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    Beowulf
    Beowulf
    Beowulf
    Ebook247 pages3 hours

    Beowulf

    By Anonymous

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    Epic poetry at its finest

    Beowulf is one of the most studied and praised English classic. Originally written over a thousand years ago, the story celebrates Beowulf, a young Swedish nobleman who has battled monsters and dragons to keep his people safe.
    This Xist Classics edition has been professionally formatted for e-readers with a linked table of contents. This eBook also contains a bonus book club leadership guide and discussion questions. We hope you’ll share this book with your friends, neighbors and colleagues and can’t wait to hear what you have to say about it.

    Xist Publishing is a digital-first publisher. Xist Publishing creates books for the touchscreen generation and is dedicated to helping everyone develop a lifetime love of reading, no matter what form it takes



    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherXist Publishing
    Release dateMar 10, 2015
    ISBN9781623958022
    Beowulf

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    Reviews for Beowulf

    3.5/5

    49 ratings118 reviews

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    • 4/5
      The poemBeowulf is a tough sell. Not only has it traditionally been used by English departments around the world to break the spirit of newly-recruited undergraduates (who thought they had signed up for three years of Emily Dickinson and Virginia Woolf, only to find themselves out on the parade-ground practicing their Old English sound-shifts for month after month...), but also, when you get down to it, it turns out to be a poem about a macho muscle-man who spends his time - when not quaffing mead - either ripping monsters limb from limb or swimming long distances in full armour. Told completely straight, without any discernible trace of irony. Well, not exactly my cup of tea...Skimming through the introduction of the Bolton & Wrenn critical text, it turns out that we know surprisingly little about what must be one of the most-studied poems in the canon. It has survived in only one manuscript, the famous "British Museum Cotton Vitellius A XV" (bizarrely, the emperor Vitellius comes into it because it's his bust that stands on top of that particular bookcase). In fact, there are very few Old English texts that survive as multiple copies, so this uniqueness isn't unusual in itself. The manuscript seems to have been written around the year 1000, and textual evidence suggests that it's at least the third generation of copies since the poem was first written down. When and where that was is hotly disputed, but Mercia in the second half of the 8th century is a strong possibility. The action of the poem is set in a pre-Christian past in Denmark and Southern Sweden (with some mention of actual historical figures from the time), whilst the poet is obviously from a Christian background and refers quite freely to the Old Testament. What I found most surprising was to discover that the poem was not conspicuously a "classic" in its own time: we don't have any other contemporary references to it (apart from the "Finnesburg fragment", a single page of MS that seems to come from a different version of part of the same story), and as far as anyone can tell it fell completely off the radar of English literature between the end of the Old English period and the time around 650 years later when the first modern scholars became interested in Old English manuscripts and discovered this poem, bound in with a prose translation of St Augustine. So Beowulf is only part of the history of English literature with hindsight.The Heaney translationSeamus Heaney, of course, saw it as rather more than a philological crossword puzzle or a Boys' Own adventure story, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered with it. He points us in particular at the last part of the poem, where the elderly (70+) hero decides that he owes it to his people to take on one last dragon, even though it will certainly cost him his life. And indeed, the anonymous poet deals with the complex emotions involved here a little less brusquely than he does elsewhere - but this isn't Shakespearean drama, and we shouldn't expect it to be.What Heaney is really interested in, I think, is the poetical challenge of finding something in modern English that has the same magically seductive sound quality as Old English alliterative verse (which always sounds magnificent, even if you haven't a clue what it means...). And, of course, being Seamus Heaney, he decides to imagine the voices of the poem as if they came from the Northern Ireland farmers of his own sound-world, puts these into a slightly looser form of the Old English two-stress half-lines, and succeeds brilliantly. This translation is a poem that you just have to read aloud, even if there's no way that you can find any sympathy for Beowulf as a character.
    • 5/5
      I have never enjoyed a poem so thoroughly in my life. Beowulf was fascinating, beautiful, epic, and thought-provoking from beginning to end. And I am not just some sappy professor who thinks all the classics are inherently perfect. I'm a teenage girl, and I loved it.
    • 5/5
      The absolute best version of "Beowulf" out there. I love the original Old English (Anglo-Saxon) text on the facing page.
    • 3/5
      Kindle.............Glad I read it.
    • 3/5
      Graphic novel adaptation of the Old English epic poem, Beowulf.
    • 5/5
      I have read many translations and this is my favorite. I love the poem/story of Beowulf and read it often. This is not only an excellent translation, but it is such an easy to read version that I must give it 5 stars. Read this version and enjoy a true classic tale that will keep you interested from start to finish.
    • 4/5
      If you've always wanted to read an epic poem, but didn't know where to start, this is the epic poem for you. Beowulf turned out to be an awesome story. This story is very Tolkien-ish probably because a scene in Beowulf forms the backbone of the story of Smaug in The Hobbit. The names might remind you of the character names in The Lord of the Rings.The story starts with Hrothgar, king of the Danes. Each night a monster, Grendel, who lives in the marsh waters, attacks Hrothgar's castle and eats the king's guards. This puts a damper on their evening celebrations.Beowulf, from the neighboring Geats, comes and offers to fight the monster. Thus begins the epic story of Beowulf, which goes on to include an exciting dragon battle and horded treasure. I don't want to say anymore for fear of spoiling the story. What did I think? I thought it was great to read this poem after suffering through twenty-two of Horace's Odes. You see, my online book club is reading through the poetry section of The Well-Educated Mind. I've read The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, a sampling of Greek Lyrics, and a sampling of Horace's Odes. I'm quite pleased to read the story of a dragon battle.Have you read any epic poetry?
    • 4/5
      I was surprised to find I enjoyed this poem despite its grim subject matter. It is a story of a heroic battle of a warrior with evil forces. Beowulf wins the first battle easily, but the second and third are harder fought. The virtues here are simple, and the evil originates almost entirely from outside the community so it is easy to choose a side. This poem reenforces the warrior's code that kept men loyal and obedient to their leaders. The accompanying photographs of landscapes and artifacts in this edition help generate the atmosphere and help add to the reader's understanding of the action and description in the poem. .
    • 3/5
      McNamara makes no bones about it. He is more interested in an accurate translation than in conveying the poetic feel of Beowulf. The poem offers a glimpse into pre-Christian European life, but it is so infused with Christian commentary (by the monks who transcribed and preserved the oral tradition) that it is difficult for a layman to separate what is real and what is overlay. Because McNamara focuses on pure translation, this version is fairly easy to read, given how and when it was originally written.
    • 5/5
      This is a great, stirring epic, with perhaps some roots in the real history of the founding of the Swedish nation. I have never read any other version to compare this with, but Burton Raffel's 1963 translation reads well to me, and actually makes you want to read on to find out what happens next.
    • 5/5
      I'm actually reading the illustrated edition this time, and it is such a treat. I wish I had a fire to curl up beside and shut out the rest of the world. I can't help it, I get excited over photos of rusty old swords...

      Update: I closed the covers tonight. This is an absolutely gorgeous edition, with plenty of endnotes that give small glimpses in Beowulf's world. The only small quibble I have is that there is no side by side translation in this edition, and I do like to see the Anglo-Saxon.
    • 3/5
      This poem has been around for about 1200 years so you know it's got to be good.

      I can't help wonder how much the original oral version changed with the telling and retelling until some anonymous monk committed the story to paper, or at least vellum. I suspect he added his own touches, converting the pagan Northmen to Christians! Also how many stories did Beowulf influence? JRR Tolkien was something of a subject matter expert on Beowulf so it probably shaped the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
    • 5/5
      The mighty young hero of the Geats rescues the Danes from two hellish monsters that are slaughtering their warriors as they sleep in the royal banquet hall. Then heaped in glory and treasure he returns home to become, in his old age, king and dragon-slayer: the final glorious deed that ends his life. Raffel's translation into vivid alliterative modern English is vivid and exciting. The new afterword lauds how well this translation has stood the test of time, and how many recent adaptations of the poem have been published since then (including the icky 2007 movie). Frank also writes that this earliest epic did not enter the canon of English literature until the late nineteenth century.
    • 4/5
      This is a great translation. I enjoyed every line of it. If you combined this with Tolkien's translation of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", you'd have an evening of purely escapist medievel literature. (yeah, I know, Beowulf's not strictly medievel. whatever) Very good stuff.
    • 5/5
      This is a timeless classic. An epic poem that details the life of Beowulf, a great warrior. The poem gets reduced down many times simply to the Grendel/Hrothgar section, but should be read in its entirety. It's amazing that this is one of the earliest pieces of literature our civilization created, and Heaney does an amazing job at translating it.If you love fantasy like Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin, or even the Harry Potter novels, read this poem and you will see how influence it is.
    • 3/5
      I have to say that I was surprised by how dark this book actually is. It isn't sugar coated or idealized like the movies bortray the story to be. It's a great read when you're looking for more than drama and scandal.
    • 5/5
      This is the book that made me want to be an English major back in 1985 Advanced English with Mr. Verlengia. I had so much fun in that class learning about Mead and Grendel. Mr. V. made us read it aloud. Heaney's masterful translation brings it all back again.
    • 3/5
      Good story.
    • 5/5
      Few adults approach Beowulf without some knowledge of the story. It is generally read in high school and again in college. Grendel and his mother are the nefarious duo tormenting the Danes in the reign of King Hrothgar. Beowulf comes to the rescue and is, of course, successful. Beowulf returns home to Geatland, where he eventually becomes king. But the story doesn’t end there and there is not a happily ever after. Beowulf is killed by a dragon in his old age. His body is burned and the Geats begin to live in fear that their enemies will now attack.I read it in high school. I read it in college. It was considered a boy-book, to be avoided if possible. Not to be considered for pleasure reading—ever. I did peruse the Tolkien edition in the seventies – but it was Tolkien and the seventies. I did not read the entire text. So what brings a middle-aged woman back to Beowulf? Seamus Heaney.And reading it wasn’t about the story—it was about this particular interpretation of the story. Grendel still dies by Beowulf’s hand. The dragon still kills Beowulf. And it’s still a boy-book, a profoundly eloquent boy-book. Opening the book to any page offers up the power of Heaney’s linguistic faculty. “I adopt you in my heart as a dear son. Nourish and maintain this new connection, you noblest of men; there’ll be nothing you want for, no worldly goods that won’t be yours” (63). The simple addition of a semicolon to a text adds another layer of depth to Heaney’s interpretation of the original language.In the introduction, Heaney explains his reasons for taking this project, his discontent and finally his revelations about language. It is this last element that is intriguing. It is his labor over each word, his quest for the perfect translation, his examination of etymologies and endemic languages. It is his finding the meaning of ancient words scrawled in musty texts by listening to the old folks chatter in Ireland. The power of the text does not lie in the story, but in Heaney’s ownership of the words that make the story.
    • 3/5
      A 6th century tale of Danish/Swedish blood feuds overlaid with a later Christian gloss. Written in Eng. in the 9th century.Read Samoa Nov 2003
    • 5/5
      Magnificent translation, capturing the strength of the poem without sacrificing its beauty
    • 4/5
      If you are like me, you haven't read Beowulf since high school and your memory of the story is probably pretty bad. I found reading this translation very enjoyable, and I loved having the "original" version printed opposite the translation (even though I couldn't read it).
    • 5/5
      The oldest epic poem in English follows the feats of its titular protagonist over the course of days and years that made him a legend among his clan, friends, and even enemies. Beowulf was most likely orally transmitted before finally be written down several centuries later by an unknown Christian hand in Old English that today is readily accessible thanks to the translation by Seamus Heaney.The epic tale of Beowulf begins in the mead hall of King Hrothgar of the Danes which is attacked by the monster Grendel for years. Beowulf, upon hearing of Hrothgar’s plight, gathers fourteen companions and sails from Geatland to the land of the Danes. Hrothgar welcomes the Geats and feasts them, attracting the attention of Grendel who attacks. One of the Geats is killed before the monster and Beowulf battle hand-to-hand which ends with Beowulf ripping off Grendel’s arm. The monster flees and bleeds out in the swamp-like lair shared with his mother. Grendel’s mother attacks the mead hall looking for revenge and kills one of Hrothgar’s long-time friends. Beowulf, his companions, Hrothgar, and others ride to the lair and Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother with a giant’s sword. After another feast, the Geats return home and fifty years later, Beowulf is King when a dragon guarding a hoard of treasure is awakened by a thief and goes on a rampage. Beowulf and younger chosen companions go to face the fiery serpent, but all but one of his companions flees after the King goes to face the foe. However, the one young warrior who stays is able to help the old King defeat the dragon though he his mortally wounded. It is this young warrior who supervises the dying Beowulf’s last wishes.This is just a rough summary of a 3000 line poem that not only deals with Beowulf’s deeds but also the warrior culture and surprisingly the political insightfulness that many secondary characters talk about throughout the poem. The poem begins and ends with funerals with warrior kings giving look at pagan worldview even as the unknown Christian poet tried to his best to hide it with references to Christian religiosity. Although some say that any translation deprived the poem of the Old English rhyme and rhythm, the evolution of English in the thousand years since the poem was first put down in words means that unless one reads the original with a dictionary on hand, this poem would not be read. Heaney’s translation gives the poem its original epicness while also allowing present day readers a chance to “hear” the story in their own language thus giving it new life.Beowulf is one of the many epic poems that have influenced storytelling over the centuries. Yet with its Scandinavian pagan oral roots and Christian authorship it is also a melding of two traditions that seem at odds yet together still create a power tale. Unlike some high school or college course force students to read the Old England or so-so translated excerpts from the poem, Seamus Heaney’s book gives the reader something that will keep their attention and greatly entertain.
    • 5/5
      This was a surprisingly speedy, easy and enjoyable read--for which Heaney, the translator, deserves a lot of credit. Especially given this is a verse translation. I've found that I have preferred prose translations of Homer and Dante because those trying to be true to alliteration, meter and rhyme often feel forced, awkward and occlude the meaning. It probably helped that Heaney is a distinguished poet in his own right; his translation was fluid, with a rhythm and tone somewhere between Homer and Tolkien in feel. And the story is fun, a Pagan tale set mostly in Dark Ages Denmark with Christian interjections by the original poet who probably was a monk writing anywhere between the mid-seventh to the end of the tenth century. There are monsters, notably Grendel and a dragon with his horde. What's not to love?And a translation is needed. I read a bilingual edition, with the original Old English (Anglo-Saxon) and modern English translation side by side. Knowing Spanish I often can make out the gist of passages in Portuguese, Italian or even French. And though it's not easy, I can get Chaucer, in Middle English, even if I prefer a translation there too. I was surprised really at how indecipherable I found the Anglo-Saxon of Beowulf. All the more reason to appreciate Heaney's achievement.
    • 4/5
      I read this book back in High School and absolutely loved it. I recently saw the movie with Angelina Jolie and it seemed a fairly accurate representation of the story itself...not bad if you are ok with the whole half animation thing. This story is a hard read so i recommend it be read either translated or with a helpful reading guide. (Not saying you can't figure it out on your own...just saying it helps). I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy and historical adventure. I loved immersing myself into the Vikings lands and culture. Not very many books are out there that describe what people and events were like back then and this story is the one that has survived so many centuries. I wonder how many amazing tales have been lost in time.
    • 5/5
      Seamus Heaney's translation captures the soul of Old English without belaboring the point. Very enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      A trace of the origins of English Literature. Proof that adventure, excitement, and heroes are timeless.
    • 3/5
      Only so much can be said about Beowulf that hasn't already been heard, and I am not one to do it. Having read this, it's clear to see why this story has lasted so long and been such an influence to so many authors and scholars. It is a richly mythical melange of Christian themes and Nordic paganism in a stirring adventure story. I will say that as far as epic poetry goes, I'm more partial to the Iliad, which to me has much more complex and dynamic characters, but the setting is far less intimate and in a way, less fantastic. The best part of this volume, however would have to be the side-by-side translation Most of the Old English was completely alien, but ever now and then one world, like 'mist' or 'helm' would jump out at you from the jumble and make clear where this language I write comes from.This is a book that anyone interested in myth and story should read at least once. Now, the question is, will I read it again? Probably not. For all its pros, it is sort of a stodgy and dated work. Things are very flat, and at times very uninteresting. The movie that was released just recently (the CGI one, not the live action) probably saved the entire work in giving it an alternative meaning and some characters who, at the very least, lie every now and then.
    • 4/5
      pretty decent - I probably wouldn't have read it if I weren't in some college classes that went over it, but I like it
    • 5/5
      This is the first time I've read Seamus Heaney's translation. As Beowulf is a poem, I think that a poetic approach to the translation makes much more sense, and is more readable than the prose rendering in my other copy of Beowulf. Never again would he glitter and glideand show himself off in midnight air,exulting in his riches:is a much more evocative description of the slain dragon thanNever would he circle through the air for his sport at the dead of night, nor let himself be seen abroad, glorying in the treasures he owned;

    Book preview

    Beowulf - Anonymous

    Questions

    PREFACE.

    The present work is a modest effort to reproduce approximately, in modern measures, the venerable epic, Beowulf. Approximately, I repeat; for a very close reproduction of Anglo-Saxon verse would, to a large extent, be prose to a modern ear.

    The Heyne-Socin text and glossary have been closely followed. Occasionally a deviation has been made, but always for what seemed good and sufficient reason. The translator does not aim to be an editor. Once in a while, however, he has added a conjecture of his own to the emendations quoted from the criticisms of other students of the poem.

    This work is addressed to two classes of readers. From both of these alike the translator begs sympathy and co-operation. The Anglo-Saxon scholar he hopes to please by adhering faithfully to the original. The student of English literature he aims to interest by giving him, in modern garb, the most ancient epic of our race. This is a bold and venturesome undertaking; and yet there must be some students of the Teutonic past willing to follow even a daring guide, if they may read in modern phrases of the sorrows of Hrothgar, of the prowess of Beowulf, and of the feelings that stirred the hearts of our forefathers in their primeval homes.

    In order to please the larger class of readers, a regular cadence has been used, a measure which, while retaining the essential characteristics of the original, permits the reader to see ahead of him in reading.

    Perhaps every Anglo-Saxon scholar has his own theory as to how Beowulf should be translated. Some have given us prose versions of what we believe to be a great poem. Is it any reflection on our honored Kemble and Arnold to say that their translations fail to show a layman that Beowulf is justly called our first epic? Of those translators who have used verse, several have written [viii] from what would seem a mistaken point of view. Is it proper, for instance, that the grave and solemn speeches of Beowulf and Hrothgar be put in ballad measures, tripping lightly and airily along? Or, again, is it fitting that the rough martial music of Anglo-Saxon verse be interpreted to us in the smooth measures of modern blank verse? Do we hear what has been beautifully called the clanging tread of a warrior in mail?

    Of all English translations of Beowulf, that of Professor Garnett alone gives any adequate idea of the chief characteristics of this great Teutonic epic.

    The measure used in the present translation is believed to be as near a reproduction of the original as modern English affords. The cadences closely resemble those used by Browning in some of his most striking poems. The four stresses of the Anglo-Saxon verse are retained, and as much thesis and anacrusis is allowed as is consistent with a regular cadence. Alliteration has been used to a large extent; but it was thought that modern ears would hardly tolerate it on every line. End-rhyme has been used occasionally; internal rhyme, sporadically. Both have some warrant in Anglo-Saxon poetry. (For end-rhyme, see 1 53, 1 54; for internal rhyme, 2 21, 6 40.)

    What Gummere¹ calls the rime-giver has been studiously kept; viz., the first accented syllable in the second half-verse always carries the alliteration; and the last accented syllable alliterates only sporadically. Alternate alliteration is occasionally used as in the original. (See 7 61, 8 5.)

    No two accented syllables have been brought together, except occasionally after a cæsural pause. (See 2 19 and 12 1.) Or, scientifically speaking, Sievers’s C type has been avoided as not consonant with the plan of translation. Several of his types, however, constantly occur; e.g. A and a variant (/ x | / x) (/ x x | / x); B and a variant (x / | x / ) (x x / | x / ); a variant of D (/ x | / x x); E (/ x x | / ). Anacrusis gives further variety to the types used in the translation.

    The parallelisms of the original have been faithfully preserved. (E.g., 1 16 and 1 17: Lord and Wielder of Glory; 1 30, 1 31, 1 32; 2 12 and 2 13; 2 27 and 2 28; 3 5 and 3 6.) Occasionally, some loss has been sustained; but, on the other hand, a gain has here and there been made.

    The effort has been made to give a decided flavor of archaism to the translation. All words not in keeping with the spirit of the poem have been [ix] avoided. Again, though many archaic words have been used, there are none, it is believed, which are not found in standard modern poetry.

    With these preliminary remarks, it will not be amiss to give an outline of the story of the poem.

    THE STORY.

    Hrothgar, king of the Danes, or Scyldings, builds a great mead-hall, or palace, in which he hopes to feast his liegemen and to give them presents. The joy of king and retainers is, however, of short duration. Grendel, the monster, is seized with hateful jealousy. He cannot brook the sounds of joyance that reach him down in his fen-dwelling near the hall. Oft and anon he goes to the joyous building, bent on direful mischief. Thane after thane is ruthlessly carried off and devoured, while no one is found strong enough and bold enough to cope with the monster. For twelve years he persecutes Hrothgar and his vassals.

    Over sea, a day’s voyage off, Beowulf, of the Geats, nephew of Higelac, king of the Geats, hears of Grendel’s doings and of Hrothgar’s misery. He resolves to crush the fell monster and relieve the aged king. With fourteen chosen companions, he sets sail for Dane-land. Reaching that country, he soon persuades Hrothgar of his ability to help him. The hours that elapse before night are spent in beer-drinking and conversation. When Hrothgar’s bedtime comes he leaves the hall in charge of Beowulf, telling him that never before has he given to another the absolute wardship of his palace. All retire to rest, Beowulf, as it were, sleeping upon his arms.

    Grendel comes, the great march-stepper, bearing God’s anger. He seizes and kills one of the sleeping warriors. Then he advances towards Beowulf. A fierce and desperate hand-to-hand struggle ensues. No arms are used, both combatants trusting to strength and hand-grip. Beowulf tears Grendel’s shoulder from its socket, and the monster retreats to his den, howling and yelling with agony and fury. The wound is fatal.

    The next morning, at early dawn, warriors in numbers flock to the hall Heorot, to hear the news. Joy is boundless. Glee runs high. Hrothgar and his retainers are lavish of gratitude and of gifts.

    Grendel’s mother, however, comes the next night to avenge his death. She is furious and raging. While Beowulf is sleeping in a room somewhat apart [x] from the quarters of the other warriors, she seizes one of Hrothgar’s favorite counsellors, and carries him off and devours him. Beowulf is called. Determined to leave Heorot entirely purified, he arms himself, and goes down to look for the female monster. After traveling through the waters many hours, he meets her near the sea-bottom. She drags him to her den. There he sees Grendel lying dead. After a desperate and almost fatal struggle with the woman, he slays her, and swims upward in triumph, taking with him Grendel’s head.

    Joy is renewed at Heorot. Congratulations crowd upon the victor. Hrothgar literally pours treasures into the lap of Beowulf; and it is agreed among the vassals of the king that Beowulf will be their next liegelord.

    Beowulf leaves Dane-land. Hrothgar weeps and laments at his departure.

    When the hero arrives in his own land, Higelac treats him as a distinguished guest. He is the hero of the hour.

    Beowulf subsequently becomes king of his own people, the Geats. After he has been ruling for fifty years, his own neighborhood is wofully harried by a fire-spewing dragon. Beowulf determines to kill him. In the ensuing struggle both Beowulf and the dragon are slain. The grief of the Geats is inexpressible. They determine, however, to leave nothing undone to honor the memory of their lord. A great funeral-pyre is built, and his body is burnt. Then a memorial-barrow is made, visible from a great distance, that sailors afar may be constantly reminded of the prowess of the national hero of Geatland.

    The poem closes with a glowing tribute to his bravery, his gentleness, his goodness of heart, and his generosity.

    It is the devout desire of this translator to hasten the day when the story of Beowulf shall be as familiar to English-speaking peoples as that of the Iliad. Beowulf is our first great epic. It is an epitomized history of the life of the Teutonic races. It brings vividly before us our forefathers of pre-Alfredian eras, in their love of war, of sea, and of adventure.

    My special thanks are due to Professors Francis A. March and James A. Harrison, for advice, sympathy, and assistance.

    J.L. HALL.

    [1] Handbook of Poetics, page 175, 1st edition.

    [xi]

    ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE NOTES.

    B. = Bugge. C. = Cosijn. Gr. = Grein. Grdvtg. = Grundtvig. H. = Heyne. H. and S. = Harrison and Sharp. H.-So. = Heyne-Socin. K.= Kemble. Kl. = Kluge. M.= Müllenhoff. R. = Rieger. S. = Sievers. Sw. = Sweet. t.B. = ten Brink. Th. = Thorpe. W. = Wülcker.

    BIBLIOGRAPHY OF TRANSLATIONS.

    Arnold, Thomas.—Beowulf. A heroic poem of the eighth century. London, 1876. With English translation. Prose.

    Botkine, L.—Beowulf. Epopée Anglo-Saxonne. Havre, 1877. First French translation. Passages occasionally omitted.

    Conybeare, J.J.—Illustrations of Anglo-Saxon Poetry. London, 1826. Full Latin translation, and some passages translated into English blank-verse.

    Ettmuller, L.—Beowulf, stabreimend übersetzt. Zürich, 1840.

    Garnett, J.M.—Beowulf: an Anglo-Saxon Poem, and the Fight at Finnsburg. Boston, 1882. An accurate line-for-line translation, using alliteration occasionally, and sometimes assuming a metrical cadence.

    Grein, C.W.M.—Dichtungen der Angelsachsen, stabreimend übersetzt. 2 Bde. Göttingen, 1857-59.

    Grion, Giusto.—Beovulf, poema epico anglo-sassone del VII. secolo, tradotto e illustrato. Lucca, 1883. First Italian translation.

    Grundtvig, N.F.S.—Bjowulfs Drape. Copenhagen, 1820.

    Heyne, M.—A translation in iambic measures. Paderborn, 1863.

    Kemble, J.M.—The Anglo-Saxon Poems of Beowulf, the Traveller’s Song, and the Battle of Finnsburg. London, 1833. The second edition contains a prose translation of Beowulf.

    Leo, H.—Ueber Beowulf. Halle, 1839. Translations of extracts.

    [xii]

    Lumsden, H.W.—Beowulf, translated into modern rhymes. London, 1881. Ballad measures. Passages occasionally omitted.

    Sandras, G.S.—De carminibus Cædmoni adjudicatis. Paris, 1859. An extract from Beowulf, with Latin translation.

    Schaldmose, F.—Beowulf og Scopes Widsith, to Angelsaxiske Digte. Copenhagen, 1847.

    Simrock, K.—Beowulf. Uebersetzt und erläutert. Stuttgart und Augsburg, 1859. Alliterative measures.

    Thorkelin, G.J.—De Danorum rebus gestis secul. III. et IV. poema Danicum dialecto Anglosaxonica. Havniæ, 1815. Latin translation.

    Thorpe, B.—The Anglo-Saxon Poems of Beowulf, the Scôp or Gleeman’s Tale, and the Fight at Finnsburg. Oxford, 1855. English translation in short lines, generally containing two stresses.

    Wackerbarth, A.D.—Beowulf, translated into English verse. London, 1849.

    Wickberg, R.—Beowulf, en fornengelsk hjeltedikt, öfersatt. Westervik. First Swedish translation.

    von Wolzogen, H.—Beowulf, in alliterative measures. Leipzig.

    Zinsser, G.—Der Kampf Beowulfs mit Grendel. Jahresbericht of the Realschule at Forbach, 1881.

    [xiii]

    GLOSSARY OF PROPER NAMES.

    [The figures refer to the divisions of the poem in which the respective names occur. The large figures refer to fitts, the small, to lines in the fitts.]

    Ælfhere.—A kinsman of Wiglaf.—36 3.

    Æschere.—Confidential friend of King Hrothgar. Elder brother of Yrmenlaf. Killed by Grendel.—21 3; 30 89.

    Beanstan.—Father of Breca.—9 26.

    Beowulf.—Son of Scyld, the founder of the dynasty of Scyldings. Father of Healfdene, and grandfather of Hrothgar.—1 18; 2 1.

    Beowulf.—The hero of the poem. Sprung from the stock of Geats, son of Ecgtheow. Brought up by his maternal grandfather Hrethel, and figuring in manhood as a devoted liegeman of his uncle Higelac. A hero from his youth. Has the strength of thirty men. Engages in a swimming-match with Breca. Goes to the help of Hrothgar against the monster Grendel. Vanquishes Grendel and his mother. Afterwards becomes king of the Geats. Late in life attempts to kill a fire-spewing dragon, and is slain. Is buried with great honors. His memorial mound.—6 26; 7 2; 7 9; 9 3; 9 8; 12 28; 12 43; 23 1, etc.

    Breca.—Beowulf’s opponent in the famous swimming-match.—9 8; 9 19; 9 21; 9 22.

    Brondings.—A people ruled by Breca.—9 23.

    Brosinga mene.—A famous collar once owned by the Brosings.—19 7.

    Cain.—Progenitor of Grendel and other monsters.—2 56; 20 11.

    Dæghrefn.—A warrior of the Hugs, killed by Beowulf.—35 40.

    Danes.—Subjects of Scyld and his descendants, and hence often called Scyldings. Other names for them are Victory-Scyldings, Honor-Scyldings, Armor-Danes, Bright-Danes, East-Danes, West-Danes, North-Danes, South-Danes, Ingwins, Hrethmen.—1 1; 2 1; 3 2; 5 14; 7 1, etc.

    Ecglaf.—Father of Unferth, who taunts Beowulf.—9 1.

    Ecgtheow.—Father of Beowulf, the hero of the poem. A widely-known Wægmunding warrior. Marries Hrethel’s daughter. After slaying Heatholaf, a Wylfing, he flees his country.—7 3; 5 6; 8 4.

    Ecgwela.—A king of the Danes before Scyld.—25 60.

    [xiv]

    Elan.—Sister of Hrothgar, and probably wife of Ongentheow, king of the Swedes.—2 10.

    Eagle Cape.—A promontory in Geat-land, under which took place Beowulf’s last encounter.—41 87.

    Eadgils.—Son of Ohthere and brother of Eanmund.—34 2.

    Eanmund.—Son of Ohthere and brother of Eadgils. The reference to these brothers is vague, and variously understood. Heyne supposes as follows: Raising a revolt against their father, they are obliged to leave Sweden. They go to the land of the Geats; with what intention,

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