Beowulf is an epic poem written by an anonymous English author sometime during the Early Middle Ages.

It is written in Old English (formerly called Anglo-Saxon) but the events in the poem take place on the Scandinavian Peninsula during what may have been the Late Classical Era or Early Middle Ages. The poem is over 3,000 lines long and follows the hero Beowulf over the course of his life as he battles monsters and learns of the consequences of doing so.

Beowulf is a fantastic resource for historians and literary critics as it reflects a moment in English history that is thoroughly Christian yet still greatly influenced by its pagan oral tradition. It is of great interest to linguists as well because it is the largest extant Old English poem.