ABSTRACT

The oldest coherent epic we possess in the German language is the Anglo-Saxon poem of Beowulf, whose time of composition is to be set at latest at the start of the 8th century. The poem offers rich material for contemplation from three sides, according to whether we take into view the historical events which lie at its base, the mythical traditions linked to them, or finally the aesthetic-poetic side of the poem. I confine myself to the first of these three points of view, to which least justice has till now been done, and I intend accordingly to present the most important historical relationships of the Beowulf-poem in their context.