Basilisks and Beowulf: Monsters in the Anglo-Saxon World

by Tim Flight

An eye-opening, engrossing look at the central role of monsters in the Anglo-Saxon worldview—now in paperback.
 
This book addresses a simple why were the Anglo-Saxons obsessed with monsters, many of which did not exist? Drawing on literature and art, theology, and a wealth of firsthand evidence, Basilisks and Beowulf reveals a people huddled at the edge of the known map, using the fantastic and the grotesque as a way of understanding the world around them and their place within it. For the Anglo-Saxons, monsters helped to distinguish the sacred and the profane; they carried God’s message to mankind, exposing His divine hand in creation itself. At the same time, monsters were agents of disorder, seeking to kill people, conquer their lands, and even challenge what it meant to be human. Learning about where monsters lived and how they behaved allowed the Anglo-Saxons to situate themselves in the world, as well as to apprehend something of the divine plan. It is for these reasons that monsters were at the very center of their worldview. From map monsters to demons, dragons to Leviathan, we neglect these beasts at our peril.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Medieval, Dragons, Folklore, Mythology, Historical

264 pages, Hardcover

First published September 13, 2021

Reviews

[Elentarri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time Flight provides the reader with an interesting and well-written account of the monsters found at the centre of the Anglo-Saxon world.  The book covers a variety of mythological and real "monsters", but has chapters dedicated to (1) map monsters and monsters found in far distant and heathen lands; (2) the wolf and man's relationship with said creature (outlaws are said to be wolves);  (3) dragons and what they represent (usually calamity of some sort); (4) saints, demons and what is means to be human, as opposed to a monster (appearances are not always relevant, e.g the interesting account of the Anglo-Saxon St. Christopher believed to be a dog-headed Cynocephalus); (5) water monsters such as whales; and (6) two very interesting chapters devoted to Beowulf and the Grendelkin.  

His thesis comes to the conclusion that some monsters challenged the definition of being human (i.e. a rational, mortal being who is usually also a child of Adam) or provided warning about certain types of behaviour (e.g. such as murder and cannibalism).  Others were real animals whose size and mythological behaviour made them monsters to the Anglo-Saxons.  However, what is interesting to note is that all monsters were associated with the wilderness - uncivilized places rife with sin, heathenism and hostility to man - and as such, opposed to civilization, law and order, and Christianity.  Tim Flight shows that, despite representing the terrifying power of nature and its uncivilized values, monsters performed the important role of illuminating what defines civilization by emphasizing its opposite.  All Anglo-Saxon monsters strove to protect the integrity of their wilderness home, either by killing interlopers or simply fleeing from them, to maintain the ideological boundary separating man and monster.  However, the boundary between man and monster, civilization and wilderness, is shown not to be as stable as it appeared.  Living in sin and wicked deeds (e.g. grave robbing and kin-slaying) may encourage demons and monsters to invade towns and halls.  Men may become indistinguishable from wolves either by being sentenced to banishment, to live amongst wolves as outlaws, as a punishment for their wicked deeds.  The challenge (which is still relevant today) is to avoid becoming a monster but also to ensure that those we identify as monsters, truly are monsters.

Basilisks and Beowulf is an interesting and informative analysis of the role monsters played in the Anglo-Saxon world.  An enjoyable book to read if one is interested in folklore and history, but also in conjunction with the Old-English epic poem Beowulf.

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected this book to include more monsters; it was less of a bestiary and more of a research paper. Furthermore, this is not about how people saw monsters but how priests saw them.

I still would have enjoyed it quite a bit more if it didn't focus so much on the Christian interpretation of these monsters. The author always says Christians like he means the mass population, but the mass population at the time of Beowulf were barely Christian. They didn't read, didn't speak Latin; they only knew what the priests told them and even that probably didn't make a lot of sense to them. They certainly weren't privy to the literature on the philosophical nature of monsters. That was a small population of literate monks and priests, who of course wanted to make a clear line between man and monster to draw people to God.

Though there is a lot of valid and interesting information, the authors blindness and refusal to admit that his analysis is based on biased religious sources discredits much of his claims.

[clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

monsters in the anglo-saxon world primarily derive from two things: ignorance and wilderness. the ignorance results from the illiteracy and simple worldview during the period. for example, certain animals like whales and wolves were seen as monsters because they were both associated with “wilderness,” and therefore the devil. the “heathen,” “barbaric,” and “pagan” were all associated with the devil - the wolf for living in the woods, for eating sheep (agnus dei), and eating people (uncommon); the whale for living in the ocean (the vast unknown which only killed). the associations between christianity and monstrosity is entirely logical for a society entirely built on the norse legends of their ancestors and the more contemporary and relevant christian influence.

also !!!! for people writing reviews basically saying they felt this was more like than extended essay than the bestiary they thought it would be - please read the acknowledgements. this was the author’s phd thesis. the fact this was an in depth essay strengthens it and its more academic tone absolutely appealed to me far more than a bestiary would. i also can’t believe this is how i learned that tolkien got the name middle-earth from beowulf. it makes total sense given that his entire goal with his legendarium was to create one unified british mythology. the more i read from british medieval scholarship, the more i seem to learn that tolkien’s influence is inescapable (not that im complaining).

[Jonathon McKenney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great, surprisingly quick and light read. The historical period post-Roman, pre-Norman in Britain is always so interesting and alien to read about. The idea of monsters being almost landmarks between the cultivated and the wild was maybe not revelatory, but he approached it in a real systematic and convincing way. The real highlight of the book was the final two chapters, looking at Beowulf as a case study, exemplifying his thesis and adding a neat twist to it-- how monstrous is Beowulf himself?

[Gaby Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly fascinating! Every chapter was well researched and argued. While I don’t know if I was convinced that basilisks and dragons can be terms used interchangeably, the discussion around it was so interesting that I don’t care.

Though I wasn’t expecting the conclusion, I totally agree: such an interesting observation about modern psyche. And here was I only expected fun facts about monsters 😆

This book was a joy to read and I know I’ll thinking about it long after the last page.

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look into the historical and cultural context of monsters and the mythology surrounding them. There may always be a truth to every tale.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this exploration of the Anglo-Saxon cultural relationship with monsters. Flight is an academic, and (as far as I can tell as a non-academic) he knows his stuff, which he communicates in a detailed but easygoing manner which makes for great reading.

The book is broken into chapters exploring themes of belonging and otherness in respect of geography and borders, civilisation and barbarity, order and chaos, Christianity and paganism, then moves on to Anglo-Saxon attitudes towards key monstrous figures, including wolves, dragons, whales and, of course, Grendel and his mother, and what they can tell us about the Anglo-Saxon world view. In setting out these perspectives, Flight invites the reader to reflect on the degree to which Englishness has changed, and what it has retained, his short concluding chapter explicitly stating some of the parallels he draws himself.

I was particularly interested in Flight's reflections on the plasticity of the state of monstrousness, of what defines and separates a true human being from a monster, how one can become the other, what monster tales told the Anglo-Saxons about themselves, and why we continue to be fascinated by ravening beasts who may decide us, physically or spiritually.

Loved it.

[Stephen Simpson · Rating 2 out of 5]

"...thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread"

I was eager to read this book, but walked away pretty disappointed. There's not a lot of breadth to the discussions, and the author instead tries to supplement that with depth ... leading to (in my opinion, of course) an overly dense analysis of the subjects, with what felt like a lot of stretches/reaches.

The book really only discusses a few "monsters" in depth - wolves, dragons, demons, whales, and Grendel (and his mother). Apologies if I left one or two out, but by no means is this a bestiary or exhaustive. I can understand that the author was limited by primary/contemporary sources, but there is deep folklore that could have been used to include more critters and I think more could have been done to contextualize the place/importance of monster folklore in the time period.

[Izabela Raittila · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and thought provoking study of monsters in the Anglo-Saxon period. Mr. Flight's account shows that he that has dedicated a lot of time into the research of this topic. The book examines a variety of monsters, ranging from the real animals such as wolves and whales to the mythical, supernatural beings like dragons, basilisks, Grendel and his mother analysing them from a cultural and religious perspective. It also explores the notion of what separates humans from monsters and how this view has developed over time.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essentially an essay, some very interesting insights into Anglo-Saxon culture and thinking. The book rarely differed from the idea of boundaries, I feel more arguments are needed other than monsters to build a picture of Anglo-Saxon world view in this regard. The monsters presented in the book are interesting yet it would be nice to explore more on the mythology and symbolism outside of the context of boundaries.

I did appreciate the conclusion, definitely wanted more mythology from this book but did enjoy the read and look forward to following up on the extensive list of references.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not finish reading this. One person commenting said that it read like a research report and I agree although I think it was a little lighter than that. But the topic is interesting...but not so interesting that I had the patience to wade through it. The author did have some tidbits that lifted things such as his comparison of the European wildcat to a "tubby moggy." Apparently a moggy is a cat of no particular distinction. Had to look it up... :)

[Herb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good read, about the Anglo-Saxons of England before 1000 A.D. and their very real belief in dragons and other mythic beasts. Well researched and engaging, but got a little long toward the back 1/3. Nevertheless, still a good book.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bestiary of Anglo-Saxon-era monsters, but an analysis of Anglo-Saxon cultural and religious attitudes based on surviving writings on monsters. It's narrowly academic and written like a paper, but is infused with some levity and also draws interesting theses that have broader significance.

[Finlay Pike · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books. Very interesting read on how the Anglo-Saxons viewed their world, nature, and the world beyond their own. Draws an interesting connection to ongoing debates about immigration

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, with so much I wish I was introduced to when I studied Beowulf.
Brings in parallels to today, which makes you think.

[Matthew Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting interpretation of the liminal role that monsters had in the Anglo-Saxon world.

[Ruth Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look at the monsters Anglo-Saxons believed in, how they fit into that culture, and how that culture continues to impact us today.

[DW Rowlands · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relatively interesting, and especially thought-provoking in the discussion of the grendelkin in the last chapters.

[Alice Kwok · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little foray into the stranger beings inhabiting Anglo-Saxon literature.

[Rog Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

a fascinating study of the Anglo- Saxon obsession with 'monsters', and how their philosophy still has echoes today

[Fieke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read, but too much of an academic read for my taste. At times it felt like reading obligatory material for an Old English course.

[Charles Hull · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great to learn about some new monsters/mythical creatures like the Cynocephali and the Donestre. The writing reminded me a bit of a college essay but the connections and ideas the author uses are intriguing and thought provoking.