Codex In Beowulf

Beowulf is described by the British museum as an epic poem – “the longest epic poem in Old English.” Written in Anglo-Saxon, it is more the 3,000 lines and tells of the hero Beowulf, his defeat of monsters, and his rule over the Geats. No information exists to date Beowulf’s composition or its author. These are lost to history. However, the story, a classic tale of good versus evil set in 6th century, and the manuscript, commonly believed to have been copied sometime in the 10th or 11th century, still exists (Cotton Manuscripts). While the story has fueled historical, literary, and philosophical writings for centuries, the survival of the document is as heroic as Beowulf himself. Through its 1,000 year history, Beowulf has endured ownership
The binding includes two codices identified using markings on the documents as the Southwick Codex and Nowell Codex. Beowulf is included in the Nowell Codex, named for Laurence Nowell, “compiler of the first Anglo-Saxon dictionary,” who inscribed his name and the date 1563 on the first page (Smith 3). Included in the Nowell Codex is “a homily on St Christopher,” “Marvels of the East,” “Letter of Alexander to Aristotle”’ and another poem “Judith” (Beowulf). While it is known that Beowulf was a part of the Cotton library, the date acquired and source remains a mystery. Steven E. Smith proposes a possible scenario in his article “The Provenance of the Beowulf Manuscript.” Using an amalgamation of sources from the 20th century, Smith’s self-proclaimed “hypothetical itinerary” begins in St. Mary’s priory in Southwick, England (6). Supporting the idea that the current manuscript was generated by English monks is an analysis of the handwriting of the other documents contained in the Nowell Codex. Five documents are included in the Codex with Beowulf being the fourth document. Two different hands wrote
Initially, all of the Cotton manuscripts were maintained at Ashburnham House in Westminster. On October 23, 1731, a fire at Ashburnham House destroyed some of the Cotton manuscripts. Beowulf survived but was slightly damaged. The Cotton library collection became part of the new British Museum and later the British Library (Cotton Manuscripts). After years of handling the fragile paper, in 1845, the crumbling pages were placed in frames for safekeeping (Beowulf).

Beowulf is truly a classic. It has survived for centuries and still is relevant today as inspiration for books and movies. What happened between the unknown author’s composition and the reappearance of a copy of the poem at the priory of St. Mary in Southwick will never be discovered. Only through historical research can the manuscript’s journey from the priory to the British Library be theorized. Beowulf the manuscript is much like Beowulf the hero. It has overcome insurmountable odds to