Beowulf

[LONE WOLF]

Any one else read Beowulf? im up to the battle with grendal. its a cool book once you get past the wrighting style.

 

[LaBella]

I read it a loooong time ago! good stuff.

hey, are you coming to our NJ KCA meeting today?

http://www.bladeconcepts.com/njkca.htm

 

[LONE WOLF]

I cant make it today unfortunatly

 

[Esav Benyamin]

After you read Beowulf, read Michael Crichton's "Eaters of the Dead", and then if you like, watch the movie they made from it: "The 13th Warrior".

Do you know what "beowulf" means?

 

[LONE WOLF]

My father read Eaters of the Dead and i saw the movie made on it(The

13th warrior) a good movie and it is quite similar to Beowulf. I think

Beowulf means bear in old english but i cant be sure.

 

[mwerner]

I just read a new translation of the epic poem, one that was supposed to "bring it to life". Hehe-can't say that I was impressed! Of course, I love language, and enjoy Shakespeare and E.R.R. Eddison.

I prefer the Iambic Pentameter versions... Great story, a good example of Campbell's ideas regarding mythic heroes.

 

[A.W.U.K.]

"The 13th Warrior was on the telly a couple of nights ago, but I missed the beginning.

I've read the poem a couple of times -I prefer the verse to the prose translation. There is a recent translation by the Irish poet Seamus Heaney but I haven't read that yet (was that the one you read, mwerner?)

There is a half-hour animated film which we have on tape and my children love, but they get bored if I try to read them the real thing, the pace is too slow!

As far as I know, Esav, the name "Beowulf" is a compound of the elements "bear" and "wolf" and implies the bearer has great strength and cunning.

Andrew.

 

[maximus otter]

For anyone interested in dipping a toe, it's available as a free download from Project Gutenberg.

For SF fans, try Larry Niven's excellent Legacy of Heorot, which uses elements of the tale.

maximus otter

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Beowulf is "the bear", it means bee-wolf, the one who preys on the bees and their larder. In Russian, "bear" is medved, meaning honey-eater.

As I recall Legacy of Heorot, it also included elements of political theory, I almost thought I was reading Heinlein again.

Eaters of the Dead is a historicization of Beowulf, telling the story as if it might have happened with plausible, rather than mythological characters.

 

[TorzJohnson]

Search out John Gardner's "Grendel" for an interesting version from the monster's point of view.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Yes! How could I forget that!? I have to dig out my copy. Thanks

 

[LONE WOLF]

was grendal by john gardner as good as beowulf and was it written the same way?

 

[A.W.U.K.]

Another on-line version with the OE and modern translation side by side.

http://www.earlypoetry.co.uk/beoindex.htm

 

[TorzJohnson]

was grendal by john gardner as good as beowulf and was it written the same way?

It was written in a modern style (as of 1971). Certainly easier to read than Beowulf, and quite enjoyable, although I haven't read it in many years.

 

[hawkpatriot]

I had to read that for school last year. It was a very exciting book, plot and characters are thrilling. (can I go now, after I used all those big words?)

 

[Esav Benyamin]

That sounds like a school report.

 

[Phil Elmore]

Christopher Lambert's sci-fi-meets-medieval-post-apocalyptic techno-soundtracked B-movie version of Beowulf is one of my guilty pleasures. It must be seen to be fully appreciated; descriptions alone do not do it justice.

 

[StuntDouble]

I've seen that movie Phil..rather....interesting to say the least.

 

[lambertiana]

I have the version that has the english translation on one side of the page, and the original on the other side. If you know some german, the saxon language roots are very obvious.