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The sfory of Beowulf:
Once upon a time, many-many centuries ago, there lived a
king of Danes named Hrothgar. He had won many battles and
gained great wealth. He built a large and beautiful palace (Heorot)
and he presented costly gifts to his warriors and gave splendid
banquets. But the joy o f the king didn’t last long. In the dark fens
nearby there lived a fierce sea-monster Grendel. He wanted to
destroy the palace Heorot as he disliked noise. Grendel looked
like a man but was much bigger, and his whole body was covered
with long hair, so thick and tough that no weapon could harm him.
One night when the warriors in Heorot were asleep, Grendel
rushed in, seized thirty men and devoured them. The next night
the monster appeared again. The men defended themselves
bravely, but their swords could not even hurt the monster. From
that time no one dared to come to Heorot. For twelve years the
palace stood deserted. The news o f the disaster reached Beowulf,
nephew o f Hygelac, king of the Jutes. Beowulf was the strongest
and the bravest o f all the warriors. He was said to have the strength
o f thirty men. He decided to help Hrothgar. With fourteen chosen
companions he set sail for the country o f the Danes.
Hrothgar gladly welcomed Beowulf and gave a banquet in his
honor. Lale at night, when the feast was over, all went to sleep
except Beowulf. Beowulf knew that no weapon could kill Grendel
and decided to fight bare-handed.
Suddenly the man-eater rushed into the hall. He seized and
devoured one o f the sleeping warriors, and then approached
Beowulf. A desperate hand-to-hand fight began. At first Beowulf's
courage fled:
The demon delayed not, but quickly clutched
A sleeping thane in his swift assault,
Gulped the blood, and gobbled the flesh,
Greedily gorged on the lifeless corpse,
The hands and the feet. Then the fiend stepped nearer,
Sprang on the Sea-Great lying outstretched,
Grasping him close with his monstrous claw.
But Beowulf grapp led and gripped him hard,
Struggled up on his elbow; the shepherd o f sins
Soon found that never before had he felt
In any man other in al! the earth
A mightier hand-grip; his mood was humbled,
His courage fled; but he found no escape!
But soon, remembering the boast he had made at the banquet
and his glorious duty, Beowulf regained his courage, sprang to his
feet and went on fighting. It was so terrible that the walls o f the
palace shook. Beowulf managed to tear off GrendePs arm, and
the monster retreated to his den howling and roaring with pain
and fury. He was fatally wounded and soon died:
Each loathed the other while life should last!
There Grendel suffered a grievous hurt.
A wound in the shoulder, gaping and wide;
Sinews snapped and bone-joints broke,
And Beowulf gained the glory o f battle.
Grendel, fated, fled to the fens,
To his joyless dwel ling, sick unto death.
He knew in his heart that his hours were numbered
His days at,an end. For all the Danes
There wish was fulfilled in the fall o f Grendel.
The stranger from far, the stalwart and strong,
Had purged of evil the hall o f Hrothgar,
And cleansed o f crime; the heart o fth e hero
Joyed in the deed his daring had done.
The next night Grendel’s mother, a water-witch, came to
Heorot to avenge her son’s death. While Beowulf was asleep she
snatched away one of Hrothgar’s favourite warriors. Beowulf
decided to kill the water-witch too. He plunged into the water and
found the water-witch in her den beside the dead body of her son.
A desperate fight began. At first Beowulf was nearly overcome,
as his sword had no power against the monster. But fortunately
his glance fell upon a huge magic sword hanging on the wall.
Beowulf killed the monster with its help. Then he cut off the heads
o f Grendel and of the water-witch and carried them to the surface.
Heorot was freed forever. Hrothgar poured treasures into
Beowulf’s hands.
At last the day carne for Beowulf to sail home. Everybody
regretted his departure. When Beowulf arrived in his own land,
he gave all the treasures he had brought to Hygelac and the people.
Beowulf was admired and honored by everybody. After the death
of Hygelac, Beowulf became the king of the Jutes.
For fifty years he ruled his country wisely and well until one
day a great disaster befell the happy land: every night there
appeared a fire-breathing dragon who came and destroyed the
vil lages. Remembering his glorious youth, Beowulf decided to fight
and save his people, but of all his earls only Wiglaf, a brave warrior
and heir to the kingdom, had the courage to help him. In a fierce
battle the dragon was killed, but his flames burnt Beowulf. Beowulf
ordered Wiglaf to take as much treasure as he could carry and
give it to the Jutes. In his last hour he thought only o f his people,
for whose happiness he had sacrificed his life. Beow ulf s victory
over the monsters symbolized the triumph of a man over the powers
o f darkness and evil.
Q uestions and Tasks
1. What can you tell about Britons and their language?
2. When was Britain conquered by Rome and what was its
result?
3. Why did Angles, Saxons and Jutes fight with one another?
4. What can you tell about “scribes”?
5. Why is the Anglo-Saxon poem “Beowulf' called, the
foundation-stone o f all British poetry?
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