Beowulf: Retold in Modern English Prose

by George W. Cox

Originally published in 1871 as a portion of the authors’ larger “Popular Romances of the Middle Ages,” this Kindle edition, equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 20 pages, is a retelling, in modern English prose, of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem “Beowulf.” Read about the adventures of the hero, Beowulf, and especially his delivery of the Danish kingdom from the half-human monster Grendel and his equally formidable mother, the slaughter of a fiery dragon, and the death of the hero from wounds received in the conflict.

Sample
Then coming nearer, Grendel laid his hands upon the watchful champion. Suddenly Beowulf raised himself upon his elbow and clutched the Ogre fast; against the shoulder he fastened on the grim Jotun with his hands; and held him. Never before had Grendel met the grip of hands so strong. He bent himself with all his might against Beowulf and dragged him from his bed, and toward the door; but Beowulf s fingers never slackened from their he drew the Ogre back. Together they struggled upon the hall pavement till the palace rocked and thundered with their battle. Great wonder was it that the palace fell not, but it was made fast with well-forged iron bands within and without; yet many a mead-bench overlaid with twisted gold was torn from its place in the furious strife, and the ale spilled on the floor. But Grendel found the clutch of his enemy too strong; he could not loose it with all his wrestlings; and he knew that he must seek to flee away and hide himself in his marsh dwellings. But Beowulf gripped him tight; and when the fiend would drag him down the hall he put forth all his strength into his clenched hands. Suddenly the Ogre’s shoulder rift from neck to waist. The sinews burst asunder, the joints gave way, and Beowulf tore the shoulder and the shoulder blade from out his body. So Grendel escaped from Beowulf’s grasp and in his mortal sickness fled to the fens. There Death clutched him and he died.

About the
Sir George William Cox (1827-1902) was a British historian and scholar. He studied at Trinity College, Oxford, and taught at Cheltenham College. He is the author of numerous books, including “The Crusades,” “The Greeks and the Persians,” and “Tales of the Gods and Heroes.”

13 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2011

About the author

Sir George William Cox (M.A., Trinity College, Oxford, 1859) was a curate of the Anglican Church, biographer, and historian noted for analyzing several Greek and world myths as idealizations of solar phenomena.