Beowulf: Written Oral Literature Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Beowulf, written down by Christian monks around the 8th century, is originally a piece of oral literature intended to be performed. To keep the listener interested in the piece and to make it easier to remember and tell, Beowulf uses the conventions of kennings, alliteration, and hyperbole to tell Beowulf's story. These devices are used to make the tale easier to remember and more appealing to both the performer and the listener. The poet who transcribed Beowulf for his Christian audience keeps these conventions intact to preserve the feel of an oral work. The first of these poetic conventions is a metaphorical compound word or phrase used especially in Old English and Old Norse poetry, called kenning. This type of metaphor is used to replace the usual name of a person or thing. The epic Beowulf uses two different types of kenning to help prevent the constant repetition of names. The first type of kenning simply substitutes a title for the person's name. So instead of constantly repeating Beowulf, the speaker uses kennings such as "the Geatish hero", "son of Ecgtheow", and "the Lord of Mariners". The ways in which Beowulf is referred to are simple examples of kenning, but Beowulf also uses more metaphorical kennings to avoid repetition. The second type of kenning in Beowulf is formed by creating a phrase made up of two nouns, which describe a characteristic of the original noun. These kennings then provide quick and vivid descriptions of the original noun without having to rephrase it. Without overusing the word sea or ocean, the poet uses “the swan road” (Beowulf ll 200) or “the whale road” (ll 10) to give a clear mental image of a place where these aquatic creatures would travel. The poet who transcribed this traditional story also preserves many other kennings. The sun is called the “candle of heaven” (ll 1571) or the “gem of heaven” (ll 2072), both of which provide clear images of a brilliant light in the sky. Grendel is also called by his names, such as "creator of corpses" (ll 276) and "cursed of God" (ll711) to show his destructive power. In just two words, “hail of steel” (ll 3116), the author quickly shows the danger of being attacked by incoming arrows. The second convention used by the author, to make the poem easier to remember and recite, is alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables. In addition to making the work easier to memorize, alliteration also gives the work its own rhythm and poetic voice. Excerpts such as "he had healed" (ll 829), "Grendel cursed by God" (ll 711), "hard helmet, hasped" (ll 2255) all add to the rhythm of the work. In each of these selections, each word begins with the same letter, and the repetitive consonants give the poem a singing quality when read aloud. This ritualistic, sing-song rhythm adds a lot to the play without adding extra lines to memorize, as well as making it easier to remember and recite. The third convention, hyperbole or extravagant exaggeration, is used to keep the audience interested, making the story more interesting to the listener. It is funnier to say that Beowulf “gives up the sword and the shelter of the broad shield” (ll 436-7) than to say that he is brave. When the poet states that Grendel “torn the mouth of the building, driving mad with blood” (ll 723-4), the monster seems even more terrifying and the encounter..