Beowulf with Related Readings

by Glencoe01

Beowulf is the earliest extant poem in a modern European language reflecting a feudal, newly Christian world of heroes and monsters, blood and victory, life and death. Its beauty, power, and artistry have kept it alive for more than thirteen centuries.

The earliest extant poem in a modern European language, Beowulf was composed 400 years before the Norman Conquest. As a social document, this great epic poem reflects a feudal, newly Christian world of heroes and monsters, blood and victory and death. As a work of art, it rings with a beauty, power, and artistry that have kept it alive for more than twelve centuries.

Genres: Classics, Poetry, Fiction, Fantasy, School, Mythology, Read For School

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

Reviews

[Bridget E. Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though you know he’s gonna die from the start it still comes like a gut punch.

[Paulina Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes you just need to take an evening, lay on the living room floor, and reread Beowulf.

I prefer the Seamus Heaney translation but this was a fun return to the first version I read while in high school.

[Gracie Lirette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beowulf is one of the best books I have ever read. Every page is filled with action-packed adventure, along with engaging dialogue and backstories. I mean, this dude fights monsters! How could someone not be completely and utterly enthralled? The literary allusions are easy to understand, and the battles are simple enough to follow. I do suggest writing a family tree of sorts in your book, or at least looking at the Name Glossary located at the end of the poem, as the characters can become confusing if you aren’t paying close attention. Overall, I would not change anything about Beowulf. The conflicts are clear, the plot is entertaining, and the ending is beautiful.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this translation. Also I appreciated Beowulf far more now than in any of my previous reads (perhaps thanks to the translation?) This time around it was so vivid and deeply moving. A tale for the ages.

[yashfa · Rating 2 out of 5]

this translation was extremely easy to read. it's interesting seeing from the perspective of beowulf after reading grendel. honestly, this entire poem however kinda made me frustrated— because there was way too much overconfidence, pride, and greed. literally as beowulf died, he said he was glad he lived for a life only wishing and striving for treasure and nothing else. lmao okay

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may have read this years ago, but I really didn't remember much of it at all. I found the Raffel translation to be very readable. This book was a huge influence on Tolkien with his writing, so I appreciate reading it from that perspective, as well as just being more familiar with a classic of the ancient past.
I read this in conjunction with the course on Beowulf from The House of Humane Letters. That course was very helpful to get more out of the reading.

[oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

if beowulf was favored by god, then why die?
jkjk i did enjoy reading this little epic it was like escapist fantasy except from the 0th century

[Willow Fifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not read anything relating to beowulf but this. This was super easy to read and understand and i thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Lauren Barnhill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raffel's translation makes the story fly off the page like no other translation I've read in the past. The story of Beowulf will always be a wonder to me.

[Dan Crist · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Beowulf" is an epic centered around a Swedish warrior named Beowulf. He believes he is the greatest of the Swedish warriors and promises the people of Denmark that he will rid them of all evil for no reward. Beowulf believes the only evil to be Grendel. After he defeats Grendel, Hrothgar informs Beowulf that there is another demon; Grendel's mother. As he promised, he goes to destroy Grendel's mother, but this time, there is a reward. Many years pass and Beowulf becomes the king of Sweden. His greed has grown so much, that he goes out in search of a dragon that guards treasure. The dragon has done nothing to Beowulf, but he decides to kill it and take its treasure. This does not go too well for him. I thought this was a good story. I enjoyed reading it.

Beowulf is the epic hero. He begins this story with intrinsic motivations. As the epic continues, his motives are a combination of both intrinsic and extrinsic. By the end his motives change to extrinsic. This leads to his downfall.

This story is set in the 6th century Scandinavia. The first battle takes place in Denmark at Herot. The second battle takes place in Denmark in the monster's lair. The final battle is set in the dragon's lair in Sweden.

One theme in this story is greed. Beowulf becomes greedy as he is offered extrinsic rewards. We see that greed can bring on a persons downfall. Beowulf is an example of that. He became so greedy that he picked a fight with the dragon that lead to his death.

I thought this story was interesting. I enjoyed reading "Beowulf" and would recommend this book to anyone I know.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very surprised over how much I liked it, granted it was a very simple translation. You can definitely see the influences it had on Lord of the Rings

[Jackson]

not my favorite translation. students liked the Grendel's Mother fight though.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 10- and 12-year-old boys and I took turns reading this aloud in Morning Time, about 3 sections a week. I didn’t read the introduction or afterword, but I’ve watched a class on Beowulf and read the chapter on it in A History of English Literature for Boys and Girls. Maybe someday I’ll read Tolkien on Beowulf.

I know some feel strongly this translation is better than Heaney’s and perhaps it is. But I’ve got a special spot for Heaney as he was my introduction to Beowulf and I love my illustrated edition and his way with words.

[Katelyn Aniol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good. Definitely the best translation of Beowulf. It's so suspenseful and thrilling. I really liked seeing all things that Tolkien took from this story and used in Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. Also, just so so much symbolism throughout the entire book. Its really fun finding all the connections and references. And I just love anything Anglo-Saxon. It's such a beautiful language.
(Wiglaf fan club -> 🙋‍♀️)

[Clare Ellis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the earliest English literature known and you can tell. I will say, it’s very interesting to see how far literature has come. However, I would not recommend this book for any reason other than the historical aspect.

[Dakota · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is an epic poem about a swedish soldier named Beowulf. He has journeyed to Denmark because he heard that the king and his people have been terrorized for twelve winters. After talking with king Hrothgar he later then waits and fools the creature named Grendel by faking that he is sleeping. When the beast goes to grab Beowulf he then springs up and grabs the creature and they fight and after fighting a while Beowulf rips off Gruendels arm and the beast goes running back to his swampy lair. Later on Beowulf seeks out Grendel’s mother to try and take care of all the evil in the kingdom. After he is victorious with all the monsters he travels back to Sweden and later becomes the king and defeats a dragon to steal the treasure but then passes away.

In this story the main character is Beowulf. He is a swedish soldier that is the strongest man anywhere. He sets out on a journey to get rid of the evil in Denmark. He starts out the poem being very humble but throughout the story he becomes greedy for treasure and boastful and gets himself killed because of it. Another character in this poem is the first creature Beowulf fights his name is Grendel and he is an enormous beast that has been terrorizing Denmark for 12 winters. He is later killed by Beowulf by having his arm ripped of and later beheaded.

This epic poem takes place in 6th century. Most of the poem takes place in Denmark where 2 of the three battles happen. Other locations that are in Denmark that the hero Beowulf travels to is the underwater cave of Grendel’s mother and he also traveled to the great mead hall and Danish castle called Herot. After conquering all the evil Beowulf then travels back to Sweden and becomes a king after 50 years he goes to the dragons lair to as well to try and steal the treasure.

In this story of Beowulf the author is trying to show how being humble and not greedy can help you in life. They also show the bad side where if you're to greedy it can be your downfall and have something bad happen to you such as like jail or death. In the story it also tries to show you the positive side of being loyal such as when Beowulf is dying and all the Geats run away, but then Wiglaf stays and helps him and pretty much saves Beowulf at that point. Then, because Wiglaf was loyal, he was received gifts from Beowulf.

I would recommend this epic poem to anyone that enjoys supernatural stories. The reason I liked this story so much was just because I enjoy stories where there are monsters like the one in this story and I enjoyed all the supernatural elements. I also like how they show the transformation that fame and fortune can have on someone and can completely change someone's life like it did in this story.

[Dexter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very surprised at the ease with which I read this great epic poem. I expected it to be very hard to get through and keep focused on, but it's actually a very straightforward story. Lots of action, and lots and lots of random little stories thrown in.

This is the only version of Beowulf I've read, but from the snippets I've seen of other versions, this would probably be my favorite.

Second time reading:
I read a different translation this time around, and wasn't quite as impressed. Still, it's a great epic poem of adventure. Yes, Beowulf is kind of too-perfect and yes, if you spend long enough in a world lit class discussing it, you might start wanting to punch a lot of people and jump on the Grendel bandwagon, but still. Good stuff.

Third time reading:
I do love Beowulf very much. It's got some very lovely lines no matter what translation you find yourself reading, and it's hard not to enjoy the great epic adventures of good ole Beowulf. The problem is that there are so many random interludes that might've been a nice addition back in the day, but these days are just a pain for college students who have to plug through every single anecdote. They get old fast.

Still. It's pretty epic.

[Matthew Huff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a pleasure. I actually might prefer this translation to Heaney's.

[Deanna Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Beowulf" : A Historic Epic Poem of Courage and Strength
When darkness had dropped, Grendel went up to Herot, wondering what the warriors would do in that hall when their drinking was done...Suspecting nothing there, their dreams undisturbed…He slipped through the door and there in the silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowingly in their beds and ran out with their bodies. (Raffel 27)
"Beowulf" was written over thirteen hundred years ago by an unknown author in the sixth century (“Beowulf”). Many translations have been made such as this one by Burton Raffel published by the Penguin Group in 1963. Burton Raffel has also published other translation works such as The Divine Comedy (Cook). “Beowulf is the oldest surviving Germanic epic and the longest Old English” (“Beowulf”). It has also been made into many film productions such as movies and TV shows (Pena 1). This fictional epic poem depicts Beowulf’s courageous plight first against Grendel, then Grendel’s Mother and finally the Dragon. "Beowulf" is an exquisite tale told by valiant adventurers, daredevil monsters, and epic Old English writing.

"Beowulf" is set in Denmark where the monster Grendel has ravaged the land killing many people during the night. King Hrothgar continued to sit on his sorrowful throne for twelve more winters until his story reached the ears of young Beowulf the Geat. Beowulf sets out with fourteen of the strongest Geat warriors, to defeat Grendel and reclaim the land in Grendel's claws. Once in Denmark he and his men are warned how dangerous Grendel is. Beowulf listens to them but continues on his mission to defeat Grendel. He goes to feast at Herot, a place known for Grendel’s many night excursions and afterwards Beowulf and his men lie in wait for Grendel. Grendel comes killing a Geat warrior then lunging at Beowulf. Grendel is immediately surprised to see what strength lies in Beowulf and Beowulf processes to tear off his arm. Grendel sulks back to his mud swamp where he dies, but little did Beowulf know what would lie in store for him next. Grendel’s Mother takes revenge for Grendel but is eventually defeated by the victorious Beowulf. The theme throughout the epic is Beowulf's courage while facing his fate of battling Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the monster that will lie in wait for Beowulf some fifty years later (Raffel).

As an english one honors student, and ex-homeschooler I have read many books but none have ever intrigued me such as Beowulf. Its enticing storyline and unique background interested me at once and captivated me for the remainder of the story. When comparing it to the likes of the "Hobbit" by J.R.R Tolkien. This book will forever be a five out of five stars. The emotion the book allures one's attention and holds it for all eternity.

Beowulf faces and overcomes many obstacles on his great adventures, and conquers many challenges. "Beowulf" is for anyone who is looking to deepen their knowledge of old European ways. I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves adventure and has a fondness for history. From history majors to intellectual teenagers this book would give them a glimpse of the past. Beowulf will open up your eyes to the way of the past but also guide and direct you in the future.

Works Cited
“Beowulf.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 23 Sept. 2020, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Beowulf . Accessed 5 Jan 2021
Cook, Lanie. “Literary Scholar Burton Raffel, 87, Dies at His Lafayette Home; Translated 'Beowulf'.” The Advocate, 9 Oct. 2015, www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/news/art....


Pena, Jessica. “Beowulf: Cancelled? Reportedly No Season Two for Esquire Series.” Canceled + Renewed TV Shows - TV Series Finale, 18 Feb. 2016, tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/beowulf-ca....

Raffel, Burton. Beowulf. New York, Penguin Group, 1963.

[Suncerae · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Good: Monsters, kings, honor, and combat!
The Bad: Sometimes difficult to follow; prepare to read as a poem instead of prose
The Literary: One of our oldest English stories!

One of the most important works of Old English literature and dating from at least as far back as the year 1000, Beowulf is an epic poem about the hero Beowulf, who defeats three monsters.

In short, King Hrothgar’s mead hall is attacked several times by the monster (and half giant) Grendel, who slaughters and eats men. Beowulf arrives from a distant land by ship, a young, brash, and ultimately brave man. He defeats Grendel by mortally wounding him after he attacks the mead hall for the last time. Shortly thereafter, Grendel’s mother comes for her revenge, but Beowulf defeats her too, before sailing home, and reigning as king for 50 years. Beowulf’s last act is to defeat a new monster, a dragon, recently awakened by a man who steals a cup from his horde.

The plot is surprisingly tight for a story from possibly the 6th century. Even compared to children’s fables of just a few centuries ago, this feels like it has a complete plot with increasing stakes and a protagonist who grows. It’s difficult to know how much of the story was added on or changed as it passed orally through the centuries, until it was written down a thousand years ago. My biggest critique is lack of clarity between scene changes or gaps in time.

I love the mashup of pagan and Christian references, which really sparks my curiosity about what was happening in Scandinavia during that time. It feels pagan with its monsters and kings, so the references to God, heaven, and the Flood are quite jarring. There are so many relationships and ideas in this setting that are fascinating from a historical perspective, but very foreign to me. For example, everyone respects and looks up to their kings (and sometimes queens), and in turn, the royalty take care of their subjects. Several bad rulers are mentioned in side stories, so it’s clear the author has high expectations of the king or queen because they play such a central role to society.

There’s a lot of politics and local geography in this that never quite clicks into place for me. Suffice it to say that there are several factions of people living in Sweden and Denmark, and greater Scandinavia generally, with their own rich histories, who don’t always see eye-to-eye across kingdom lines. There’s also a lot of swords. Swords with names and histories and imbued with magic or disgrace.

Beowulf is also one of the most translated works of literature, with one of the most famous in recent times by the Irish poet Seamus Heaney. But this review will not focus on the differences between translations. I first read Beowulf in high school, and now again for a book club, using the same paperback copy with a translation into modern English by Burton Raffel. I’d recommend it as an approachable and portable edition for the beginner.

I can’t end my review without mentioning Tolkien, who has his own translation, by the way, and who clearly loved this text. I can see how The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were highly influenced by Beowulf, and it’s wonderful to see the underpinnings of some of the greatest fantasy works of all time.

There’s a story here about a hero named Beowulf, but I recommend this mostly as a fascinating historical text! Easily one of the most important writings of the English language.

[Vincent Darlage · Rating 4 out of 5]

I last read this verse translation by Burton Raffel around 1986 for a class at Columbus North High School. I thought it was amazing then. I still think it is amazing.

For this reading, I am also reading translations by Michael Alexander (a verse translation), David Wright (a prose translation), Kevin Crossley-Holland (a verse translation), and J.R.R. Tolkien (a prose translation). They really don't vary much, so basically you can choose a translation you like, and you get the story pretty much the same.

Anyway, I like this translation, probably because it was the first Beowulf for me.

Beowulf begins with a tribute to King Hrothgar's ancestry because patriarchal lineage was important to identity within this culture. It's interesting that the first king, Scyld Sceffing (Shield of the Sheaves, which shows the importance of the king for protection and the harvest) was a foundling with no known ancestry. This idea of lineage comes into play a lot in this book.

On the outset, Grendel reminds me of the Grinch. Grendel hates the Danes and their Hall because of all the noise, noise, noise! Grendel is a type of dragon symbol, representing a rival religion or culture. As a threat to Christianity, it is evil. Also, Grendel could represent a Celtic invasion. Either way, Beowulf is entirely confident of his ability to fight Grendel. The concept of treasure is also introduced, and it is interesting. The story takes place during pagan times, but the author is also clearly Christian now, so he shines a Christian light on everything and kind of pretends the pagan isn't really happening. This makes for an interesting conflict with the concept of treasure: the pagan version is that treasure symbolizes victory and is meant to be shared (not hoarded) while the Christian idea is that treasure symbolizes greed. While the dragon (at the end) hoards his treasure, and evil kings do too, the good kings share their treasure with everyone in their clan/village... or even people who just help them out.

After Grendel is defeated, Grendel's mother comes around in vengeance, and the idea of the blood feud is fully introduced in the story. It was hinted at earlier (when Grendel wouldn't pay the blood price for his murders), but now it is on. Grendel's mother is wrath. I thought it interesting that to fight Grendel's mother, Beowulf had to fight her in her lair, basically giving up the home court advantage he had in the first fight. Also the scene involves a long descent through a hellish landscape - a clear descent into Hell motif. Beowulf then kills Grendel's mother and rises out of the water, a clear rebirth.

Beowulf is next seen much aged. In the earlier fights, we see the warrior confident in his indestructibility, but now Beowulf is old, and we see a warrior aware of his own mortality. It's an interesting change. And a dragon has been awakened, a dragon that hoarded his treasures. Beowulf fights the dragon and wins... but he also dies. And he absolutely wants to see the treasures at the end because, for him, treasure means victory. Unfortunately, the treasure is all rotten because it wasn't cared for - just hoarded.

There were a lot of concepts in this novel - including the idea that using women as peace tokens (marry her off to an enemy so they would become allies) doesn't really work in a culture that takes spoils of war - when former enemies see their heirlooms in the hands of their conquerors, they get angry again and there goes the peace!

It was a great read. Highly recommend.

[Marco Gunþisalbis · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the best translation of Bēowulf.

Burton's verse stands apart from any other I came across in that he isn't obsessively seeking out to turn the text into some sort of incoherent archaic English (as if a person can only know the text was written in Anglo-Saxon if it's translated to a sort of middle English instead of to a language spoken as it is today — Screaming in your face: "THIS IS OLD! IT'S ANCIENT!") nor does he completely forget that the work was indeed one of poetry, using all literary devices and necessary additions to transmit the original significance, as well as the beauty and inspiration of a song that is meant to uplift and exalt our spirits, with all the clarity and simplicity that the Anglo-Saxon would have felt in his own language, without reducing the text into an unsubstantial, flatless direct translation.

As for Bēowulf itself, it feels almost presumptuous and arrogant to comment on it, but it is a tale that men of old, who lived on the edge of death, who recognised the fundamental aspects and elements of what life is on Earth, and what is Earth, who respected and aligned themselves with Fate and with God, and strived to be men of renown, strong, daring, useful servants of their families and communities (kings and kinsmen alike), found worthy of admiration and preservation. Then, it must necessarily be a source of inspiration and knowledge for anyone who aspires to take from them and these texts anything that is missing in our sterile lives today.

Or, at the very least, it's a necessary read for anyone who has never imagined their favorite politician or celebrity slaying sea-beasts, she-wolves and massive dragons. It is a glimpse to a different world, a more dangerous and uncomfortable one, yet more honest and truthful.

[Claire Conkle · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book suffers from the passage of time. maybe it was a fresh and unique story when it was first written, but i can think of so many more classic literary works that tell this story in a much more engaging and nuanced manner. the titular character is completely 2 dimensional. he is the combination of every "heroic" stereotype, but his good qualities are outweighed by the negative ones. beowulf (character) is unbelievably prideful, boastful and arrogant to the point where i desperately wanted to see him be humbled, which never happened. beowulf is allowed to act the way he does. he is allowed to act like a prick, because the story paints him as a perfect human who can do no wrong. this ruins any connection i could have had to the character, because he doesn't feel like a person. he has no real flaws, or at least he is portrayed as such. not many of the other characters have anything special or memorable about them either. the plot progression is bland and predictable as ever: beowulf goes somewhere dangerous, kills a monster, rinse and repeat. ironically, the part of the book i enjoyed the most was beowulf's death, giving me the comfort of knowing that this story is over and i don't have to read it anymore. unfortunately, the lazy characterization of generic heroes did not die with beowulf. if i wanted to read an epic poem with thrilling battle scenes and a grand adventure, i would have just read the odyssey. also, if the king was supposedly immune to the dragon's power, why didn't he just kill it instead of Beowulf? insanely stupid plot hole that immediately ruined any immersion i could have had.

[Joseph Campagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be the most badass story I’ve ever read. For one of the earliest recorded pieces of English poetry, this unknown author sure knows how to keep a reader enthralled and engrossed! I only knew of Beowulf’s slaying of Grendel, but had no idea there was so much more backstory and continuation of his life in the full length edition. I also want to give a shout out to Burton Raffel who, although not the most recommended translation of this epic, does a great job of keeping the wording concise but cryptic, maintaining a sense of obscurity and haziness in the portrayal of the story. I will be doing more deep dives into other media that surrounds this glorious piece of literature. And I am excited to read Grendel next, a countering perspective of the monster’s account of this tale.

[Luci · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good, readable translation. I picked it up because I heard someone say if you've read Heaney's Beowulf, you've read a poet's version not an Old English scholar's version. And they recommended this one. That sounds reasonable, but the reviewers of Raffel and he himself mentioned how he's a poet, not just an academic and that THIS translation is just as poetical as it is scholarly.
I think Beowulf is supposed to be translated in a poetic sense, by a poet. This is what Raffel values overall. So, I'll stick to my Heaney and Headley, and, Lord help me, Gardner 😂. Glad to have read through this though.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much epic battling, philosophical speech giving and mead drinking. So altogether a delightful read.

Also, I wish people talked like they do in this book in real life. For example, instead of saying "I tripped", someone would be like "I lost my footing, just as my grandfather, son of the greatest of warriors to grace this land, once stumbled in the midst of combat, his wondrous golden armor shining in the sun, and was greeted by the cold hands of death, yet still shrouded in glory."
It would make conversations so much more interesting, you know?

[Reilly W. · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you enjoy themes of alpha male dominance you will enjoy this. Lots of fighting and violence, but also lots of celebratory drinking. Is Beowulf an alcoholic? We can't know for sure. But we do know he's "the man".

“It is a great wonder how Almighty God in His magnificence favours our race with rank and scope and the gift of wisdom; His sway is wide. Sometimes he allows the mind of a man of distinguished birth to follow its bent, grants him fulfillment and felicity on earth and forts to command in his own country”

[Evan Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beowulf encapsulated me and at moments lost me, when strange battles were brought up that seemed as though they were unrelated to the main story, I found myself confused. However, after reading the Afterword, I understand that the seemingly random stories were callbacks to legend at the time. I really liked the themes, a hero battles and wins glory. Much more occurs, but all in all, very glad I read the classic story of Beowulf: King of the Geats, The Danes, Grendel and his mother, and Beowulf's followers.

[Elan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beowulf is a great book. It is really interesting to see how much this ancient book has influenced modern writing and also how old and unchanging the ideas of things like dragons are. Beowulf is surprisingly easy to read for an old book, although it did start dragging things on in some parts. By the end you will know very well that Beowulf was strong, generous, and loves gold. Over all I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

[jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Current in my “reading everything on my bookshelf instead of buying new books” era, so that’s how I got here. Overall I really enjoyed this book and was impressed with how engaging and interesting it was. The imagery was very vivid and the story was good. I read it more for pleasure than historical interest, which I liked.

Favorite quote: “But Beowulf’s heart was heavy: his soul sensed how close date had come, felt something, not fear but knowledge of old age”