Beowulf is the conventional title of an Old English heroic epic poem, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature. Its composition by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet is dated between the 8th and the early 11th century. In the poem, Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, battles and defeats two monsters in his youth, but is fatally wounded when he fights a dragon later in life.