carry a cunningly-carved letter.At my master’s command I have often crossed the sea,Sailed in the ship’s hold to strange destinations.And this time I have come especiallyTo sow assurance in your mind

10 About my lord’s great love for you.I swear that you will find in himGreat faith to you, great loyalty.O lady adorned with such lovely ornaments,He who carved the words in this wood

15 Bids me ask you to rememberThe oaths you swore so long ago together;In those distant days you lived in the same country,Lived in love together,Sharing one estate in the beautiful city.

20 Then a feud, a cruel vendetta, forced him to leaveThis land of happy people; I was told to tell you,Joyfully, that you should undertake a journeyJust as soon as you hear the cuckoo’s sad song,That mournful sound in the mountain woods.

25 After that, let no man delay youOr stop you from sailing over the waves.Go down to the sea, the home of the gull;Sail south from here over the salt-streamsTo the land where land waits in high expectations.

30 He nurses no greater wish in the world(With his own words he told me),Than that both of you together, by the grace of God,May give rings once again to men in the mead-hall;Bestow gifts as before on companions

35 And warriors. He has wonWealth enough, though he livesFar away amongst a foreign peopleIn a beautiful land.Forced by the feud to launch his boat from here,

40 He went over the waves alone in his youth,Set forth on the way of the flood, eager to Depart and divide the quiet waters. Now at last your lordLeaves his sorrows behind him. He will lack nothing,Neither horses, nor treasure, nor joy in the mead-hall,

45 O daughter of the prince,He will want nothing else in the worldIf only he may have you for his own,Fulfilling the former vow between you.I hear the runes S. and R.,

50 EA., W. and M. join in an oathThat he will wait for you in that country,And will always love you for as long as he lives,Faithful and true to your vows to each other,The oaths you swore so long ago together.

Anglo Saxon and Epic Hero Test – Write your answers on the answer document provided.

Part 1: Read the poem The Husband’s Mesage and answer the questions which follow.

1. In the phrase “a cunningly-carved letter,” (line 5) a word that could replace “cunningly” would be ________

A. falsely. B. cleverly. C. amazingly.D. crudely.

2. In the phrase, “Bestow gifts as before on companions,” (line 34) the word “bestow” means ________

A. give B. promise C. demandD. store

3. To the husband in the poem, life in the early days of their marriage was ________

A. full of vendettas and feuds. B. something he wanted to escape. C. happy and full of romantic love.D. full of problems, but also love.

4. The husband left his wife because ________A. He fell in love with someone else. B. A cruel vendetta forced him to leave. C. He needed to win some treasure.D. She told him she didn’t love him.

5. The wife is ________A. a mother of proud sons. B. the daughter of a prince. C. angry with her husband.D. afraid to leave her home.

6. The husband wants his wife to come to him ________A. as soon as she sells their property. B. as soon as she can possibly leave. C. as soon as her father passes away.D. as soon as the cuckoo bird sings.

7. From the poem you can tell that the husband ________

A. always get what he wants. B. likes to travel to far lands. C. feels lonely for his wife.D. wants to move back home.

8. Which archetypal story element can you find in this poem?

A. a monster being slayed B. a follower being tested C. a quest by a noble heroD. a long, complicated voyage

9. Which of these lines contains an example of imagery?A. “Sail south from here over the salt-streams”B. “At my master’s command I have often crossed

the sea,”C. “(With his own words he told me),”D. “This land of happy people; I was told to tell

you,”

10. In the lines “And this time I have come especially/to sow assurance in your mind,” what word contains an example of imagery?

A. time B. especially C. sowD. assurance

10. Make a list of all the words used to describe the ocean in this poem. Write a paragraph explaining how these images help readers to create a word picture of what it is like to see or travel on the water.

Part 2: The questions below refer to the selections “from Beowulf, Part One,” “Life in 999: A Grim Struggle,” and “from Beowulf, Part Two.”

11. Before Grendel attacked, warriors in Hrothgar’s hall spent their days ________

A. listening to music and singing long ballads.B. practicing sword fighting and horseback riding.C. going to church and praying for courage.D. studying books and having intellectual talks.

12. After Grendel attacked Herot, Hrothgar’s warriors ________

A. took out their harps and sang funeral songs.B. ran away to find somewhere safe to live.C. put on their armor and prepared to attack him.D. became so depressed they couldn’t move.

13. In the year 999, medieval chroniclers described the forests that surrounded them as ________

A. gardens. B. deserts. C. cities.D. havens.

14. In 999, most people in Europe were ________A. satisfied with their normal lives. B. eager for new trade from Asia. C. resigned to living with poverty.D. eager to take up arms and fight.

15. Which detail from Wiglaf’s speech showed that Beowulf was an epic hero?

A. Beowulf chose the best warriors to follow him.B. Beowulf was good looking, with gorgeous hair.C. Beowulf’s men all felt great loyalty toward him.D. Beowulf wanted to fight the monster alone.

16. What action shows that most of the other warriors did not have the qualities to become epic heroes?

A. They were too interested in playing the harp.B. They let Beowulf fight Grendel all by himself.C. They chose to disobey Beowulf’s orders.D. They didn’t share the values of their society.

17. The purpose of Beowulf’s quest to kill Grendel makes him an epic hero. What is that purpose?

A. He wanted to save his society from danger.B. He wanted to win glory and test his strength.C. He wanted to discover himself as a man.D. He wanted to win Grendel’s treasures.

Part 3: The questions below refer to the selection “from Gilgamesh: A Verse Narrative.”

18. What reward does Gilgamesh say he would get if he died fighting Humbaba?

A. He would feel self-respect for meeting a challenge bravely.

B. He would feel proud he had managed to save his people.

C. He would be talked about as a brave warrior by other people.

D. He would have the pleasure of making the gods happy.

19. The sound that made Humbaba hurry toward Gilgamesh and Enkidu was ________

A. the loud call of a trumpet blasting away.B. the sound of a cedar tree being cut down.C. the footsteps of Gilgamesh’s marching army.D. the shout Gilgamesh made to threaten him.

20. The people urged Gilgamesh to let Enkidu be the leader in their quest because Enkidu ________

A. was stronger than Gilgamesh. B. knew more about the forests. C. could make peace with Humbaba.D. was the real leader all along.

21. After three days in the forest ________A. Enkidu wanted to fight and Gilgamesh wanted

peace.B. Enkidu felt Gilgamesh was right to hunt down

Humbaba.C. Gilgamesh began to understand why Enkidu was

afraid.D. Gilgamesh and Enkidu began to fight with each

other.

22. Gilgamesh’s dream scared Enkidu because he was afraid it meant that ________

A. Gilgamesh would be killed. B. he himself would be killed. C. Humbaba would be killed.D. Humbaba would cause a rockslide.

23. A foil defines a character by contrast. How are Gilgamesh and Enkidu different?

A. Gilgamesh is less intellectual than Enkidu.B. Gilgamesh is more of a fighter than Enkidu.C. Gilgamesh is more patient than Enkidu.D. Gilgamesh is less dreamy than Enkidu.

24. How do Gilgamesh and his foil Enkidu’s roles change when they reach the edge of the forest near Humbaba’s watchman?

A. Gilgamesh becomes more wild and Enkidu becomes more tame.

B. Gilgamesh becomes afraid and Enkidu reminds him to be fearless.

C. Gilgamesh becomes the king and Enkidu becomes his follower.

D. Gilgamesh becomes fearless and Enkidu begs him not to take chances.

25. The feature you would not find in an epic like Gilgamesh is ________

A. dealing with events on a large scale.B. small, realistic details about everyday life.C. narrating the life of a larger-than-life hero.D. telling the story of a dangerous quest.

Part 4: The questions below refer to the selection “the Iliad, from Book 22, The Death of Hector.”

26. Achilles is ________A. a Trojan prince and warrior. B. the Greeks’ greatest hero. C. a famous Greek storyteller.D. the god of poetry and prophecy.

27. Achilles didn’t want his fellow soldiers to kill Hector because he wanted ________

A. to try to save Hector from being killed.B. the glory of killing Hector himself.C. to ask Hector a question before killing him.D. to be hit by their spears instead.

28. The goddess Athena thinks that Achilles ________A. is a brilliant warrior and she wants him to be the

winner.B. is weak and untrustworthy, but she has to help

him anyway.C. is too angry and out-of-control to be a good

warrior.D. is disrespectful of the gods and ungrateful for

their help.

29. How is Hector tricked by Athena?A. She takes the form of his brother Diephobus and

leads him to Achilles.B. She fills him with angry thoughts of Achilles

that make him reckless.C. She sends a pack of wild dogs to make him run

toward Achilles.D. She sends a ghost to tell him terrifying stories

about Achilles.

30. The weapon that killed Hector was ________A. a silver sword. B. a bronze spear. C. a golden dagger.D. a granite club.

31. The armor Hector was wearing when Achilles killed him was ________

A. his own armor. B. Patroclus’s armor. C. Achilles’ armor.D. his father’s armor.

32. What does Achilles mean in his use of this epic simile, “There are no binding oaths between men and lions—wolves and lambs can enjoy no meeting of the minds”?

A. Achilles says that he and Hector will have to trust each other without promises, the way animals do.

B. Achilles wants to hunt Hector the same way an animal hunts, to meet basic needs for survival.

C. Achilles wants a natural relationship with Hector, just like animals have with each other.

D. Achilles will not make any promise to Hector because he plans to treat Hector only as prey.

Part 5: DIRECTIONS: The following is a rough draft of an essay describing the hero of the epic poem Beowulf. The writer’s own imagined description has been added to the description in the poem. The essay contains errors in development and organization. Some of the questions refer to underlined phrases or numbered sentences within the text. Read the essay and answer the questions that follow.

Courage or Death

(1) It was believed that if a hero showed fear, acted without honor, or allowed others to discredit him, then he was no longer a hero. (2) In this ancient poem the main character says he would rather die than fail in his endeavor to defeat the monster Grendel. (3) The self-assurance indicated by this statement shows that the character is a hero. (4) Unferth raises doubts about Beowulf’s ability to defeat Grendel by pointing out that Beowulf lost a swimming match with Brecca. (5) This challenge sets the stage for Beowulf to defend his reputation. (6) Drawing himself up to his full height, the sturdily built warrior casts a steely gaze around the room, letting his fierce gray eyes rest on each one in the great hall. (7) When the force of his personality has quieted the rumble of voices, Beowulf begins the defense of his reputation. (8) First, he discredits Unferth by implying that Unferth’s challenge was prompted by the ale he has been drinking. (9) Stretching his sinewy arm out toward Unferth, Beowulf says, though “your tongue has tried/To tell us about Brecca’s doings,” it has failed. (10) Arching an expressive, bushy eyebrow, Beowulf looks around at his audience, pleased with the scattered laughter his first rhetorical point has elicited.

(11) As Beowulf moves to his second point, a confident smile softens the severity of his expression. (12) Clearly relishing his role as his own advocate, Beowulf crosses his beefy arms across his chest and says that he is a good swimmer. (13) Even though he knew he could outswim Brecca, he swam beside the man for five days, “[u]ntil a flood swept us apart.” (14) In his telling of the tale, Beowulf appears larger than life, for only a good warrior could have survived the “savage” waves.

(15) Almost as though it were an afterthought, Beowulf mentions that the storm awoke nine slumbering monsters, all of whom he defeated. (16) With a dismissive shake of his hand, he asserts that “Brecca’s battles were never so bold,”

refuting Unferth’s implication that Beowulf is unsuited to the task of defeating Grendel. (17) Combined with the tale of his defeat of sea monsters and the sea itself, Beowulf’s commanding presence and his rhetorical flourishes mesmerize the audience, including the king and queen. (18) For his third point, Beowulf challenges Unferth in a manner that is calculated to deter others who might try to enhance their own reputations at the expense of Beowulf. (19) Standing in the center of the great hall, Beowulf contrasts himself with Unferth.

(20) Addressing Unferth but stretching his hand out toward his audience and pivoting to face each warrior, Beowulf says, “I’ve heard/No tales of you” in which Unferth showed such honor, strength, and courage. (21) This wounding point denies Unferth heroic stature and undermines Unferth’s attempt to damage Beowulf’s reputation as warrior hero. (22) The way Beowulf has played his audience, quieting them with a mere look and rousing them to laughter at his opponent’s expense, confirms his status as hero. (23) Answering Unferth’s challenge with the supreme confidence of a successful champion, Beowulf persuades his audience that his courage and strength will allow him to defeat Grendel. (24) His skillful defense confirms both his status as a hero of his time and his unfailing adherence to the hero’s creed.

33. To help readers put this essay into context, which first sentence would you add?A. Depending on whom you ask, there are many ways to define “hero.”B. In Beowulf, the main character reflects the values of Anglo-Saxon society.C. Being a hero isn’t just about killing evildoers and getting glory.D. Many epic poems have been written about heroes throughout the ages.

34. Suppose in sentence 12, you wanted to replace the word “good” in “says that he is a good swimmer.” The new word would be closer to the way that Beowulf would express himself. Which adjective would you use?

A. dainty B. adequate C. stylishD. strong

35. Suppose you had to replace the phrase “larger than life” in line 14. What phrase would you replace it with?A. meeker than a mouse B. sneakier than a snake C. tougher than a tigerD. louder than a lion

36. Suppose you had to replace the phrase “who might try to enhance their own reputations at the expense of Beowulf” from line 18 with one that is more concise. Which of the following phrases would you choose?

A. who might try to look good by trying to attack BeowulfB. who might try to look good by joining with BeowulfC. who might pretend they have done more than BeowulfD. who might try to look good by competing with Beowulf

37. If you had to insert a sentence just before the last sentence of this essay, which of the followingchoices would make the most sense?

A. Although his reputation has been damaged, he has done his best to try to be a hero.B. Because he has not allowed Unferth to discredit to him, he has shown he is a hero.C. Although Unferth has gotten the best of him, he is still determined to try his best.D. Because he is conceited, the audience dislikes him, but they admire his nerve.