Secrets of Beowulf revealed: Relics discovered at Danish feasting hall which featured in Britain's oldest epic poem

  • Excavations at Lejre in Denmark reveal remains of hundreds of animals
  • Discovery confirms that the medieval site played hosts to lavish feasts
  • Area is thought to have inspired the hall of Heorot which is at the centre of Anglo-Saxon epic poem

By Hugo Gye

Published: 03:54 EST, 26 August 2013 | Updated: 05:11 EST, 26 August 2013

The real-life medieval society which spawned the epic poem Beowulf is coming to light in a series of ground-breaking discoveries centred around the royal court of sixth-century Denmark.

The poem, one of the oldest literary works written in English, tells the story of how the hero Beowulf defeats the monster Grendel, who has been terrorising the royal hall of Heorot.

The fiend is attracted to the court by the sound of feasting - and excavations in the area thought to have inspired the poem have revealed that it did indeed host feasts on an epic scale.

Epic: Archaeologists believe they have found the site where the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf was set; Ray Winstone is pictured in the 2007 Hollywood adaptation of the story

Epic: Archaeologists believe they have found the site where the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf was set; Ray Winstone is pictured in the 2007 Hollywood adaptation of the story

Archaeologists are currently working in on a site in Lejre, in eastern Denmark, which was the centre of one of the most powerful Viking kingdoms from the sixth to the 10th century.

The town is considered by scholars to be the most likely site of Heorot, the hall of King Hrothgar, where the events of Beowulf are set.

In the Anglo-Saxon epic, composed some time before the 11th century, the monster Grendel repeatedly attacks Heorot after becoming enraged by the sound of feasting.

The Danish court is powerless to guard against the beast until the arrival of Beowulf, from the land of the Geats in modern-day Sweden, who kills Grendel and then descends under the sea and defeats the monster's mother.

Manuscript: The one surviving copy of the poem is contained on badly burnt parchment in the British Library

Manuscript: The one surviving copy of the poem is contained on badly burnt parchment in the British Library

THE SCANDINAVIAN TALE WHICH BECAME THE FIRST ENGLISH EPIC

Although the story of Beowulf centres around the heroic exploits of the Scandinavians, it found fame in the epic poem written in Old English by an Anglo-Saxon bard.

The poem, which is 3,000 lines long, is testimony to the historic links between the Norse and the Anglo-Saxons, some of whom emigrated from southern Scandinavia.

It tells the tale of Beowulf, a Geat warrior from modern-day Scandinavia, who travels to Denmark to help King Hrothgar defend his magnificent hall of Heorot.

Beowulf kills the monster Grendel, saving the Danes from his murderous attacks, then defeats the fiend's mother and is later acclaimed king of the Geats.

The poem concludes decades later with a face-off between the ageing king and a fearsome dragon, ending with the death of both.

It could have been written as early as the seventh century, but survives only in one manuscript from the early 11th century, which is now in the British Library but has been badly burnt.

The epic caught the imagination of writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien, and has been filmed a dozen times, including a 2007 adaptation starring Ray Winstone and Angelina Jolie.

The extent to which the events of the poem are based on historical fact is controversial, but it seems to have been inspired by the wealthy Danish court at Lejre.

And the current excavations have confirmed that giant feasting halls were an integral part of life at Lejre, according to a progress report published in BBC History magazine.

Archaeologists have found a total of seven halls dating from various points between 500 and 1000, implying that the structures were periodically torn down and rebuilt.

The earliest of all the halls, located 500m from all the others, is the one most likely to have provided the historical inspiration for Heorot.

On the site there are the remains of hundreds of animals apparently killed and eaten at massive feasts, as recounted in the poem.

The animals include cattle, sheep, suckling pigs, goats, chicken, geese, ducks, deer and fish - implying that the Scandinavian elite enjoyed a diverse and luxurious diet.

Pottery drinking vessels have also been found on the site, as well as up to 40 pieces of jewellery made from precious metals.

'For the first time, archaeology is giving us a glimpse of life in the key royal Danish site associated with the Beowulf legend,' said Tom Christensen, of the Roskilde Museum.

The area is thought to have been largely isolated from the rest of Europe, as the Norsemen did not convert to Christianity until the 10th century.

Excavations: Archaeologists are working at Lejre, headquarters of one of the greatest Viking kingdoms

Excavations: Archaeologists are working at Lejre, headquarters of one of the greatest Viking kingdoms

However, excavators at Lejre have found an animal jawbone which they believe belonged to a brown bear given to the Danish ruler by another European king.

Despite its historic importance, Lejre is now a town of just 2,000 on the island of Zeeland, 23 miles west of Copenhagen.

Officials plan to issue a full report on their finds next year, when the exhibits will go on show at local museums.

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