Beowulf Author:Anonymus Beowulf is an Old English heroic epic poem composed around 1100 AD. At 3,183 lines, the poem is notable for its length. The poem is untitled in the manuscript, but has been known as Beowulf since the early 19th century. As the single major surviving work of Anglo-Saxon heroic poetry, the work - in spite of dealing primarily with Scandinavian mat... more »ters - has risen to such prominence that it has become "England's national epic."« less