Need title of blade friendly book .

[Kevin the grey]

When I was young there was this big old book in the basement library . It may have been a collection of fairy tales or it could have been on a more legendary bend so I can,t help you there .

It was a story of a group of fighters . They with their leader sleep in a building of some kind . They are attacked and I believe killed one by one until the leader cuts off the arm of the attacking monster . If I remember it is the left arm . It was so long ago I may be wrong about that . There was a black hand drawn illustration of the severed arm in the book .

I could flesh this out a bit more . I may just mislead you so I,ll leave it at that . Anyone remember A book like that ?

 

[tedwca]

Sounds like "Beowulf"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf

Beowulf and his men spend the night in Heorot. After they fall asleep, Grendel enters the hall and attacks, devouring one of Beowulf's men. Beowulf, feigning sleep, leaps up and grabs Grendel's arm in a wrestling hold, and the two battle until it seems as though the hall might fall down due to their fighting. Beowulf's men draw their swords and rush to his help, but there is a type of magic which aids Grendel and makes it impossible for swords to hurt him. Finally, Beowulf tears Grendel's arm from his body and Grendel runs home to die.

 

[Kevin the grey]

Tedwca you may be right . I am not sure . It is so long ago .
40 odd years (oops better make that 40 + years) L:O:L

Even my description of the drawn illustration of the arm may not be in every edition of the book . The name Beowulf does nor ring a bell . I may have a dim recollection of Grendel . That may not mean that much as I was so young as to perhaps not be able to read some names . I even went back to the old house and checked through the library . Of course it was gone .

 

[kronckew]

Ahoy Cap'n, as yer a pirate an' cain't read a jot, yer may want to cast yer squinty eye over the movie. it's been aout a while nowe & may not be playin' locally ennymore at yer local crews mess movie theatre, but mebbe it'l be out on a pirate video! get yer scurvy supercargo ter find it fer ye. have a looks at http://www.beowulf-movie.com/

 

[Kevin the grey]

Extry rum fer ye , ye scurvy dog . Seein as I keeps a weather eye out fer such goings on I feel in me bones that yer magic picture show ne,er crossed me horizon .

Them there landlubbers that scurry about me home port are in luv with pictchers with Uzis in them . I tell the scallywags I,ll makes em nice and oosey with a load of cannister shot from me cannon . So far no takers though I did have one wench that wanted to come aboard . Avast there be no women allowed aboard . Course there was the night you wore the luverly pink dress ............ But that be spreading sea tales .

 

[Bill Marsh]

"Pink dress" !!!??? I don't want to know! :barf:

Back in the 1960s when I was in college studying Old English Lit, we used to get high and try to read Beowulf out loud. It was hilarious!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf

Here is the story *translated.* It was more fun in the original tongue, but can't find it right now.
http://www.lone-star.net/literature/beowulf/

Also the "Decameron," and "Canterbury Tales." But "Beowulf" was always my favorite --- and the "Tibetan Book of the Dead." The last one is a "stone groove!"

 

[kronckew]

... Course there was the night you wore the luverly pink dress .............

Arrrrh! belay that scurrolous talk, ye knows that was one-eyed sally's dress an' i kinda got tangled up in it when we tooks it off her down in the paint locker. it was a bit big fer me anyways.

you'da never known she was a female pyrate if'n ye hadn't come by & spotted us, an' i'm not too sure ye know now. the clue wuz in her name & the two fleshy protruberences on her chest (see below).

a course many of us male type have them too after all thet food we gets as rations on the ol' black duck, why, i even found a chicken foot in my slops yesterday, musta been fer TLAPD. Me an' ol' one-eye had a fine time last nite i'll tell ya after all thet extry protein. she even told me where she got them two fleshy bits she's got nailed to her sea chest under her hammock. she says thet they came from a salty dog thet insulted her pink party frock.

annyways ye'd be a poor cap'n to throw overboard the best boozer, the best cusser, the best knifer, and the best musket shot we's got. besides which, she's alot a fun down in the paint locker even if she weighs 250 pounds...she's got kinda a crush on ye too, so's you might have a chance there....just tell her how much ye likes her hair & yer in. gotta admit she's got a reely nice moustache for a bald girl.