About

Type: Manuscript › Digital facsimile
Page count: 140
Language: Old English
Published: 1000
Publisher: London, England: Other
Author: Anonymous Anglo-Saxon Scribe
Contributor: Laurence Nowell
format_quote Cite this work

Written between 975 and 1015 CE, the Nowell Codex contains the Beowulf prestige and hero myth, as well as the Biblical Judith tale. It is the second part of the Cotton MS Vitellius A.xv volume. The condition is poor because the edges of the cotton manuscript were burned during a fire in 1731. This work contains folios 129r - 198v (MS prefix, not BL).

Source: OMNIKA

  • Beowulf is the longest epic poem in Old English, the language spoken in Anglo-Saxon England before the Norman Conquest. More than 3,000 lines long, Beowulf relates the exploits of its eponymous hero, and his successive battles with a monster named Grendel, with Grendel’s revengeful mother, and with a dragon which was guarding a hoard of treasure.

    Source: Author or Publisher

    expand_more Read more Read less

Access

Read for free

External sources

Primary

Beowulf Epic

Myth

Myth icon

Beowulf, the hero, helps the Danes by killing the man-eating monster named Grendel, and his mother. Afterwards, Beowulf returns home and becomes the king of the Geats, ruling until his heroic death over fifty years later. In his final battle, he slays a dragon. The poem ends by honoring the greatness of Beowulf.

Type: Prestige, Hero
Created: Unknown
Belief system: Norse Paganism
Main deity: Beowulf
Other deities: Grendel
Origin: Europe › Northern Europe › Sweden
Norse Paganism

Belief system

Belief system icon

Norse Paganism refers to the beliefs and traditions of people from Scandinavia: Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

Beowulf

Deity

Deity icon

While Beowulf was not a formal deity in the Norse pantheon, he was a mythical hero who had unusual skills and abilities.

Myths cited

It looks like only the main myth was referenced in this work.

Belief systems cited

It looks like only the main belief system was referenced in this work.

Artifacts cited

Cotton MS Vitellius A.XV

Parchment Manuscript

Artifact icon

Library works

Contributor

Contributor image

Anonymous Anglo-Saxon Scribe

Author · Main contributor

The Nowell Codex, featuring the Beowulf epic, was written by an unknown Anglo-Saxon scribe.
Author image

Laurence Nowell

Contributor

Laurence Nowell was an English antiquarian known for being named after the Beowulf manuscript.
Contents
Front cover 1
fullscreen
chevron_left
chevron_right
arrow_forward

Cite this work

Chicago

British Library. Nowell Codex / Cotton MS Vitellius A.XV: Digital Facsimile. Accessed September 1, 2019. http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=cotton_ms_vitellius_a_xv.

Close

Share

https://omnika.org/stable/411

content_copy COPY
Close

Report

Thanks for helping OMNIKA become a better website. Report a problem if you see something wrong on this page. All fields are required.

Please keep it short and sweet.

Heads up. By submitting the form, you are also sending information related to your device, such as your browser, screen resolution, and IP address. For more information, please read the privacy policy. Unless you indicate otherwise, we may attempt to contact you using the email address you provided.

Close Submit form