In Beowulf, in which language was the original poem composed?

Beowulf was originally composed in Old English.

The poem survives in a single medieval manuscript and is the longest surviving epic poem in Old English. Although its story is set among Scandinavian peoples, especially the Danes and Geats, its language is that of Anglo-Saxon England. The surviving text is generally dated to around the early eleventh century, while the poem’s composition may have occurred earlier.

Beowulf contains many elements familiar from Germanic heroic literature: feud, gift-giving kings, monster battles, treasure hoards, and fatal obligations. Its Scandinavian setting often leads readers to assume that it was written in Old Norse, but the manuscript’s language is distinctly Old English.

The poem uses alliterative verse rather than end rhyme. Its vocabulary includes poetic compounds called kennings, such as “whale-road” for the sea. Modern translations vary widely because Old English grammar, vocabulary, and poetic style differ greatly from modern English.