What did the Beowulf manuscript survive?
Michael Gray
Updated on April 05, 2026
How old is the manuscript? Beowulf survives in a single medieval manuscript. The manuscript bears no date, and so its age has to be calculated by analysing the scribes’ handwriting.
How many Beowulf manuscripts still survive?
one manuscript
XV. Beowulf is the first great heroic poem written in the vernacular, Old English, rather than Latin. It survives in only one manuscript, London British Library Cotton Vitellius A.
Which manuscript contains Beowulf?
Cotton MS Vitellius A XV
The Nowell Codex is the second of two manuscripts comprising the bound volume Cotton MS Vitellius A XV, one of the four major Anglo-Saxon poetic manuscripts. It is most famous as the manuscript containing the unique copy of the epic poem Beowulf.
Is Beowulf the only surviving text in Old English?
Beowulf is an Old English epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines. It is possibly the oldest surviving long poem in Old English and is commonly cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature.
Where is the only surviving copy of Beowulf?
the British Library
Beowulf survives in a single medieval manuscript, housed at the British Library in London. The manuscript bears no date, and so its age has to be calculated by analysing the scribes’ handwriting.
What is the date of the only surviving manuscript of Beowulf?
| Beowulf | |
|---|---|
| Date | disputed ( c. 700–1000 AD) |
| State of existence | Manuscript suffered damage from fire in 1731 |
| Manuscript(s) | Cotton Vitellius A. xv ( c. 975–1010 AD) |
| First printed edition | Thorkelin (1815) |
Are there any other Anglo-Saxon manuscripts?
So far, 13 Anglo-Saxon manuscripts have been digitised, with the images and detailed metadata being published on the Cambridge Digital Library (links given in the table below). The majority are concentrated today in three collections: at the British Library, the Bodleian Library, and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
Where was the original Beowulf manuscript found?
First page of the unique manuscript of Beowulf in the British Library (Cotton MS Vitellius A XV). or Cotton Vitellius A. xv, is preserved in the British Library.
Is Beowulf a fictional or historical character?
There is no evidence of a historical Beowulf, but some characters, sites, and events in the poem can be historically verified. The poem did not appear in print until 1815. It is preserved in a single manuscript that dates to circa 1000 and is known as the Beowulf manuscript (Cotton MS Vitellius A XV).
Is Beowulf the only Anglo Saxon poem?
Beowulf is an Anglo Saxon poem written in Old English. The significance of this story is that it is often referred to as the first important work of literature in English. The author of this story was an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet and remains unknown till this day.
Where is the oldest surviving manuscript of Beowulf kept?
What is the name of the original manuscript of Beowulf?
The Beowulf Manuscript – Nowell Codex The Only Surviving Manuscript of Beowulf Beowulf is an Old English epic poem that survives in a single copy in the manuscript known as the Nowell Codex. It has no title in the original document but has become known by the name of the story’s hero.
Is Beowulf a true story?
Beowulf is an Old English epic poem that survives in a single copy in the manuscript known as the Nowell Codex. It has no title in the original document but has become known by the name of the story’s hero. The poem is known only from a single manuscript, which is estimated to date from around 975–1025.
How many lines are in Beowulf?
Beowulf is an Old English epic poem, which consists of 3,182 long lines. It is considered one of the most important books in Anglo-Saxon literature. Although the book is about a legend, the characters were probably based on real people.
Is there any mention of Jesus in Beowulf?
There is no mention of Jesus in Beowulf, and references to God seem based on the Old Testament rather than the New. But King Hrothgar and Beowulf sometimes refer to a single, all-powerful God, and there are instances of symbolic rebirth in the poem, such as Beowulf’s emergence from the mere after his defeat of Grendel’s mother.