Beowulf, an Old English Epic Poem, is Written

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem of 3,182 alliterative lines composed by an anonymous author. The sole surviving manuscript, Cotton Vitellius A.xv, was produced between approximately 975 and 1025 CE, though scholars debate whether the poem's composition dates to the 8th or 11th century. Set in Scandinavia, the narrative follows a Geatish warrior who battles the creature Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a dragon. The manuscript survived a 1731 fire at Ashburnham House and is held at the British Library.