In Search of Beowulf

In this BBC documentary, historian Michael Wood traces the birth of English poetry back to the Dark Ages with a journey through the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. Along with poet Seamus Heaney, actor Julian Glover, and British historians and enthusiasts, he brings the story and language of this iconic poem to life.

If you enjoy Beowulf or are fascinated by the preservation of old books, here’s an opportunity to geek out. Librarian Andreea offers a well-told story of the Beowulf manuscript, known as Cotton MS Vitellius A XV.

The History, Preservation, and Conservation of the Beowulf Text in the Cotton MS Vitellius A xv

The full story survives in the manuscript known as the Nowell Codex. In 1731, the manuscript was badly damaged by a fire that swept through Ashburnham House in London that had a collection of medieval manuscripts assembled by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton. The Nowell Codex is housed in the British Library.

More on the manuscript

You may read the text of this video and see all of the resources cited at the creator’s blog, The Infinite Text.

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To learn more on our site:

Why Read Beowulf? by Robert F. Yeager

Beowulf Battle Scene, performed by Benjamin Bagby