Beowulf

"Alexander's translation is marked by a conviction that it is possible to be both ambitious and faithful [and] ...communicates the poem with a care which goes beyond fidelity-to-meaning and reaches fidelity of implication. May it go on ... to another half-million copies." - Tom Shippey, Bulletin of the International Association of University Professors of English

Beowulf is the greatest surviving work of literature in Old English, unparalleled in its epic grandeur and scope. It tells the story of the heroic Beowulf and of his battles, first with the monster Grendel, who has laid waste to the great hall of the Danish king Hrothgar, then with Grendel's avenging mother, and finally with a dragon that threatens to devastate his homeland. Through its blend of myth and history, Beowulf vividly evokes a twilight world in which men and supernatural forces live side by side. And it celebrates the endurance of the human spirit in a transient world.

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One of the most universally studied of the English classics, Beowulf is considered the finest heroic poem of Old English. Written ten centuries ago, it celebrates the character and exploits of Beowulf, a young nobleman of the Greats, a people of southern Sweden. Beowulf first rescues the royal house of Denmark from two marauding monsters, then returns to rule his people for 50 years, ultimately losing his life in a battle to defend the Greats from a dragon's rampage. The poem combines mythical elements, Christian and pagan sensibilities, and actual historical figures and events in a narrative that ranges from vivid descriptions of fierce fighting and detailed portrayals of court life to earnest considerations of social and moral dilemmas.

Composed toward the end of the first millennium of our era, Beowulf is the elegiac narrative of the adventures of Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the seemingly invincible monster Grendel and later, from Grendel's mother. He returns to his own countries and dies in old age in a vivid fight against a dragon. This poem is about encountering the monstrous, defeating it, and then having to live on in the exhausted aftermath.

The earliest poem in the Anglo-Saxon language, Beowulf is often a challenge to even the most sophisticated reader. But in this edition, the gripping adventures of the great warrior Beowulf spring to life in a retold version woven of simple prose that children will be able to fully understand. With the skill of a master storyteller, H. E. Marshall offers a rousing adventure about a monster-slaying hero that is suitable for readers ages 8 and older.

Beowulf is one of the world's oldest classics, and is the oldest epic in the English language. Retold in more modern prose, this translation brings the memorable adventures of the hero to life. FRom his rescuing of Hrothgar the Dane to his victory over Grendel and his saving the Geats from the horror of the dragon. 64 pages, softcover.

The Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf marks the beginning of the English literature. Eighth-century in origin, composed to be recited aloud, it told its Anglo-Saxon listeners a story of their Scandinavian ancestors. It celebrates the hero Beowulf, who goes to Denmark and slays the monster Grendel and Grendel's mother.

In Beowulf, Beowulf travels to the great land of the Danes to free the people from Grendel, a monster, from his mighty grasp. With courage, boldness, and God's help, Beowulf defeats Grendel and Grendal's mother when she comes with a strong need of vengenance, making Beowulf the great hero among the Geats and future king. After a long reign as king of the Geats, Beowulf comes face to face with a dragon in order to save his people. His name still lives on in history.

The Beowulf is a priceless heritage from the earliest age of English poetry. Forgotten for centuries and rediscovered, it has at last, by the devotion of many scholars, come into its own, unfolding before us its ancient excellence. Across the centuries from the England of Bede, it proclaims the ideal of gentleness united to strength, and valor ennobled by virtue.

More than one hundred glorious images, many of objects dating from the time of the story, enhance Seamus Heaney's masterful best-selling translation. Composed toward the end of the first millennium, Beowulf is the elegiac narrative of the Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the seemingly invincible monster Grendel and, later, from Grendel's mother.

Beowulf (probably composed in the 8th century A.D.) is our only native English heroic epic. It is written by a Christian poet addressing a Christian audience, but in the figure of Beowulf, the Scandinavian warrior, and his struggles against Monsters, he depicts the life and outlook of a pagan age.

Unique and beautiful, Beowulf brings to life a society of violence and honor, fierce warriors and bloody battles, deadly monsters and famous swords. Written by an unknown poet in about the eighth century, this masterpiece of Anglo-Saxton literature transforms legends, myth, history, and ancient songs into the richly colored tale of the hero Beowulf, the loathsome man-eater Grendel, his vengeful water-hag mother, and a treasure-hoarding dragon. The earliest surviving epic poem in any modern European language. Beowulf is a stirring portrait of a heroic world–somber, vast, and magnificent.