Upon its rediscovery in the early 19th Century, Beowulf was initially held up as an authentic witness to the pagan culture of early Scandinavia, albeit marred by the interpolations of a pious Christian scribe. It took another century or so for scholars to recognise Beowulf as the work of an English Christian poet who probably flourished around the time of Bede (c. 700) somewhere in the kingdom of Mercia or Northumbria. 

Drawing on archaeological, historical, and literary research, this talk sets Beowulf within the rich, vibrant culture of the earliest English Christian poetry. The lecture will address several compelling questions: Why was the poet particularly interested in the Book of Genesis? Did he know biblical apocrypha? Were there other poems like Beowulf? How did swamp-dwelling monsters become the descendants of Cain? How does a pagan king’s fatal struggle with a fire-breathing dragon resonate with the battles of saints against similar foes? Ultimately, who read Beowulf in early medieval England, how did the text come to be written down, and who was the elusive author behind this strange, endlessly fascinating masterpiece?

A dramatic staging of Beowulf will take place in the Chapel of the Resurrection on Friday 27^th and Saturday 28^th November.  This atmospheric performance brings the epic Old English poem to life within Pusey House’s beautiful sacred space, merging early medieval storytelling with a unique dramatic setting.