Abstract + Introduction

Select a passage (20-30 lines) from one of the literary texts we have studied this year.  Then select a medievalartifact that illuminates your text – ideally, one that you can visit in person, at the Malcove or at any of Toronto’s museums.  Briefly describe, for an educated reader unfamiliar with your chosen text and artifact, what the passage and the artifact are, and how you will relate them to one another.

This exhibit explores the monstrous dragon from the poem Beowulf. This dragon is one of the most terrifying of the monsters present in the Anglo-Saxon period. The Dragon is said to be over 300 years old and its life purpose seems to be to guard the treasure that it has hoarded in its cave.  Although not common, the dragon was said to be seen flying in the air in that time on rare occurrences (Once in a blue moon) I have included the evidence for this statement also in my text.It is also described to have “slick” and “scaly” skin. These words “slick” and “scaly” set imagery in the mind of the reader; when reading them, the reader feels a sense of touching a reptile like “slick and scaly” skin. The dragon is also said to look like a serpent and has the ability to blow fire out of its mouth and fly in the air. 

 I have gathered various artifacts to support my exploration of the monster. I have dedicated a page each for the slow looking analysis of every artifact that I have chosen so you won't have any difficulty navigating through 

My chosen artifacts are sourced through the British Library, The British Musem and the Metropolitian Museum of Art.

The passage I have chosen to explore is from lines 2270 to 2323. (I will be attaching the passage at the end of the text)

The passage is set somewhere in the middle of the poem Beowulf and is telling the story of a dragon who is lying peacefully on his treasure and a thief steals from its treasure. Enraged by the theft from his treasure, the dragon sets out to find the thief and in fury starts to destroy settlements of innocent humans, so Beowulf decides to fight it. 

My main argument is that in Beowulf, the dragon is a hostile enemy…while in other cultures (Chinese and Iranian to be precise), dragons are seen as an icon of power and protection not as an enemy. After that, I’ll be comparing a reptile that is present in todays’ world and describe the similarities between it and the dragon of Beowulf. Lastly I’m going to take some help of Howard Shilton to argue and conclude that because of the manner in which the dragon was killed, he is seen as a monster but not as an evil monster (dragon is not God’s enemy); unlike Grendel and his Mother who were seen as evil creatures from hell (God’s enemies)