What language is Beowulf, the great early English epic, written in?

Beowulf, the great early English epic, is written in Old English.

The poem survives in a single medieval manuscript and tells of the hero Beowulf’s battles with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon. Its language is the form of English used in Anglo-Saxon England, centuries before the development of Middle English and modern English.

Old English poetry differs sharply from later English verse. It relies heavily on alliteration, stress patterns, compound words, and formulaic expressions rather than the end-rhyme schemes familiar from many modern poems. A famous example is the use of kennings, metaphorical compounds such as “whale-road” for the sea.

The manuscript is usually dated to around the year 1000, although the poem itself may have been composed earlier. The work also contains Christian references layered onto a heroic world with Germanic customs, feud, loyalty, and treasure. “Anglo-Saxon” is commonly used for its cultural setting, while “Old English” identifies its language.