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At first glance, Unferth's sudden act of generosity towards Beowulf appears to have been done for noble reasons. However, what is known about Unferth and the sword's inefficacy in battle strongly suggest that Unferth's intentions are cowardly rather than noble – something reinforced by the similarly equivocal role played by the sword's ...
Beowulf (/ ˈ b eɪ ə w ʊ l f /; [1] Old English: Bēowulf [ˈbeːowuɫf]) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature.
As Beowulf is in fierce combat with Grendel's mother, he makes mention of shedding much battle-sweat. N: Beowulf: blood wound-sea svarraði sárgymir: N: Eyvindr Skillir, Hákonarmál 7. chieftain or king breaker of rings Alludes to a ruler breaking the golden rings upon his arm and using them to reward his followers. OE: Beowulf: death sleep ...
Beowulf is an epic poem in Old English, telling the story of its eponymous pagan hero.He becomes King of the Geats after ridding Heorot, the hall of the Danish king Hrothgar, of the monster Grendel, [a] who was ravaging the land; he dies saving his people from a dragon.
Since Alexander had, many years earlier, been shown a part of Tolkien's verse translation of about one fifth of Beowulf by Christopher Tolkien, he had expected the rendering to be in verse; he notes that both the Tolkien verse fragment, and Alexander's own version, imitated the form of the original, "stimulated by the example of Ezra Pound's ...
Tolkien made multiple uses of the Old English poem Beowulf in his Middle-earth writings; its Northern courage appears as a central virtue in The Lord of the Rings. One example is Beorn in The Hobbit; he exudes heroic courage, being ferocious, rude, and cheerful, characteristics that reflect his huge inner self-confidence. [26]
He suggests that the steep shining sea-cliffs of Beowulf would match the pale cliffs of Sheerness on that island, its name meaning "bright headland". An inlet near Harty is named "Land's End", like Beowulf's landing-place on the way to Heorot. The sea-journey from the Rhine to Kent could take the day and a half mentioned in the poem.
"Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics" looks at the critics' understanding of Beowulf, and proposes instead a fresh take on the poem. "On Translating Beowulf " looks at the difficulties in translating the poem from Old English. "On Fairy-Stories", the 1939 Andrew Lang lecture at St Andrew's University, is a defence of the fantasy genre.