Below you'll find a list of sources for background information. These sources can provide foundational and background information for your paper or direct you to additional sources of authoritative information.
Archetypes and Motifs in Folklore and Literature by 
A Beowulf Handbook by 
The Cambridge Companion to Old English Literature by 
The Cambridge History of Scandinavia by 
A Companion to Anglo-Saxon Literature by 
Encyclopedia of Folklore and Literature by 
Insular and Anglo-Saxon Illuminated Manuscripts by Medieval Folklore by 
Motif-Index of Folk-Literature by New Readings on Women in Old English Literature by 
The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England by 
