Anonymous
Epic · Poem · English · Old English
Anonymous
Anonymous left 7 works in this house — read them for the pressure they put on ordinary feeling.
The writings
Epic
Epic · c. 700–1000
Beowulf
Anonymous
Aya Saleh · Ink & Ivy
Beowulf
c. 700–1000 · Heroic poetry · Old English verse
A Geatish warrior defeats Grendel and his mother, then faces a dragon as an ageing king.
Epic · c. 2100–1200 BCE
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Anonymous
Aya Saleh · Ink & Ivy
The Epic of Gilgamesh
c. 2100–1200 BCE · Epic · Myth
Gilgamesh's friendship with Enkidu leads to grief and a search for life without death.
Poem
Poem · 10th-century manuscript
The Wanderer
Anonymous
Aya Saleh · Ink & Ivy
The Wanderer
10th-century manuscript · Elegy · Old English verse
A solitary survivor remembers the lord and companions he has lost.
Poem · 10th-century manuscript
The Seafarer
Anonymous
Aya Saleh · Ink & Ivy
The Seafarer
10th-century manuscript · Elegy · Religious poetry
A speaker recalls the hardship of life at sea and its irresistible summons.
Poem · 10th-century manuscript
The Dream of the Rood
Anonymous
Aya Saleh · Ink & Ivy
The Dream of the Rood
10th-century manuscript · Dream vision · Religious poetry
A dreamer hears the cross narrate the crucifixion.
Poem · 991 or later
The Battle of Maldon
Anonymous
Aya Saleh · Ink & Ivy
The Battle of Maldon
991 or later · Heroic poetry · Fragment
An incomplete account of an English army's defeat by Viking raiders.
Poem · c. 1375–1400
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Anonymous
Aya Saleh · Ink & Ivy
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
c. 1375–1400 · Chivalric romance · Alliterative verse
A beheading game draws Gawain into a second test of honesty.
