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I first read [b:Beowulf|52357|Beowulf|Unknown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327878125l/52357._SY75_.jpg|189503] in 9th grade and if I’m being honest, I did not care for it one bit at the time. Now, more than half my lifetime later, on a whim I once again picked up Seamus Heaney’s translation, and I liked it—I really liked it. This is an amazing monster fantasy filled with dragons, demons, and even a demon’s mom. It’s pretty metal business.
In keeping with transparency, if I were to reflect on my change of heart, it would be for two reasons. First, my literary comprehension has improved significantly and I actually understood what was happening during this read-through. Second, and perhaps more importantly, I have since read work by Tolkien who was very obviously influenced by this epic poem (I have also now learned that Tolkien studied and taught Beowulf as a professor of Anglo-Saxon literature at Oxford University, which makes outrageous amounts of sense).
At its core, Beowulf is a rich text that really brings this ancient world filled with fantastic biblical elements to life (the cool weird parts). Quite pronounced are the how the different earthly elements of air (Grendel), water (Grendel’s mom), and fire (the dragon) present themselves as Beowulf’s adversaries. Also important in this tale is the underlying message, for while the fights are pretty cool, power for power’s sake is far from the point.
“…Do not give way to pride.
For a brief while your strength is in bloom
but it fades quickly; and soon there will follow
illness or the sword to lay you low,
or a sudden fire or surge of water
or jabbing blade or javelin from the air
of repellent age. Your piercing eye
will dim and darken; and death will arrive,
dead warrior, to sweep you away.”
I had a lot of fun (re)reading this; it is a real treat and I highly recommend it, especially if you love a good monster fight or immersive fantasy world.
In keeping with transparency, if I were to reflect on my change of heart, it would be for two reasons. First, my literary comprehension has improved significantly and I actually understood what was happening during this read-through. Second, and perhaps more importantly, I have since read work by Tolkien who was very obviously influenced by this epic poem (I have also now learned that Tolkien studied and taught Beowulf as a professor of Anglo-Saxon literature at Oxford University, which makes outrageous amounts of sense).
At its core, Beowulf is a rich text that really brings this ancient world filled with fantastic biblical elements to life (the cool weird parts). Quite pronounced are the how the different earthly elements of air (Grendel), water (Grendel’s mom), and fire (the dragon) present themselves as Beowulf’s adversaries. Also important in this tale is the underlying message, for while the fights are pretty cool, power for power’s sake is far from the point.
“…Do not give way to pride.
For a brief while your strength is in bloom
but it fades quickly; and soon there will follow
illness or the sword to lay you low,
or a sudden fire or surge of water
or jabbing blade or javelin from the air
of repellent age. Your piercing eye
will dim and darken; and death will arrive,
dead warrior, to sweep you away.”
I had a lot of fun (re)reading this; it is a real treat and I highly recommend it, especially if you love a good monster fight or immersive fantasy world.