alliteration
repetition of key consonant sounds; used instead of rhyme; mnemonic devices
metric style
used in Old English; standard line has 4 stresses (or 2 per half line); no set number of syllables; beat enhances musicality
caesura
break in middle of the line that helps with breath control
stock phrases
another mnemonic device; includes repetition
digression
getting off track; nearly 1/4 of the poem deals with material that is unrelated to the story - examples: historical information, random poetic verses, and esoteric comments understood only by a contemporary audience of the scop
consistent patterns
1. battles become progressively more difficult
2. monsters become increasingly more sympathetic
elements of the epic
1. invocation to the muse or genealogy
2. begins in medias res
3. great deeds of a hero
4. gods and semi-divine creatures are involved
5. long narrative poem in elevated style
6. long ceremonious speeches
allusions
reference to the past, other stories, history, the Bible
Paganism and Christianity
1. poet tells of both the supreme god and the wyrd
2. action is backdropped by dark and pagan past
3. idea that man is only partly free