Nomination of heroes in the Anglo-Saxon epic "Beowulf"

Abstract

The subject of the study are the peculiarities of the nominations of heroes in the archaic Anglo-Saxon epic "Beowulf". The language nomination, which is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, is closely related to a person's understanding of the surrounding world and plays an important role in language. However, despite its importance, the study of this issue remains insufficiently studied. The purpose of this study is to examine the uniqueness of the hero nominations in Beowulf, analyzing the hero nominations not only etymologically, but also considering their potential meanings in context. To achieve the purpose of the study, various methods were used, including interpretive, word-formation, descriptive and etymological approaches. The results of the study can be used in teaching lecture courses on the Old English history and lexicology of English and, in reading special courses on linguocultural studies. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that it conducted a comprehensive review of the system of hero nominations in the epic poem "Beowulf". It is concluded that the nominations of heroes in Beowulf are characterized by the use of proper names, which can be classified into monothematic, dithematic and suffix-monothematic names. On the other hand, there are various nominations based on common names, enriched with rich stylistic techniques, such as kenning, metaphor, etc. The nomination of heroes can change in different situations, reflecting the language, culture and values of the ancient Anglo-Saxon society.