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Beowulf


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I am progressing with this. It is written in Old English on one side of the page, modern English on the other. It was translated by John Porter and it is a fairly literal translation.  My step-mother gave me a translation by Seamus Heaney once, but I never read it. I suppose the translation was a little more free. I think the story is jolly good. There is quite a lot of preamble. Beowulf does not just turn up and start fighting monsters. There are lots of pleasantries and formalities.  You can't just turn up and fight monsters without a by-your-leave, particularly if you turn up in a boat full of armed men.

Edited by KEV67
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  • 2 months later...

I am about half way through. Beowulf has killed the Grendel by ripping off his arm. Beowulf must have been pretty strong, because I image the Grendel being as strong as a grizzly bear. I expect Jeff Capes would have had a problem ripping a grizzly bear's arm off. 

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I thought I was half way through in May, but I am not yet half way through in July. I read the same page each day until I understand it. When I understand a page without having to refer to the translation I start a new page the next day. They're after Grendal's mum now. Was Grendal's mum tougher than Grendal? I dare say my mum is not as tough as me, but maybe it is different with primeval monsters.

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Beowulf just chopped through Grendal's mum's neck with a giant sword he found in her lair. I can see the influence in J.R.R. Tolkein's books. Magic swords and mail, precious jewels, giants, monsters, dragons, trolls. In Beowulf the word 'faege' (I think) meaning fey. In The Silmarillion heroes and villains were usually fell or fey or both.

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