Beowulf" 'Tis better to die than to live in shame." The oldest existing story written in Old English, "Beowulf" is the classic tale of courage and honor. In the Great Hall of Hrothgar, King of the Danes, the warrior Beowulf, son of a Swedish King, wages battle with the monster Grendel. The introduction contains a short history of the English language and a description of Anglo-Saxon culture. |
Contents
Section 1 | 3 |
Section 2 | 15 |
Section 3 | 18 |
Section 4 | 22 |
Section 5 | 29 |
Section 6 | 33 |
Section 7 | 37 |
Section 8 | 53 |
Section 9 | 61 |
Section 10 | 69 |
Section 11 | 101 |
Section 12 | 167 |
Section 13 | 181 |
Common terms and phrases
afar atheling avenged bade bairn of Ecgtheow bale balefire band barrow battle Beowulf spake bide blade bore brave breast breastplate bright chieftain clansmen comrades Danes Danish death deeds doom doughty dragon Eadgils Eanmund earl earth Eofor epic erst fain fame fared fell feud fight Finn Frisian Froda gave Geatish Geats gifts glory gold greet Grendel Grendel's Mother grim hall hand hardy hero haste headland Healfdene heard heart heirloom helmet Hengest Heorot Heremod Hildeburh Hnaef hoard honor Hrethel Hrothgar Hrunting Hygelac jewels Kenning killed king kinsman lair land liegemen lord mighty mind monster murder neath night Norse sagas o’er Old English Onela Ongentheow poem prince rings Saxon Scyldings Scylfing seek seized shield slain slaughter sorrow soul sovran spear stood struggle sturdy sword thane thee thou treasure tribe twas Unferth warden warriors waves Wealhtheow weapons Weders ween Weohstan wergild wielded Wiglaf wise words Wyrd