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Beowulf and Grendel (2005)

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Masarykova univerzita
Filozofická fakulta

Katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky
Bakalářská diplomová práce

2020

Nikola Krčová

Masaryk University
Faculty of Arts

Department of English and American Studies

English Language and Literature

Nikola Krčová

The Depiction of Beowulf in Film and
Television Series Adaptations

Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis

Supervisor: prof. Mgr., Milada Franková, CSc., M.A.

2020

I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.

……………………………………………..

Author’s signature

I would like to thank my family for supporting me and sharing their opinions with me. I would also like to thank my supervisor prof. Mgr. Milada Franková, CSc., M.A., for her guidance.

Table of Contents

Introduction........................................................................................................................... 1 The Original Story of Beowulf............................................................................................. 4 Beowulf and Grendel (2005)............................................................................................... 13 Beowulf (2007).................................................................................................................... 19 Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands (2016)......................................................................... 25 Conclusion........................................................................................................................... 31 Bibliography........................................................................................................................ 33 Summary............................................................................................................................. 35

Resumé................................................................................................................................ 36

Introduction

In the past, one of the most popular past-time activities was reading, however, now when new technologies became available, reading moved more towards watching television. Watching films and television is a very important form of entertainment that allows the audience to experience and feel things through the characters. As the Pulitzer Prize-winning

film critic Roger Ebert puts it, “We live in a box of space and time. Movies are windows in its

walls. They allow us to enter other minds, not simply in the sense of identifying with the characters, although that is an important part of it, but by seeing the world as another person

sees it.” As a result, people search for films with situations that they might not necessarily find themselves in, with the intention to experience what it would feel like to be in somebody else’s

shoes.
A perfect example of this situation that a person would not experience otherwise is the role of a hero whose job is to slay monsters and protect the mankind from them. Beowulf is a heroic epic poem about a hero whose quest is to save the king and his subjects from an evil monster. At the end of the story, Beowulf fights against a dragon, which is a very popular character in fantasy books and films. People are attracted to this type of plot-driven adventurous heroic story and that is why several filmmakers decided it would be a good idea to adapt the story and make a film or television series out of it.
However, the story itself is not sufficient enough to make a popular and successful movie. Some aspects and motifs have to be added by the filmmakers in order for the audience to want to see the adaptation. One of the most popular themes of a film that people can relate to is love. The original story does not contain this theme but in almost all the adaptations,

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Beowulf has a love interest and the story contains a love storyline. Another added aspect is the development of backgrounds of some characters. People like to empathize with the characters they see on their screens and for this reason, in several film adaptations, some character traits

are emphasized and some characters’ backgrounds are explored in order to get to know the

characters better. The liberties that film producers have taken in the adaptations of the story of Beowulf and their cultural significance is the subject of this thesis.
An important source for the acquisition of valuable information about some of the later

mentioned adaptations is Hans Sauer’s 205 Years of Beowulf Translations and Adaptations

(1805-2010): A Bibliography. In his work Sauer lists all the adaptations made between the years 1805 and 2010. This list provides information about the variety of the adaptations and some possible film options for the analysis. He also mentions some other adaptations of Beowulf, not

only film adaptations, but game, music, play and other depictions as well. Seamus Heaney’s

award-winning translation of Beowulf is valuable to the thesis mainly because of his Introduction, in which he writes in depth about crucial scenes and themes in the story. Both

Kathleen Forni’s book Beowulf‘s Popular Afterlife in Literature, Comic Books, and Film and

her article in Studies in Popular Culture are very valuable to the thesis since they contain some interesting ideas and comments about the adaptations and the popularity of Beowulf as a whole. Her ideas support some of my own and that is why her input is very useful.

In the first chapter, there is an explanation of why is Beowulf such an important piece of work and why was it chosen for this thesis. It also contains a list of all the themes, symbols and motifs that are important and represent the core of the story. The next part of the thesis contains analysis of two films: Beowulf and Grendel from 2005 in the second chapter, and Beowulf from 2007 in the third chapter. Beowulf and Grendel was chosen because it is very similar to the original poem in terms of the setting, the genre and the overall atmosphere. However, it has a few differences that may yield insights into the adaptation strategies of its

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makers. Beowulf is the most well-known and popular adaptation of the poem since it contains violence and epic fight scenes. The film is similar in terms of the battles with the monsters and the heroic atmosphere, but the filmmakers made some big changes in the story, and the film contains a lot of differences in the plot. However, the extent of the adaptors’ deviation from the original story testifies to the variety of adaptation strategies of the modern media. The next and final chapter of the thesis analyzes a television series made in 2016 with Beowulf as a main protagonist that is called Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands. This adaptation is relevant because it shows the newest adaptation of Beowulf and what popular film aspects were added in contrast to the adaptations from the 2000s. The analysis aims to discover whether some crucial scenes from the poem are preserved or omitted in the new versions, and what popular film aspects were added in order for the film to be appealing to the audience. The goal of the thesis is to analyze the selected adaptations and, by looking at the differences and similarities between them and the original story, to explore the new strategies in adapting old literature in the current film industry.

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The Original Story of Beowulf

In his translation of Beowulf, Seamus Heaney begins with a historical background of the poem which is very informative in its content and contributive to this thesis. Heaney reports that Beowulf is a heroic poem written in the Old English (or Anglo-Saxon) language and it is considered to be one of the foundations of English poetry. It was created between the seventh and the tenth century and the poem consists of more than three thousand lines. This masterpiece is nowadays read primarily in translation because of the changes that language underwent, and it is mostly read in schools and universities (Heaney ix). Because of its continuous use in school courses, it has become a classic, and it is hard to find a person that has not at least heard about

the story of Beowulf. According to Heaney, “We know about the poem more or less by chance,

because it exists in one manuscript only. This unique copy (now in the British Library) barely survived a fire in the eighteenth century and was then transcribed and titled, re-transcribed and edited, translated and adapted, interpreted and taught, until it has become an acknowledged

classic” (Heaney x). Not every story survives so many alterations and adaptations but because

Beowulf survived and the poem was still read after all the modifications, it became a true literary classic and a suitable piece of work for this thesis.

Even though it was written in England, the story’s setting is in Scandinavia in the sixth

century. Beowulf, a powerful warrior of the Geats, arrives with his men to the land of the Danes to help them defeat a monster called Grendel that has been terrorizing the King Hrothgar’s hall Heorot and killing his warriors for some time. Beowulf defeats the monster in a battle without using any weapon and tears his arm from his body, which then serves as a trophy. However, he

then has to defend the hall from Grendel’s mother who comes seeking revenge for her son. She kills one of Hrothgar’s warriors and escapes, but Beowulf follows her to the lake where she

lives and he defeats her there with a powerful sword that he finds in her cave. He severs

Grendel’s head and brings it as another trophy to the hall. After his victories, he returns to his

4home country and rules there as king for fifty years. However, when a thief steals a golden cup

from a dragon, the dragon attacks Beowulf’s kingdom and Beowulf in his old age has to defeat

one more monster. Even though Beowulf kills it with the help of his friend Wiglaf, he dies in

the battle as well, and the poem ends with Beowulf’s funeral and the Geats mourning the death

of their beloved lord.
It is important to name some themes, motifs, symbols and scenes that are significant in the poem in order to compare which elements were omitted and which were kept in the film adaptations and why. Firstly, one of the most important themes in the story is vengeance. It is the thing that motivates all the monsters to attack. Grendel attacks Heorot and the Danes inside of it because he wants to take revenge for them disrupting his sleep with their singing, which

shows him how lonely and jealous he is. Grendel’s mother’s motive is more straight-forward because she seeks revenge for her son’s death. And the dragon’s rage and attacks were launched

because he wanted revenge for the golden cup that was stolen from him. However, the monsters are not the only characters that are motivated by revenge. Beowulf is also driven by it as he wants to avenge all the Danes that have been cold-bloodedly killed by Grendel, and later in the story he seeks revenge against the dragon because of all the deaths he caused in Beowulf’s kingdom. It is an ongoing cycle and it seems that almost everyone in the story acts, at least to some degree, on vengeance.
Another important theme in the poem is reputation and boasting that is connected with it. Beowulf is concerned with how the others see him and that is why he boasts and tells everybody about his achievements, victories and what he has been through in his life. When

Unferth attacks Beowulf’s reputation during a feast, it is the worst thing he can do, because

reputation is the most valuable thing to warriors as it is the only thing that survives even after they are dead. Beowulf then boasts about his good deeds and the real heroic story and diverts all the accusations that Unferth made. To even strengthen his reputation, Beowulf insists on

5fighting Grendel without weapons and later fighting the dragon alone without the help of his fellow warriors. This shows his pride as well as his desire for fame and a strong reputation.
Faith is one of the most prominent themes in the poem. However, there is a debate among critics about the Christian references that appear in this pagan poem as there was no concept of Christian God in pagan Scandinavia at that time. In their book The Vikings, Nordeide

and Edwards state that “. . . although written sources suggest that missionaries arrived earlier,

Christianity was not established formally until towards the end of the Viking Age, that is the

late tenth and early eleventh century” (Nordeide 13). This proves that there is no way that the

Danes were Christians because the concept was introduced several centuries later. Beowulf is a pagan poem from start to finish, however, there are Christian elements embedded in the poem. The concept of Christianity was therefore probably added to the poem by its author as it was written in the eighth century England, which just converted to Christianity. Christianity is

therefore very distinctive in the poem, but the Danes’ belief in their life depending on fate,

which is a pagan concept, is prominent as well. While they pray to God and believe their victories are granted to them by him, they know their death is predetermined by fate. The Danes are generally portrayed as worshipers of God, but they have pagan rituals such as the sea burials where they set the dead body on fire. When they are at their lowest after Grendel attacks them, they turn to their pagan gods for help, instead of praying to God: “Sometimes at pagan shrines they vowed / offering to idols, swore oaths / that the killer of souls might come to their aid” (Heaney 8). According to Mary C. Wilson Tietjen, who wrote an article “God, Fate, and the Hero of ‘Beowulf’”, “The ideals, divine and human, of paganism and Christianity exist side by side in Beowulf. The poem contains concepts both of a blind and whimsical force whose dealings with men are unrelated to their merit, and of a benevolent Christian deity who affords grace and guidance to the worthy. Similarly, Beowulf himself is presented both as the pagan heroic ideal of the mighty and renowned warrior and as the Christian ideal of the virtuous hero

6who rightly attributes his special powers, and the deeds arising from those powers, to the grace

of God” (Tietjen 161). This proves that both paganism and Christianity are prominent in the

poem and the theme of faith should be captured in the adaptations as it is a significant part of

Beowulf.

Heaney mentions the first and probably the most important symbol in his Introduction

to Beowulf. It is the king’s hall which shows the “warrior-culture” of the peoples while they

attend ceremonies such as ring-giving, feasting and drinking mead. The veterans also share their tales of heroes from the past and motivate the young warriors to gain such success in the future (Heaney xv-xvi). Most of the scenes of the poem occur in the Heorot hall and therefore it is a crucial part and setting of the story. The warriors celebrate each victory and mourn each defeat in the hall. It is the gathering place of the warriors that is full of warmth and joy, and the only place where they feel safe along with their comrades. It is a contrast to the cold and cruel winter of Scandinavia outside the hall. It is a place for living, drinking, eating, sleeping, celebrating, as well as for counsel and strategic purposes. The hall represents the king, his power and wealth. Grendel knows that the hall is a comfortable space for the Danes and that is why he attacks them while they are inside. The place of safety becomes a place of terror and this transformation should be seen in the adaptations.

Another important symbol in the story is gold and treasure. Heaney observes that “Gold

is a constant element, gleaming solidly in underground vaults, on the breasts of queens or the arms and regalia of warriors on the mead-benches. It is loaded into boats as spoil, handed out in bent bars as hall-gifts, buried in the earth as treasure, persisting underground as an affirmation

of a people’s glorious past and an elegy for it” (Heaney xvii). Gold appears many times in the

story and it serves as an element of respect and gratitude. When a warrior dies, for example, they put golden jewelry on their boat to show their respect and gratitude to the warrior, and then they send it to the sea. Heroes and victorious warriors are given golden gifts by the king in the

7ceremony of ring-giving to show them gratitude for their loyalty. The more gold and treasure a warrior has, the more glorious and worthy he is. Their loyalty and success is always rewarded with gifts. When Beowulf passes the gifts he receives from Hrothgar to Hygelac, he shows his loyalty as well, and that is why loyalty and gold is so connected. A pile of golden jewelry and other ancient artifacts is guarded by the dragon, and Grendel’s mother keeps similar golden pile in her lair as well. The hall is described as being golden too. Gold therefore represents a significant motif in the story and should appear in the adaptations.
The last important symbols are the three monsters. Each of them is different and each of them has a different motive for their attacks. They represent the evil in the story that must be defeated in order for the people to be safe and content again, and for the good to win over the evil. Grendel is the overall symbol of evil in the poem. He is described as a descendant of Cain,

a biblical figure that betrayed his own brother, but he is also described as “a fiend out of hell”

and “grim demon” (Heaney 6). Grendel is an outsider that lives in a swamp on the outskirts and lurks in the dark. He is jealous and lonely as he watches the warriors in the hall celebrating each night, and that is his reason to attack as he does not want to live quietly and lonely in the outskirts anymore. He is described as monstrous, man-eating creature that is “merciless” and

that has “never showed remorse” (Heaney 7). Grendel’s arm is another symbol and it serves as a trophy, which is hung in the hall to celebrate his defeat. Grendel’s mother’s reason for attack

is obvious. She is filled with grief and rage because they killed her son, and so she seeks vengeance. She lives in her under-water lair and is therefore portrayed as some kind of a humanoid sea-creature. The dragon is the mightiest of the monsters and an equal opponent to

Beowulf in his old age. Heaney believes that he is “more a destiny than a set of reptilian vertebrae” (Heaney xix). He is a representation of Beowulf’s fate. Although Beowulf kills the

dragon, he dies in the battle as well, and so his predetermined fate is fulfilled. The dragon also
8represents greed by his hoarding of the golden treasure for no purpose. His greed is also seen when he burns the whole village just because of one stolen cup.
Beowulf’s funeral is the first crucial scene because it is the final scene in the poem and it leaves the readers with a melancholic feeling. It also shows that heroes can win wars and slay

monsters, but they eventually have to die too. Heaney acknowledges that “Here the inexorable

and the elegiac combine in a description of the funeral pyre being got ready, the body being burnt and the barrow being constructed . . . The Geat woman who cries out in dread as the

flames consume the body of her dead lord . . .” (Heaney xxi). This excerpt shows the dreadful

and horrible atmosphere of the ending of the poem and the sorrow of the people who mourn

their lord’s death. This scene is incredibly important because it shows the ending of the central

and the most important character of the poem and it is the most emotional scene as well.

Beowulf’s death is almost as important as all of his good deeds during his life because the death

is not only his, but it is also a death of the kingdom that cannot defend itself without its powerful lord.
Since the fighting scenes are described in detail in the poem, it is a perfect opportunity for the filmmakers that choose to incorporate the battles to their adaptations to adapt them exactly or at least approximately the same. The first fight in the poem is with Grendel. When Grendel comes one night, most of the warriors are sleeping, but Beowulf is ready for the fight. He promised not to use any weapons and so he fights with just his bare hands. Grendel smashes the door open with just his touch and immediately kills and eats a man that sleeps on a bench. Beowulf then grips his hand with such power that he intimidates Grendel. They go through the wall of the hall while fighting and destroying everything in their way. Grendel howls and tries to escape. The Geats try to kill him by striking him with their swords but no blade can hurt him. Suddenly, Grendel starts to lose power, he loses his hand and he escapes with a death-causing wound. Beowulf then displays the arm in the hall. Next monster to be defeated is Grendel’s

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mother who comes seeking revenge after her son’s death. She attacks Heorot but is intimidated by the warriors, so she slaughters Hrothgar’s most trusted adviser Aeschere and takes his corpse with her. She also takes Grendel’s hand and escapes back to her lair. The next crucial fight

begins when Beowulf comes to the monster’s lair. Unferth lends him his sword Hrunting, which has never failed him in battle. Beowulf dives into the lake and Grendel’s mother instantly grips him but his armor protects him. Sea creatures then attack him as well. He uses Hrunting to strike the monster in her head, but it fails him and does her no harm, so he fights with his bare hands. She tries to attacks him with a knife, but his armor protects him once again. Beowulf then discovers a huge ancient sword in her golden pile, and cuts her head off with it. He then cuts

off Grendel’s head while the powerful swords melts. Beowulf brings back Grendel’s head and the sword’s hilt as trophies. The last fight is with the dragon, which is provoked when a thief steals a golden goblet from a hoard that the dragon guards resulting in the dragon’s anger and

burning attacks on the kingdom. The dragon spits flames on him and Beowulf uses his sword to cut the creature, but his sword fails him and does no injury to the dragon. All the troops run away to safety but one warrior goes to help his lord – Wiglaf. The dragon heaves fire again and

Beowulf’s sword fails him again. The dragon attacks for the third time and bites Beowulf in the

neck. Wiglaf attacks the monster and sinks his sword into its belly. Beowulf draws a knife and stabs the dragon in its flank, delivering a fatal wound. Beowulf realizes that poison is running through his blood and his wound is swelling. Wiglaf cleans his lord with water but Beowulf knows he is close to his death and sends Wiglaf for the treasure. Wiglaf returns with the treasure and Beowulf dies. H. L. Rogers has an interesting idea in his article “Beowulf's Three Great Fights” in regards to the three fights. According to him, in each fight Beowulf needs more help from his troops, wears more armor and uses more weapons. When he fights against Grendel, he uses no weapons and armor and trusts in just his hands. He also does not need any help from his companions. Beowulf wears armor and has the sword Hrunting with him when he fights

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  • BEOWULF Author Unknown MATCHING Directions: in Sections a and B, Choose the Person Or Place That Matches Each Description

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    BEOWULF Author Unknown MATCHING Directions: In sections A and B, choose the person or place that matches each description. SECTION A 1. builder of Herot a. Wiglaf 2. Hrothgar’s wife b. Esher 3. Geat warrior c. Hrothgar 4. Uncle of Beowulf d. Brecca 5. first monster e. Beowulf 6. carried off by Grendel’s mother f. Higlac 7. Wexstan’s son g. Welthow 8. victor in swimming contest h. Grendel SECTION B 9. Grendel’s mother a. Unferth 1 0. grandfather of Healfdane b. Herot 11. Southern Sweden c. Geatland 12. father of Hrothgar d. Shild 13. hall of Hrothgar e. Beo 14. son of Shild f. Healfdane 15. Hrothgar’s courtier g. The Dam MATCHING - OBJECT IDENTIFICATION Directions: Choose the object that matches each description. 16. tells the story of a great flood a. Shild’s treasure 17. protection from the claws of Grendel’s mother b. Beowulf’s mail shirt 18. proves useless against Grendel’s mother c. Hrunting 19. stolen from the dragon d. giant’s sword 20. set afloat to sea e. dragon’s treasure 21. kept with Beowulf’s body in a tower f. jeweled cup MATCHING - BELIEF IDENTIFICATION Directions: Match the character to his or her personal belief or conviction. 22. Lasting fame is of utmost importance. a. Hrothgar 23. Those who desert their leader would be better off dead. b. Unferth 24. has never seen pirates or warriors like these c. Wiglaf 25. expects war with France and Sweden d. messenger 26. Beowulf’s fame is overrated. e. watchman 27. a mead-hall will perpetuate his glory f.
  • “In the Hilt Is Fame” K.S

    “In the Hilt Is Fame” K.S

    “In the Hilt is Fame” K.S. Whetter, R. Andrew McDonald Mythlore 25(1/2): 5-28. Fall/Winter 2006. (No. 95/96) Considering that Tolkien's professional life was spent immersed in Germanic, Norse, Celtic, and English medieval literature and mythology, including texts rich in swords and sword-lore, it is scarcely surprising that the characters in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are provided with weapons whose names, de- scriptions, acquisition, characteristics and lore echo those of what Tolkien called the "northern mythological imagination" ("Monsters" 268), or as one recent crit- ic has put it, the "real Middle-earth" (Bates): Northwestern Europe in the early and central middle ages. The blades of Middle-earth as presented in these works display the influence of famous literary, mythological, and historical weapons from northern Europe in the middle ages, highlighting Middle-earth's well-established inheritance of An- glo-Saxon, Celtic, Norse and later medieval literature and mythology. Moreover, because of the association of specific weapons with particular heroes in this liter- ature, such a study also bears on the nature of heroism in Tolkien's work. The principal blades of Middle-earth will need little explication. Several are in- troduced early in The Hobbit, when the swords Glamdring and Orcrist, as well as Bilbo's initially unnamed blade, are taken from the lair of the trolls (2.50-51)… Tolkien makes it clear almost from the moment that the swords are introduced that they are no ordinary weapons. Apart from being ancient, the blades are im- bued with magical properties.
  • Hygelac's Only Daughter: a Present, a Potentate and a Peaceweaver In

    Hygelac's Only Daughter: a Present, a Potentate and a Peaceweaver In

    Studia Neophilologica 000: 1–7, 2006 0 Hygelac’s only daughter: a present, a potentate and a 0 peaceweaver in Beowulf 5 ALARIC HALL 5 The women of Beowulf have enjoyed extensive study in recent years, but one has 10 escaped the limelight: the only daughter of Hygelac, king of the Geats and Beowulf’s 10 lord. But though this daughter is mentioned only fleetingly, a close examination of the circumstances of her appearance and the words in which it is couched affords new perspectives on the role of women in Beowulf and on the nature of Hygelac’s kingship. Hygelac’s only daughter is given as part of a reward to Hygelac’s retainer 15 Eofor for the slaying of the Swedish king Ongentheow. Beowulf refers to this reward 15 with the unique noun ofermaðmas, traditionally understood to mean ‘‘great treasures’’. I argue, however, that ofermaðmas at least potentially means ‘‘excessive treasures’’. Developing this reading implies a less favourable assessment of Hygelac’s actions here than has previously been inferred. I argue further that the excess in 20 Hygelac’s treasure-giving derives specifically from his gift of his only daughter, and 20 the consequent loss to the Geats of the possibility of a diplomatic marriage through which they might end their feud with the Swedes. A reconsideration of Hygelac’s only daughter, then, offers new perspectives on the semantics of ofermaðum,on Hygelac’s kingship, and on women in Beowulf. 25 Hygelac’s daughter is mentioned in the speech which is delivered by the messenger 25 who announces Beowulf’s death to the Geats after Beowulf’s dragon-fight.
  • Beowulf the RPG David Hawes Western Oregon University, Dhawes06@Wou.Edu

    Beowulf the RPG David Hawes Western Oregon University, [email protected]

    Western Oregon University Digital Commons@WOU Honors Senior Theses/Projects Student Scholarship - 6-1-2010 Beowulf the RPG David Hawes Western Oregon University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wou.edu/honors_theses Part of the Literature in English, British Isles Commons Recommended Citation - Hawes, David, "Beowulf the RPG" (2010). Honors Senior Theses/Projects.Paper 44. - This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at Digital Commons@WOU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Senior Theses/Projects by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@WOU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Western Oregon University Digital Commons@WOU Honors Senior Theses/Projects Student Scholarship - 6-1-2010 Beowulf the RPG David Hawes Western Oregon University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wou.edu/honors_theses Part of the Literature in English, British Isles Commons Recommended Citation - Hawes, David, "Beowulf the RPG" (2010). Honors Senior Theses/Projects. Paper 44. - This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Scholarship at Digital Commons@WOU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Senior Theses/Projects by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@WOU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Beowulf the RPG By David B. Hawes An Honors Thesis Presented to the Honors Committee of Western Oregon University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
  • Year 4 Home Learning Day 2

    Year 4 Home Learning Day 2

    Week beginning – 2nd November 2020 Year 4 Home Learning Day 2 3rd November 2020 Shared reading 3rd November 2020 Shared Reading. Beowulf Read it twice and then answer the questions that follow The next day word got around that the beast had been beaten by Beowulf. The damaged wall in the hall was repaired, and Hrothgar gave Beowulf gifts for his courage. A victory feast was served for supper, and everyone was the happiest they’d been since Grendel started running his raids. That night as they settled in for sleep, it felt great to not worry about Grendel again. Beowulf went to bed elsewhere. But as soon as everyone was asleep and silence swept the night, a second terror lurked in the moonlight. Grendel’s mother had come to Heorot to avenge her son’s death. She was just as gruesome as Grendel. The sleeping were startled awake, and they all went for their swords. Grendel’s mother To decode the words: killed a counselor, Hrothgar’s right-hand man. She grabbed Grendel’s arm, gave an angry growl, and disappeared. After her attack, Beowulf was brought to Hrothgar’s hall. The crowd in the castle Look at the letters, make the knew Grendel’s mother lived under the mere, so Beowulf decided to go to her instead of waiting for sound and blend the sound together. her to come back to him. He brought a boat to the wet mere, even though the waters were infested with all sorts of beasts. He took a crew with him, and on their way, through the dark moor, they found her footprints, Chunk up the word and put it and followed them to the water.
  • Chapters 19-25 from Beowulf

    Chapters 19-25 from Beowulf

    Chapters 19-25 from Beowulf An Anglo-Saxon Poem Translated by Lesslie Hall, PH. D. XIX. Beowulf Receives Further Honor A beaker was borne him, and bidding to quaff it Graciously given, and gold that was twisted Pleasantly proffered, a pair of arm-jewels, Rings and corslet, of collars the greatest I’ve heard of ’neath heaven. Of heroes not any More splendid from jewels have I heard ’neath the welkin, Since Hama off bore the Brosingmen’s necklace, The bracteates and jewels, from the bright-shining city, Eormenric’s cunning craftiness fled from, Chose gain everlasting. Geatish Higelac, Grandson of Swerting, last had this jewel When tramping ’neath banner the treasure he guarded, The field- spoil defended; Fate offcarried him When for deeds of daring he endured tribulation, Hate from the Frisians; the ornaments bare he O’er the cup of the currents, costly gem-treasures, Mighty folk-leader, he fell ’neath his target; The corpse of the king then came into charge of The race of the Frankmen, the mail-shirt and collar: Warmen less noble plundered the fallen, When the fight was finished; the folk of the Geatmen The field of the dead held in possession. The choicest of mead-halls with cheering resounded. Wealhtheo discoursed, the war-troop addressed she: “This collar enjoy thou, Beowulf worthy, Young man, in safety, and use thou this armor, Gems of the people, and prosper thou fully, Show thyself sturdy and be to these liegemen Mild with instruction! I’ll mind thy requital. Thou hast brought it to pass that far and near Forever and ever earthmen shall honor thee, Even so widely as ocean surroundeth The blustering bluffs.