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I’d like to discuss in this paper the poem Beowulf and pay attention on dragon which he fights with. Without any doubt we can say that Beowulf was the greatest poem in Old English literature. It is necessary to discuss it with more details and explain symbolism connected with dragon in the poem. In my opinion it will be interesting to discuss also the dragon symbol in another countries and even cultures , because like any symbol it has own roots and their analysis will help us to understand actions in Beowulf much better. The poem was written many centuries ago and it was done in the heroic style that it seemed even to be like an elegy to the hero’s exploit.
Let’s begin our work from the poem discussion and then we will mention dragon in our describing and will research it symbolism in the frame of our work. According to North we can mention that there are many different questions connected with this poem: “What can be known about a unique poem in a unique manuscript, dated around the year 1000 a.d.? What do we know about the circumstances of its composition? Is it literary, oral, or something in-between? What can we never know? Beowulf is both strange and familiar: it has some links with ancient classical poems like Homer’s; 19thc ideas of it have been received and reworked in the course of the 20thc in academe, children’s literature and adult popular culture; and yet it remains an ancient artifact of a culture whose world we can never share.” (North, 2006) I know that Beowulf is an Old English poem of unknown author, unique saved monument of Anglo-Saxon epos.

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Most scientists meet on that Beowulf was created in 8 century by English monk, knowing and Old British, and Latin literature. A poem reached in the unique manuscript of an end 10 century in Old English language. The study of Beowulf began in 1815, after the output of the first edition. A poem contains 3182 lines, written with alliteration verse. The title to this poem was given in an honor of the main hero.
Analyzing the poem Beowulf from different sides I understood that Beowulf very substantially differs from ordinary heroic poems both by volume of and complication. In English tradition heroic ballads rarely contained more than five hundred lines and described the unique event (for example, battle) or row of the events closely associated between each other. For the plot of a story of Beowulf two contrasting series of events were required, and a poet described both series in very detailed way, sparing large attention to cultural surroundings (for example, to court life in Denmark). Frequently it abandons both a hero and monsters aside, speaking to the episodes, information or illusions, to touching other characters of traditional narrations. Such retreats must were somehow co-ordinate battles with monsters with the world of North Europe in 6 century. It is talked in a poem, that prominent force of Beowulf, equal to the force of thirty ordinary people, was given to him by God, and from a notable fragment (lines 2177-2189) clears that a hero would not begin to use this gift unworthy appearance, but saved it for the high performing.
The unique existent manuscript of Beowulf is dated approximately by 1000 years, as we understood it was so many time ago that we can’t state that some events were true or some of it was a real false. But an epic belongs, in opinion of most specialists, to the end of VII century or to first third of VIII century. In that period Anglo-Saxons experienced the beginning process of origin of feudal connections already. To the poem, however, the epic archaizing is inherent. In addition, it draws reality from the specific point of view: the world of Beowulf is the world of kings and combatants, world of feasts, battles and duels.
Plot of a story from Anglo-Saxon’s epics simple this largest. Beowulf is a young knight from the people of Gauts took participants in all possible battles and tries to help different nations to protect themselves from different creatures. He killed various creatures and winning over them, he returns back with different rewards and fame. Here at home he accomplishes new exploits, and afterwards becomes king of Gauts and well governs a country during fifty years. After expiration of this term Beowulf enters into a fight with a dragon which devastates environs, being infuriated encroaching upon guarded by it ancient treasure. It is succeeded to win over Beowulf and this monster, but by the cost of own life. In acknowledgement of these words we can quote the next abstract from the poem Beowulf where the main character speaks to Wiglaf, entreating him to collect the dragon’s gold at his feet before he dies: “My days/ have gone as fate willed,/ As I knew how, swearing no unholy oaths,/ Seeking no lying wars. I can leave/ This life happy; I can die, here,/ Knowing the Lord of all life has never/ Watched me wash my sword in blood/ Born of my own family.” (Beowulf, pg. 108, lines 2735-6, 2638-2743) A canto is completed the stage of the solemn burning on the funeral fire of body of hero and building of burial mound above his ashes and treasure conquered by him.