Beowulf

The poem now titled as Beowulf, written by an unidentified medieval scribe in Old English, may be the best literature of a time that has been forgotten by most of the modern world. Historians have dated this work to be written around 900 A.D. - 1000 A.D. Beowulf is a tale about a courageous hero/warrior whose bravery and loyalty to his country enable him to face fierce monsters and an evil that has descended from Cain. He is rewarded for his efforts by eventually becoming king. It is a time of kings, dragons, and guarded treasure. After reading Beowulf, it is easy to see where many modern fantasy books have come from. Even popular books, such as Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkin, must have originated somehow from Beowulf. We get hints of this from the rings of power, evil dragons, and lost treasure. Beowulf is a great entertaining poem that is a stepping-stone for many authors and stories yet to be written.

I can picture what it must have been like, long ago, to be gathered in a great hall, in some castle, and being told about Beowulf and his adventures, while dining on fabulous food. Being surrounded by knights, nobles, and kings, listening to the story as the story-teller plays his harp. A time for musi

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I always find books that paint a picture, kind of like watching a movie, only better, are the ones that turn out the best. The place of women in the story of Beowulf was to take care of the warriors and to feed them at the banquets. Beowulf takes Grendels arm back to the king as a trophy and reports the events of the fight. There is some mention of Christianity in Beowulf.

Then he returns home to his kingdom. It was a long voyage on the sea; when they reached Heorot, Beowulf is told, form the king, that what he has herd is true.

It is not hard to see where all the fantasy books with dragons, monsters, magic weapons, and guarded treasure come from. Leaving no heir to the throne, Beowulf takes his rightful place as king, and rules for fifty years. Hrothgar, the king, is happy to hear that someone who might have enough strength and courage to be a match for Grendel has finally stepped forward, and offers Beowulf a reward of profound wealth if he can overcome this overwhelming obstacle with Grendel.

Every society needs a hero, and someone new to take over for the old. Beowulf tells the king his plan to fight this evil monster with his bare hands. By that time Grendel is running away, and escapes with his life, only to die later from the injuries he sustained in battle. The sword wasn’t strong enough to do much harm to the dragon, so the dragon gets the best of him. You can also see the signs of religion when the monsters are described to be the descendents of Cain, from the story in the Bible about Cain killing his brother Able. Everyone had a wonderful time and thought that their troubles were over.

Approximate Word count = 1364
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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