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Which other works are preserved in the Beowulf manuscript?
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Beowulf
Beowulf preparing to cut off the head of the monster Grendel, illustration from Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race, 1910.
The Beowulf manuscript (also known as the Nowell Codex or Cotton Vitellius A.xv) is a significant collection of Old English texts. In addition to the epic poem Beowulf, the manuscript preserves the following works:
- Judith: A fragmentary poem that recounts the biblical story of the heroine who led the Jews to victory over the Assyrians.12
- Three prose tracts: These include various non-poetic writings preserved alongside the verse.1
These works are part of the major body of Old English literature, which is primarily contained within four key manuscripts from the late 10th and early 11th centuries.1