Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem
PoetryEpic poetry, English (Old)MonstersDragons
Characters in Beowulf
{The famous race of Spear-Danes.}
Lo! the Spear-Danes' glory through splendid achievements The folk-kings' former fame we have heard of, How princes displayed then their prowess-in-battle.
{Scyld, their mighty king, in honor of whom they are often called Scyldings. He is the great-grandfather of Hrothgar, so prominent in the poem.}
Oft Scyld the Scefing from scathers in numbers 5 From many a people their mead-benches tore. Since first he found him friendless and wretched, The earl had had terror: comfort he got for it, Waxed 'neath the welkin, world-honor gained, Till all his neighbors o'er sea were compelled to 10 Bow to his bidding and bring him their tribute: An excellent atheling! After was borne him
{A son is born to him, who receives the name of Beowulf--a name afterwards made so famous by the hero of the poem.}
A son and heir, young in his dwelling, Whom God-Father sent to solace the people. He had marked the misery malice had caused them, 15 [1]That reaved of their rulers they wretched had erstwhile[2] Long been afflicted. The Lord, in requital, Wielder of Glory, with world-honor blessed him. Famed was Beowulf, far spread the glory Of Scyld's great son in the lands of the Danemen.
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About this book
Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem is a heroic narrative of kings, warriors, loyalty, violence, and supernatural threat. It begins among the Spear-Danes, tracing the fame of their rulers and the customs that bind a lord to his retainers. At the center of their world stands Heorot, a magnificent mead-hall built for feasting, gift-giving, music, and shared glory. That joy is threatened by Grendel, a terrifying monster from the moors who brings years of grief and destruction. Hearing of the Danes’ suffering, Beowulf, the strongest of the Geats, crosses the sea with fourteen companions to offer aid. Monsters and dragons shape the poem’s dangerous imaginative world, alongside battles, fate, faith, and the obligations of kinship.
The style is formal, alliterative, and richly archaic, filled with compound expressions such as ring-giver and war-spirit, stately speeches, genealogies, and vivid images of halls, armor, ships, marshes, and the sea. This English rendering preserves the elevated manner of an early medieval Germanic epic while presenting the poem in readable modern spelling, with scholarly notes on difficult lines and variant interpretations. It suits readers drawn to Old English literature, heroic legend, monster poetry, and the solemn atmosphere of a world governed by honor, memory, and fate.
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