Transcript for:
Beowulf Epic Summary

[Music] [Music] highbridge audio presents beowulf translated and read by seamus heaney so the spear danes and days gone by and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness we have heard of those prince's heroic campaigns there was shield chieftain scourge of many tribes a wrecker of mead benches rampaging among foes this terror of the hall troops had come far a foundling to start with he would flourish later on as his powers waxed and his worth was proved in the end each clan on the outlying coasts beyond the whale road had to yield to him and begin to pay tribute that was one good king afterwards a boy child was born to shield a cub in the yard a comfort sent by god to that nation he knew what they had told the long times and troubles had come through without a leader so the lord of life the glorious almighty made this man renowned shield had fathered a famous son beowulf's name was known through the north and a young prince must be prudent like that giving freely while his father lives so that afterwards an age when fighting starts steadfast companions will stand by him and hold the line behavior that's admired is the path to power among people everywhere shield was still thriving when his time came and he crossed over into the lord's keeping his warrior band did what he bad them when he laid down the law among the danes they shouldered him out to the sea's flood the chief they revered who had long ruled them a ring whirled pro road in the harbour ice-clad outbound a craft for a prince they stretched their beloved lord in his boat laid out by the mast amidships the great ring giver far-fetched treasures were piled upon him and precious gear i never heard before of a ship so well refurbished with battle tackle bladed weapons and coats of mail the masked treasure was loaded on top of him it would travel far on out into the ocean sway they decked his body no less bountifully with offerings than those first ones did who cast him away when he was a child and launched him alone out over the waves and they set a gold standard up high above his head and let him drift to wind and tide bewailing him and mourning their loss no man can tell no wise man in hall or weathered veteran knows for certain who salvaged that load then it fell to bail to keep the forts he was well regarded and ruled the danes for a long time after his father took leave of his life on earth and then his heir the great hafdan held sway for as long as he lived their elder and warlord he was four times a father this fighter prince one by one they entered the world herogar hrothgar the good halga and a daughter i have heard who was onalas queen a bomb in bed for the battle-scarred swede fortunes of war favored hrothgar friends and kinsmen flocked to his ranks young followers a force that grew to be a mighty army so his mind turned to hall building he handed down orders for men to work on a great mead hall meant to be a wonder of the world forever it would be his throne room and there he would dispense his god-given goods to young and old but not the common land or people's lives far and wide through the world i have heard orders for work to adorn that wallsted were sent to many peoples and soon it stood there finished and ready in full view the hall of halls herot was the name he had settled on it whose utterance was low nor did he renege but doled out rings and torques at the table the hull towered its gables wide and high and awaiting a barbarous burning that doom abided but in time it would come the killer instinct unleashed among in-laws the bloodlust rampant then a powerful demon a prowler through the dark nursed a hard grievance it harlowed him to hear the din of the loud banquet every day in the hall the heart being struck and the clear song of a skilled poet telling with mastery of man's beginnings how the almighty had made the earth the gleaming plane girdled with waters in his splendor he set the sun and the moon to be earth's lamplight lanterns for men and filled the broad lap of the world with branches and leaves and quickened life and every other thing that moved so times were pleasant for the people there until finally one a fiend out of hell began to work his evil in the world grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches marauding around the heath and the desolate fence he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters cain's clan whom the creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts for the killing of abel the eternal lord had exacted a price cain got no good from committing that murder because the almighty made him anathema and out of the curse of his exile their sprying ogres and elves and evil phantoms and giants too who strove with god time and again until he gave them their reward so after nightfall grendel set out for the lofty house to see how the ring danes were settling into it after their drink and there he came upon them a company of the best asleep from their feasting insensible to pain and human sorrow suddenly then the god-cursed brute was creating havoc greedy and grim he grabbed thirty men from their resting places and rushed to his lair flushed up and inflamed from the raid blundering back with the butchered corpses then as dawn brightened and the day broke grendel's powers of destruction were plain there was sale was over they wept to heaven and mourned under mourning their mighty prince the story leader sat stricken and helpless humiliated by the loss of his guard bewildered and stunned staring aghast at the demon's trail in deep distress he was numb with grief but got no respite for one night later merciless grendel struck again with more gruesome murders malignant by nature he never showed remorse it was easy then to meet with a man shifting himself to a safer distance to bed in the buffies for who could be blind to the evidence of his eyes the obviousness of the whole watchers hate whoever escaped kept a weather eye open and moved away so grendel ruled in defiance of right one against all until the greatest house in the world stood empty a deserted wallsted for twelve winters seasons of woe the lord of the shieldings suffered under his load of sorrow and so before long the news was known over the whole world sad lays were sung about the beset king the vicious raids and ravages of grendel his long and unrelenting feud nothing but war how he would never parly or make peace with any dane nor stop his death dealing nor pay the death price no counselor could ever expect fair reparation from those rabid hands all were endangered young and old were hunted down by that dark death shadow who lurked and swooped in the long nights on the misty moors nobody knows where these reavers from hell roam on their errands so grendel waged his lonely war inflicting constant cruelties on the people atrocious hurt he took over herod haunted the glittering hall after dark but the throne itself the treasure seat he was kept from approaching he was the lord's outcast these were hard times heartbreaking for the prince of the shieldings powerful counselors the highest in the land would lend advice plotting how best the bull defenders might resist and beat off sudden attacks sometimes at pagan shrines they vowed offerings to idols swore oaths that the killer of souls would come to their aid and save the people that was their way their heathenish hope deep in their hearts they remembered hell the almighty judge of good deeds and bad the lord god head of the heavens and high king of the world was unknown to them oh cursed is he who in time of trouble has to thrust his soul in the fire's embrace forfeiting help he has nowhere to turn but blessed is he who after death can approach the lord and find friendship in the father's embrace so that troubled time continued woe that never stopped steady affliction for half dane's son too hard an ordeal there was panic after dark people endured rage in the night riven by the terror when he heard about grendel hyalax thane was on home ground over in gateland there was no one else like him alive in his day he was the mightiest man on earth highborn and powerful he ordered a boat that would ply the waves he announced his plan to sail the swans road and search out that king the famous prince who needed defenders nobody tried to keep him from going no elder denied him dear as he was to them instead they inspected omens and spurred his ambition to go whilst he moved about like the leader he was enlisting men the best he could find with 14 others the warrior boarded the boat as captain a canny pilot along coast and currents time went by the boat was on water in close under the cliffs men climbed eagerly up the gangplank sand churned in surf warriors loaded a cargo of weapons shining war gear in the vessels hold then heaved out away with a will in their wood-wreathed ship over the waves with the wind behind her and foam at her neck she flew like a bird until her curved prow had covered the distance and on the following day at the dewar those seafarers sighted land sunlit cliffs sheer crags and looming headlands the landfall they sought it was the end of their voyage and the gates vaulted over the side out onto the sand and murred their ship there was a clash of mail and a thresh of gear they thanked god for that easy crossing on a calm sea when the watchman on the wall the shieldings look out whose job it was to guard the sea cliffs saw shields glittering on the gangplank and battle equipment being unloaded he had to find out who and what the arrivals were so he rode to the shore this horseman of hrothgar's and challenge them in formal terms flourishing his spear what kind of men are you who arrive rigged out for combat in coats of mail sailing here over the sea lanes in your steep hulled boat i have been stationed as lookout on this coast for a long time my job is to watch the waves for raiders any danger to the danish shore never before has a force under arms disembarked so openly not bothering to ask if the centuries allowed them safe passage or the clan had consented nor have i seen a mightier man at arms on this earth than the one standing here unless i am mistaken he is truly noble this is no mere hanger on in a hero's armor so now before you fare inland as interlopers i have to be informed about who you are and where you hail from outsiders from across the water i say it again the sooner you tell where you come from and why the better the leader of the troop unlocked his word horde the distinguished one delivered this answer we belong by birth to the geek people and oh allegiance to lord halak in his day my father was a famous man a noble warrior lord named edgthio he outlasted many a long winter and went on his way all over the world men wise in council continue to remember him we come in good faith to find your lord and nation's shield the son of hafdan give us the right advice and direction we have arrived here on a great errand to the lord of the danes and i believe therefore there should be nothing hidden or withheld between us so tell us if what we have heard is true about this threat whatever it is this danger abroad in the dark nights this corpse maker mongering death in the shielding country i come to proffer my wholehearted help and counsel i can show the wise hrothgar a way to defeat his enemy and find respite if any respite is to reach him ever i can calm the turmoil and terror in his mind otherwise he must endure woes and live with grief for as long as his hall stands at the horizon on its high ground undaunted sitting astride his horse the coast guard answered anyone with gumption and a sharp mind will take the measure of two things what's said and what's done i believe what you have told me that you are a troop loyal to our king so come ahead with your arms and your gear and i will guide you what's more i'll order my own comrades on their word of honour to watch your boat down there on the strand keep her safe in her fresh tower until the time comes for her curved prow to preen on the waves and bear this hero back to geetland may one so valiant and so venturism come unharmed through the clash of battle so they went on their way the ship rode the water broad beamed bound by its hauser and anchored fast boar shapes flashed above their cheek guards the brightly forged work of goldsmiths watching over those stern-faced men they marched in step hurrying on till the timbered hall rose before them radiant with gold nobody on earth knew of another building like it majesty lodged there its light shone over many lands so their gallant escort guided them to that dazzling stronghold and indicated the shortest way to it then the noble warrior wheeled on his horse and spoke these words it is time for me to go may the almighty father keep you and in his kindness watch over your exploits i'm away to the sea back on alert against enemy raiders it was a paved track a path that kept them in marching order their male shirts glinted hard and hand linked the high gloss iron of their armor rang so they duly arrived in their grim war grace and gear at the hall and weary from the sea stacked wide shields at the toughest hardwood against the wall then collapsed on the benches battle dress and weapons clashed they collected their spears in a seafarers stook a stand of grayish tapering ash and the troops themselves were as good as their weapons then a proud warrior questioned the men concerning their origins where do you come from carrying these decorated shields and shirts of mail these cheek-hinged helmets and javelins i am hrothgar's herald and officer i have never seen so impressive or large an assembly of strangers stoutness of heart bravery not banishment must have brought you to hrothgar the man whose name was known for courage the gate leader resolute in his helmet answered in return we are retainers from halax band beowulf is my name if your lord and master the most renowned son of hafdan will hear me out and graciously allow me to greet him in person i am ready and willing to report my errand wolfgang replied a wendell chief renowned as a warrior well known for his wisdom and the temper of his mind i will take this message in accordance with your wish to our noble king with that he turned to where hrothgar sat wolfgar addressed his dear lord people from geetland have put ashore they have sailed far over the wide sea they called the chief in charge of their band by the name of beowulf they beg my lord and audience with you exchange of words and formal greeting most gracious rothgar do not refuse them but grant them a reply from their arms and appointment they appear well-born and worthy of respect especially the one who has led them this far he is formidable indeed hrothgar protector of shieldings replied i used to know him when he was a young boy his father before him was called edgethill a crew of sea men who sailed for me once with a gift cargo across to geetland returned with marvelous tales about him a thing they declared with the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand now holy god has in his goodness guided him here to the west danes to defend us from grendel this is my hope and for his heroism i will recompense him with a rich treasure go immediately bid him and the geets he has an attendance to assemble and enter at the door of the hall wolfgard duly delivered the message my lord the conquering king of the danes bids me announce that he knows your ancestry also that he welcomes you here to hear it and salutes your arrival from across the sea you are free now to move forward to meet rothgar in helmets and armor the hero arose surrounded closely by his powerful thanes a party remained under orders to keep watch on the arms the rest proceeded led by their prince under heroth's roof and standing on the hearth in webbed links that the smith had woven the fine forged mesh of his gleaming male shirt resolute in his helmet beowulf spoke greetings to hrothgar i am halex kinsman one of his hall troop when i was younger i had great triumphs then news of grendel hard to ignore reached me at home sailors brought stories of the plight you suffer in this legendary hall how it lies deserted empty and useless once the evening light hides itself under heaven's dome so every elder and experienced councilman among my people supported my resolve to come here to you king hrothgar because all knew of my awesome strength and so my request o king of bright danes dear prince of the shieldings friend of the people and their ring of defense my one request is that you won't refuse me who have come this far the privilege of purifying herod with my own men to help me and nobody else i have heard moreover that the monster scorns in his reckless way the use of weapons therefore to heighten hayalak's fame and gladden his heart i hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield the heavy war board hand to hand is how it will be a life and death fight with the fiend whichever one death fails must deem it a just judgment by god fate goes ever as fate must rothgar the helmet of shieldings spoke beowulf my friend you have traveled here to favor us with help and to fight for us my household guard are on the wane fate sweeps them away into grendel's clutches but god can easily halt these raids and harrowing attacks now take your place at the table relish the triumph of heroes to your heart's content a bench was cleared in that banquet hall so the gates could have room to be together and the party sat proud in their bearing strong and stalwart an attendant stood by with a decorated picture pouring bright helpings of mead and the minstrel sang filling herrot with his head clearing voice gladdening that great rally of geets and danes then the grey-haired treasure giver was glad far famed in battle the prince of bright danes and keeper of his people counted on beowulf on the warriors steadfastness and his word so the laughter started the din got louder and the crowd was happy well theo came in hrothgar's queen observing the courtesies adorned in her gold she graciously saluted the men in hall then handed the cup to all ranks treating the household and the assembled troop until it was beowulf's turn to take it from her hand with measured words she welcomed the geet and thanked god for granting her wish that a deliverer she could believe in would arrive to ease their afflictions he accepted the cup a daunting man dangerous in action and eager for it always he addressed wealth hill beowulf the son of ed zio declared i had a fixed purpose when i put to see as i sat in the boat with my band of men i meant to perform to the uttermost what your people wanted or perish in the attempt in the fiend's clutches and i shall fulfill that purpose prove myself with a proud deed or meet my death here in the mead hall this formal boast by beowulf the geet pleased the lady well and she went to sit by hrothgar real and arrayed with gold then it was like old times in the echoing hall proud talk and the people happy loud and excited until soon enough half dane's heir had to be away to his night's rest he realized that the demon was going to descend on the hall that he had plotted all day from dawn light until darkness gathered again over the world and stealthy night shapes came stealing forth under the cloud merc the company stood as the two leaders took leave of each other hrothgar wished beowulf health and good luck named him hall warden and announced as follows never since my hand could hold the shield have i entrusted or given control of the danes hall to anyone but you ward and guard it for it is the greatest of houses be on your metal now keep in mind your fame beware of the enemy there's nothing you wish for that won't be yours if you win through alive hrothgar departed then with his house guard the lord of the shieldings their shelter in war left the mead hall to lie with well though his queen and his bed mate the king of heaven as people learned had posted a lookout who was a match for grendel a guard against monsters special protection to the danish prince the geet placed complete trust in his strength of limb and the lord's favor he began to remove his iron breast mail took off the helmet and handed his attendant the patterned sword a smith's masterpiece ordering him to keep the equipment guarded and before he bedded down beowulf that prince of goodness proudly asserted when it comes to fighting i count myself as dangerous any day as grendel so it won't be a cutting edge i'll wield to mow him down easily as i might he has no idea of the arts of war of shield or swordplay although he does possess a wild strength no weapons therefore for either this night unarmed he shall face me if face me he dares and may the divine lord in his wisdom grant the glory of victory to whichever side he sees fit then down the brave man lay with his bolster under his head and his whole company of sea rovers at rest beside him none of them expected he would ever see his homeland again or get back to his native place and the people who reared him they knew too well the way it was before how often the danes had fallen prey to death in the mead hall but the lord was weaving a victory on his war loom for the weather geets through the strength of one they all prevailed they would crush their enemy and come through in triumph and gladness the truth is clear almighty god rules over mankind and always has then out of the night came the shadow stalker stealthy and swift the hall guards were slack asleep at their posts all except one it was widely understood that as long as the lord forbade it the fiend could never bear them beyond his shadow born one man however was in fighting mud awake and on edge spoiling for action in off the moors down through the mist bands god cursed grendel came greedily loping the bane of the race of men roamed forth hunting for a prey in the high hall under the cloud murk he moved towards it until it shone above him a sheer keep of fortified gold nor was that the first time he had scouted the grounds of hrothgar's dwelling although never in his life before or since did he find harder fortune or hall defenders spurned and joyless he journeyed on ahead and arrived at the barn the iron braced door turned on its hinge when his hands touched it then his rage boiled over he ripped open the mouth of the building maddening for blood pacing the length of the pattern floor with his loathsome tread while a baleful light flame more than light flared from his eyes he saw many men in the mansion sleeping a ranked company of kinsmen and warriors quartered together and his glee was demonic picturing the mayhem before morning he would rip life from limb and devour them feed on their flesh but his fate that night was due to change his days of ravening had come to an end mighty uncanny halex kinsman was keenly watching for the first move the monster would make nor did the creature keep him waiting but struck suddenly and started in he grabbed and mauled a man on his bench bit into his bone lappings bolted down his blood and gorged on him in lumps leaving the body utterly lifeless eaten up hand and foot venturing closer his talon was raised to attack beowulf where he lay on the bed he was bearing in with open claw when the alert hero's comeback and arm block forestalled him utterly the captain of evil discovered himself in a hand grip harder than anything he had ever encountered in any man on the face of the earth every bone in his body quailed and recoiled but he could not escape he was desperate to flee to his den and hide with the devil's litter for in all his days he had never been clamped or cornered like this then he alex trusty retainer recalled his bedtime speech sprang to his feet and got a firm hold fingers were bursting the monster backtracking the man overpowering the dread of the land was desperate to escape to take a roundabout road and flee to his lair in the fence the latching power in his fingers weakened it was the worst trip the terror monger had taken to hear it and now the timbers trembled and sang a whole session that harrowed every dane inside the stockade stumbling in fury the two contenders crashed through the building the hall cluttered and hammered but somehow survived the onslaught and kept standing it was handsomely structured a sturdy frame braced with the best of blacksmith's work inside and out the story goes that as the pair struggled mid benches were smashed and sprung off the floor gold fittings and all before then no shielding elder would believe there was any power or person upon earth capable of wrecking their horn-rigged hall unless the burning embrace of a fire engulfed it in flame then an extraordinary whale arose and bewildering fear came over the danes everyone felt it who heard that cry as it echoed off the wall a god cursed scream and strain of catastrophe the howl of the loser the lament of the hell keening his wound he was overwhelmed manacled tight by the man who of all men was foremost and strongest in the days of this life but the earl troops leader was not inclined to allow his caller to depart alive he did not consider that life of much account to anyone anywhere time and again beowulf's warriors worked to defend their lord's life laying about them as best they could with ancestral blades stalwart in action they kept striking out on every side seeking to cut straight to the soul when they joined the struggle there was something they could not have known at the time that no blade on earth no blacksmith's art could ever damage their demon opponent he had conjured the harm from the cutting edge of every weapon but his going away out of this world and the days of his life would be agony to him and his alien spirit would travel far into the fiends keeping then he who had harrowed the hearts of men with pain and affliction in former times and given offence also to god found that his bodily powers failed him he alex kinsman kept him helplessly locked in a hand grip as long as either lived he was hateful to the other the monster's whole body was in pain a tremendous wound appeared on his shoulder sinews split and bone lappings burst beowulf was granted the glory of winning grendel was driven under the fen banks fatally hurt to his desolate lair his days were numbered the end of his life was coming over him he knew it for certain and one bloody clash had fulfilled the dearest wishes of the danes the man who had lately landed among them proud and sure had purged the hall kept it from harm he was happy with his night work and the courage he had shown the gate captain had boltly fulfilled his boast to the danes he had healed and relieved a huge distress unremitting humiliations the hard fate had been forced to undergo no small affliction clear proof of this could be seen in the hand the hero displayed high up near the roof the hole of grendel's shoulder and arm his awesome grasp then morning came and many a warrior gathered as i've heard around the gift hall clan chiefs flocking from far and near down wide-ranging roads wandering greatly at the monster's footprints his fatal departure was regretted by no one who witnessed his trail the ignominious marks of his flight where he'd skulked away exhausted in spirit and beaten in battle bloodying the path hauling his doom to the demon's mirror the bloodshot water wallowed and surged there were loathsome up throws and overturnings of waves and gore and wound slurry with his death upon him he had dived deep into his marsh den drowned out his life and his heathen soul hell claimed him there in a way they rode the old retainers with many a young man following after a troop on horseback in high spirits on their base deeds beowulf doings were praised over and over again nowhere they said north or south between the two seas or under the tall sky on the broad earth was there anyone better to raise a shield or to rule the kingdom yet there was no laying of blame on their lord the noble hrothgar he was a good king at times the war band broke into a gallop letting their chestnut horses race wherever they found the going good on those well-known tracks meanwhile a thane of the king's household a carrier of tales a traditional singer deeply schooled in the lore of the past linked a new theme to a strict meter the man started to recite with skill rehearsing beowulf's triumphs and feats and well-fashioned lines entwining his words the light of day broke and kept brightening bands of retainers galloped in excitement to the gabled hall to see the marvel and the king himself guardian of the ring horde goodness in person walked in majesty from the women's quarters with a numerous train attended by his queen and her crowd of maidens across to the mead hall when hrothgar arrived at the hall he spoke standing on the steps under the steep eaves gazing at the roof work and grendel's talon first and foremost let the almighty father be thanked for this sight i suffered a long harrowing by grendel but the heavenly shepherd can work his wonders always and everywhere not long since it seemed i would never be granted the slightest solace or relief from any of my burdens the best of houses glittered and wreaked and ran with blood this one worry outweighed all others a constant distress to counselors entrusted with defending the people's forts from assault by monsters and demons but now a man with the lord's assistance has accomplished something none of us could manage before now for all our efforts whoever she was who brought forth this flower of manhood if she is still alive that woman can say that in her labors the lord of ages bestowed a grace on her so now beowulf i adopt you in my heart as a dear son nourish and maintain this new connection you noblest of men there will be nothing you'll want for no worldly goods that won't be yours i have often honored smaller achievements recognized warriors not nearly as worthy lavished rewards on the less deserving but you have made yourself immortal by your glorious action may the god of ages continue to keep and requite you well then hafden's son presented beowulf with a gold standard as a victory gift an embroidered banner also breast mail and a helmet and a sword carried high that was both precious object and token of honor so beowulf drank his drink at ease it was hardly a shame to be showered with such gifts in front of the hall troops there haven't been many moments i am sure when men exchanged four such treasures as so friendly as sitting an embossed ridge a band lapped with wire arched over the helmet head protection to keep the keen honed cutting edge from damaging it when danger threatened and the man was battling behind his shield next the king ordered eight horses with gold bridles to be brought through the yard into the hall the harness of one included a saddle of sumptuous design the battle seat where the son of hafdain rode when he wished to join the swordplay wherever the killing and carnage were the worst he would be to the fore fighting hard then the danish prince descendant of ing handed over both the arms and the horses urging beowulf to use them well and so their leader the lord and guard of coffer and strong room with customary grace bestowed upon beowulf both sets of gifts a fair witness can see how well each one behaved the chieftain went on to reward the others each man on the bench who had sailed with beowulf and risked the voyage received a bounty some treasured possession and compensation a price in gold was settled for the gate grendel had cruelly killed earlier as he would have killed more had not mindful god and one man's daring prevented that doom past and present god's will prevails hence understanding is always best and a prudent mind whoever remains for long here in this earthly life will enjoy and endure more than enough they sang then and played to please the hero words and music for their warrior prince harptunes and tales of adventure there were high times on the hall benches and the king's poet performed his part with the saga of finn and his sons unfolding the tale of that fierce attack in friesland when khnaf king of the danes met death and his sister hildebur suffered cruelly son and brother she lost them both on the battlefield they for doomed cut down and spear gourd she in shock waylaid by grief hawk's daughter how could she not lament her fate when mourning came and the light broke on her murdered deers and so farewell delight on earth war carried away finn's troop of thanes all but a few how then could finn hold the line or fight on to the end with hengest how save the rump of his force from that enemy chief so what truce was offered as follows first separate quarters to be cleared for the danes hall and throne to be shared with the friesians then second every day at the dole out of gifts finn son of folk world would honor the danes bestow with an even hand to hangust and hang this men the roth gold rings bounty to much the measure he gave his own frisians to keep morale in the beer hall high both sides then sealed their agreement with oath to hengest finn swore openly solemnly that the battle survivors would be guaranteed honor and status no infringement by word or deed no provocation would be permitted their own ring giver was dead and gone they were leaderless enforced allegiance to his murderer a funeral pyre was then prepared effulgent gold brought out from the horde the pride and prince of the shieldings lay awaiting the flame everywhere there were blood plastered coats of mail the pyre was heaped with bore shaped helmets forged in gold with the gashed corpses of well-born danes many had fallen then hildeburr ordered her own son's body to be burnt with nafs the flesh on his bones to sputter and blaze beside his uncles the woman wailed and sang keens the warrior went up carcass flame swirled and fumed they stood round the burial mound and howled as heads melted crusted gashes spattered and ran bloody matter the glutton element flamed and consumed the dead of both sides their great days were gone warriors scattered to homes and forts all over fraserland fewer now feeling loss of friends hengist stayed lived out that whole resentful blood-sullen winter with finn homesick and helpless no ringed whirlpool could up then and away on the sea wind and water raged with storms wave and shingle were shackled in ice until another year appeared in the yard as it does to this day the seasons constant the wonder of light coming over us then winter was gone earth's lap grew lovely longing woke in the cooped-up exile for a voyage home but more for vengeance some way of bringing things to a head his sword arm hankered to greet the dutes thus blood was spilled the gallon fin slain in his home the wildness in them had to brim over the hall ran red with blood of enemies finn was cut down the queen brought away and everything the shieldings could find inside finn's walls the frisian kings gold colors and gemstones swept off to the ship over sea lanes then back to daneland the warrior troop bore that lady home the poem was over the poet had performed a pleasant murmur started on the benches stewards did the rounds with wine and splendid jugs the queen spoke to hrothgar enjoy this drink most generous lord raise up your goblet entertain the geets duly and gently discourse with them be open-handed happy and fond relish their company but recollect as well all of the booms that have been bestowed on you the bright court of herot has been cleansed and now the word is that you want to adopt this warrior as a son so while you may bask in your fortune and then bequeath kingdom and nation to your kith and kin she turned then to the bench where her boys sat all the youth together and that good man beowulf the gate sat between the brothers the cup was carried to him kind words spoken and welcomed and a wealth of gold given to the hero two arm bangles a male shirt and rings and the most resplendent torque of gold i ever heard tell of anywhere on earth or under heaven then the queen pronounced in the presence of the company take delight in this torque dear beowulf wear it for luck and wear also this mail from our people's armory may you prosper in them be acclaimed for strength for kindly guidance to these two boys and your bounty will be sure you have one renown you are known to all men far and near now and forever your sway is wide as the winds home as the sea around cliffs and so my prince i wish you a lifetime's luck and blessings to enjoy this treasure treat my sons with tender care be strong and kind here each comrade is true to the other loyal to lord loving in spirit the thanes have one purpose the people are ready having drunk and pledged the ranks do as i bid she moved then to her place men were drinking wine at that rare feast how could they know fate the grim shape of things to come the threat looming over many things as night approached and king hrothgar prepared to retire to his quarters retainers in great numbers were posted on guard as so often in the past benches were pushed back bedding gear and bolsters spread across the floor and one man lay down to his rest already marked for death at their heads they placed their polished timber battle shields and on the bench over them each man's kit was kept to hand a towering war helmet webbed male shirt and great shafted spear it was their habit always and everywhere to be ready for action at home or in the camp in whatever case and at whatever time the need arose to rally around their lord they were a right people they went to sleep and one paid dearly for his night's ease as it happened to them often ever since grendel occupied the gold hall committing evil until the end came death after his crimes then it became clear obvious to everyone once the fight was over that an avenger lurked and was still alive grimly biting time grendel's mother monstrous hell bride brooded on her wrongs she had been forced down into fearful waters the cold depths after cain had killed his father's son felt his own brother with a sword branded an outlaw marked by having murdered he moved into the wilds shunned company and joy and from cain their sprying misbegotten spirits among them grendel the banished and the cursed but now his mother had sullied forth on a savage journey grief wracked and ravenous desperate for revenge she came to hear it there inside the hall danes lay asleep earls who would soon know a great reversal once grendel's mother attacked and entered then in the hall hard-honed blades were grabbed from the bench many a broad shield lifted and braced there was little thought of helmets or woven mail when they walk in terror the hell dam was in panic desperate to get out immortal terror the moment she was found she had pounced and taken one of the retainers in a tight hold then headed for the fan to hrothgar this man was the most beloved of the friends he trusted between the two seas she had done away with a great warrior ambushed him at rest beowulf was elsewhere earlier after the award of the treasure the gate had been given another lodging there was uproar and herod she had snatched their trophy grendel's bloodied hand it was a fresh blow to the afflicted bone the bargain was hard both parties having to pay with the lives of friends and the old lord the grey-haired warrior was heart sore and weary when he heard the news his highest placed advisor his dearest companion was dead and gone beowulf was quickly brought to the chamber the winner of fights the arch warrior came first footing in with his fellow troops to where the king and his wisdom waited still wondering whether almighty god would ever turn the tide of his misfortunes so beowulf entered with his band in attendance and the wooden floorboards banged and rang as he advanced hurrying to address the prince of the ingwins asking if he'd rested since the urgent summons had come as a surprise then hrothgar the shielding's helmet spoke rest what is rest sorrow has returned alas for the danes escheri is dead he was irman laughs elder brother and a soul mate to me a true mentor my right hand man when the ranks clashed and our boar crests had to take a battering in the line of action ashery was everything the world admires and a wise man and a friend then this roaming killer came in a fury and slaughtered him inherit where she is hiding glutting on the corpse and glorying in her escape i cannot tell she has taken up the feud because of last night when you killed grendel wrestled and racked him in ruinous combat since for too long he had terrorized us with his depredations he died in battle paid with his life and now this powerful other one arrives this force for evil driven to avenge her kinsman's death i have heard it said by my people in hall counselors who live in the upland country that they have seen two such creatures prowling the moors huge marauders from some other world one of these things as far as anyone can ever discern looks like a woman the other warped in the shape of a man moves beyond the pale bigger than any man an unnatural birth called grendel by the country people in former days they are fatherless creatures and their whole ancestry is hidden in a past of demons and ghosts they dwell apart among wolves on the hills on windswept crags and treacherous caches where cold streams pour down the mountain and disappear under mist and moorland a few miles from here a frost stiffened wood waits and keeps watch above a mirror the overhanging bank is a maze of tree roots mirrored in its surface at night there something uncanny happens the water burns and the mere bottom has never been sounded by the sons of men on its bank the heather stepper halts the heart in flight from pursuing hounds will turn to face them with firm set horns and die in the wood rather than dive beneath its surface that is no good place when wind blows up and stormy weather makes clouds scud and the skies weep out of its depths a dirty surge is pitched towards the heavens now help depends again on you and on you alone the gap of danger where the demon waits is still unknown to you seek it if you dare i will compensate you for settling the feud as i did the last time with lavish wealth coffers of coiled gold if you come back beowulf the son of ed's theo spoke why sir do not grieve it is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning for every one of us living in this world means waiting for our end let whoever can win glory before death when a warrior is gone that will be his best and only bulwark so arise my lord and let us immediately set forth on the trail of this troll dam i guarantee you she will not get away not to denze underground nor upland groves nor the ocean floor she'll have nowhere to flee to endure your troubles today bear up and be the man i expect you to be with that the old lord sprang to his feet and praised god for beowulf's pledge then a bit and halter were brought for his horse with the plotted mane the wise king mounted the royal saddle and rode out in style with a force of shield bearers the forest paths were marked all over with the monster's tracks her trail on the ground wherever she had gone across the dark moors dragging away the body of that thing hrothgar's best counselor and overseer of the country so the noble prince proceeded undismayed up fails and screws along narrow footpaths and ways where they were forced into single file ledges on cliffs above layers of water monsters he went in front with a few men good judges of the lie of the land and suddenly discovered the dismal wood mountain trees growing out at an angle above gray stones the bloodshot water surged underneath it was a sore blow to all of the danes friends of the shieldings a hurt to each and every one of that noble company when they came upon ashery's head at the foot of the cliff everybody gazed as the hot gore kept wallowing up and an urgent war horn repeated its notes the whole party sat down to watch the water was infested with all kinds of reptiles there were writhing sea dragons and monsters slouching on slopes by the cliff serpents and wild things such as those that often surface at dawn to roam the sail road and doom the voyage down they plunged lashing in anger at the loud call of the battle bugle an arrow from the bow of the gate chief got one of them as he surged to the surface the seasoned shaft went in deep and his freedom in the water got less and less it was his last swim he was swiftly overwhelmed in the shallows prodded by barbed boar spears cornered beaten pooled up on the bank a strange lake birth a loathsome catch men gazed at in awe beowulf got ready dawned his war gear indifferent to death his mighty hand-forged fine-webbed male would soon meet with the menace underwater it would keep the bone cage of his body safe no enemies clasp could crush him in it no vicious arm lock choke his life out to guard his head he had a glittering helmet that was due to be muddied on the mere bottom and blurred in the upswirl it was of beaten gold princely headgear hooped and hasped by a weaponsmith who had worked wonders and days gone by and embellished it with bore shapes since then it had resisted every sword and another item lent by unfirth at that moment was of no small importance the brown handed him a hilted weapon a rare and ancient sword named hunting the iron blade with its ill-boding patterns had been tempered in blood it had never failed the hand of anyone who hefted it in battle anyone who had fought and faced the worst in the gap of danger this was not the first time it had been called to perform heroic feats beowulf son of edge theo spoke wisest of kings now that i have come to the point of action i ask you to recall what we said earlier that you son of half-dane and gold friend to retainers that you if i should fall and suffer death while serving in your cause would act like a father to me afterwards if this combat kills me take care of my young company my comrades and arms and be sure also my beloved hrothgar to send hayalak the treasures i received let the lord of the geets gaze on that gold let wrethel's son take note of it and see that i found a ring giver of rare magnificence and enjoyed the good of his generosity and unfirth is to have what i inherited to that far-famed man i bequeath my own sharp-honed wave-sheened wonderblade with grunting i shall gain glory or die [Music] [Music] [Music] do highbridge audio presents beowulf translated and read by seamus heaney after these words the prince of the weather gates was impatient to be away and plunged suddenly without further ado he dived into the heaving depths of the lake it was the best part of a day before he could see the solid bottom the hero observed that swamp thing from hell the turn hag in all her terrible strength then heaved his war sword and swung his arm the decorated blade came down ringing and singing on her head but he soon found his battle torch extinguished the shining blade refused to bite it spurred her and failed the man in his need it had gone through many hand-to-hand fights had hewed the armor and helmets of the doomed but here at last the fabulous powers of that heirloom failed he likes kinsman kept thinking about his name and fame he never lost heart then in a fury he flung his sword away the keen inlaid worm loop patterned steel was hurled to the ground he would have to rely on the might of his arm so must a man do who intends to gain enduring glory in a combat life doesn't cost him a thought then the prince of the war gates warming to this fight with grendel's mother gripped her shoulder and laid about him in a battle frenzy he pitched his killer opponent to the floor but she rose quickly and retaliated grappled him tightly in her grim embrace the sure-footed fighter felt suddenly daunted the strongest of warriors stumbled and fell so she pounced upon him and pulled out a broad wetted knife now she would avenge her only child but the mesh of the chain male on beowulf's shoulder shielded his life turned the edge and tip of the blade the son of edge though would surely have perished and the gates lost their warrior under the wide earth had the strong links and locks of his war gear not helped to save him holy god decided the victory it was easy for the lord the ruler of heaven to redress the balance once beowulf got back on his feet then he saw a blade that boded well a sword in her armory an ancient heirloom from the days of the giants an ideal weapon one that any warrior would envy but so huge and heavy of itself only beowulf could wield it in a battle so the shielding's hero hard-pressed and enraged took a firm hold of the hilt and swung the blade in an ark a resolute blow that bit deep into her neck bone and severed it entirely toppling the doomed house of her flesh she fell to the floor the sword dripped blood the swordsman was elated the seafarer's leader made for land resolutely swimming delighted with his prize the mighty load he was lugging to the surface his things advanced in the troop to meet him thanking god and taking great delight in seeing their prince back safe and sound quickly the hero's helmet and male shirt were loosed and unlaced the lake settled clouds darkened above the bloodshot depths with high hearts they headed away along footpaths and trails through the fields roads that they knew each of them wrestling with the head they were carrying from the lakeside cliff men kingly in their courage and capable of difficult work it was a task for four to hoist grendel's head on a spear and bear it under a strain to the bright hall beowulf son of ed still spoke so son of hafdan prince of the shieldings we are glad to bring this booty from the lake it is a token of triumph and we tender it to you i barely survived the battle underwater it was hard fought a desperate affair that could have gone badly if god had not helped me the outcome would have been quick and fatal i have rested the hilt from the enemy's hand avenged the evil don to the danes it is what was due and this i pledge o prince of the shieldings you can sleep secure with your company of troops and here at hall never need you fear for a single thing of your sept or nation young warriors are old that laying waste of life you and your people endured of your then the golden hilt was handed over to the old lord a relic from long ago for the venerable ruler that rare smith work was passed on to the prince of the danes when those devils perished once death removed that murdering guilt-steep god-cursed fiend eliminating his unholy life and his mothers as well it was will to that king who of all the lavish gift lords of the north was the best regarded between the two seas and soon all was restored the same as before happiness came back the hall was thronged and a banquet set forth black knight fell and covered them in darkness then the company rose for the old campaigner the grey-haired prince was ready for bed and a need for rest came over the brave shield-bearing geet he was a weary seafarer far from home so immediately a house guard guided him out one whose office until looking after whatever a thing on the road in those days might need or require it was noble courtesy that great heart rested the hall towered gold shingled and gabled and the guests slept in it until the black raven with raucous glee announced heaven's joy and a hurry of brightness overran the shadows warriors rose quickly impatient to be off their own country was beckoning the nobles and the bold voyager longed to be aboard his distant boat then that stalwart fighter ordered hunting to be brought to unfurth and bad unfairth take the sword and thanked him for lending it he said he had founded a friend in battle and a powerful help he put no blame on the blade's cutting edge he was a considerate man and there the warriors stood in their war gear eager to go while their honored lord approached the platform where the others sat the undaunted hero addressed rothgar beowulf son of edge theo spoke now we who crossed the wide sea have to inform you that we feel a desire to return to hayalak here we have been welcomed and thoroughly entertained you have treated us well if there is any favor on earth i can perform beyond the deeds of arms i have done already anything that would merit your affections more i shall act my lord with alacrity if ever i hear from across the ocean that people on your borders are threatening battle as attackers have done from time to time i shall land with a thousand things at my back to help your cause he alike may be young to rule a nation but this much i know about the king of the geets he will come to my aid and want to support me by word and action in your hour of need when honor dictates that i raise a hedge of spears around you then if rethree should think about traveling as a king's son to the court of the geets he will find many friends foreign places yield more to one who is himself worth meeting rothgar spoke and answered him the lord in his wisdom sent you those words and they came from the heart i have never heard so young a man make truer observations you are strong in body and mature in mind impressive in speech if it should come to pass that wrethel's descendant dies beneath a spear if deadly battle or the sword blade or disease fails the prince who guards your people and you are still alive then i firmly believe the seafaring gates won't find a man worthier of a claim as their king and defender than you if only you would undertake the lordship of your homeland my liking for you deepens with time dear beowulf what you have done is to draw two peoples the geet nation and us neighboring danes into shared peace and a pact of friendship in spite of hatreds we have harbored in the past for as long as i rule this far-flung land treasures will change hands and each side will treat the other with gifts across the garnet's bath over the broad sea world prowse will bring presents and tokens i know your people are beyond reproach in every respect steadfast in the old way with friend or foe then the earl's defender furnished the hero with 12 treasures and told him to set out to sail with those gifts safely home to the people he loved but to return promptly and so the good and grey-haired dane that high-born king kissed beowulf and embraced his neck then broke down in sudden tears two forebodings disturbed him in his wisdom but one was stronger nevermore would they meet each other face to face and such was his affection that he could not help being overcome his fondness for the man was so deep founded it warmed his heart and wound the heartstrings tight in his breast the embrace ended and beowulf glorious in his gold regalia stepped the green earth straining at anchor and ready for boarding his boat awaited him so they went on their journey and hrothgar's generosity was praised repeatedly he was a peerless king until old age sapped his strength and did him mortal harm as it has done so many down to the waves then dressed in the web of their chainmaille and wore shirts those young men marched in high spirits the coast guard spied them thin setting forth the same as before his salute this time from the top of the cliff was far from unmannerly he galloped to meet them and as they took ship in their shining gear he said how welcome they would be in geekland then the broad hull was beached on the sand to be cargoed with treasure horses and war gear the curved prow motioned the mast stood high above hrothgar's riches in the loaded hold the guard who had watched the boat was given a sword with gold fittings and in future days that present would make him a respected man at his place on the mead bench then the keel plunged and shook in the sea and they sailed from denmark right away the mast was rigged with its sea shawl sail ropes were tightened timbers drummed and stiff winds kept the wave crosser skimming ahead as she heaved forward her foamy neck was fleet and buoyant a lapped prow looping over currents until finally the gates caught sight of coastline and familiar cliffs the keel reared up wind lifted it home it hit on the land harbor guard came hurrying out to the rolling water he had watched the offering long and hard on the lookout for those friends with the anchor cables he murdered their craft right where it had beached in case a backwash might catch the hull and carry it away then he ordered the prince's treasure trove to be carried ashore it was a short step from there to where rethel's sun and heir he elect the gold giver makes his home on a secure cliff in the company of retainers heroic beowulf and his band of men crossed the wide strand striding along the sandy foreshore the sun shone the world's candle warmed them from the south as they hastened to where as they had heard the young king angenthal's killer and his people's protector was dispensing rings inside his bone beowulf's return was reported to helac as soon as possible news that the captain was now in the enclosure his battle brother back from the fray alive and well walking to the hall room was quickly made on the king's orders and the troops filed across the cleared floor after he like had offered greetings to his loyal thane in lofty speech he and his kinsman that hail survivor sat face to face hayareth's daughter moved about with the meat jug in her hand taking care of the company filling the cups that warriors held out then halek began to put courteous questions to his old comrade in the high hall he hankered to know every tale the sea gates had to tell how did you fare on your foreign voyage dear beowulf when you abruptly decided to sail away across the salt water and fight that herat did you help rothgar much in the end could you ease the prince of his well-known troubles your undertaking cast my spirits down i dreaded the outcome of your expedition and pleaded with you long and hard to leave the killer be let the south dane settle their own blood feud with grendel so god be thanked i am granted this sight of you safe and sound beowulf son of ed's theo spoke what happened lord halak is hardly a secret anymore among men in this world myself and grendel coming to grips on the very spot where he had visited destruction on the victory shieldings and violated life and limb losses i avenged so no earthly offspring of grendels need ever boast of that bout before dawn no matter how long the last of his evil family survives when i first landed i proceeded to the ring hall and saluted rothgar once he discovered why i had come the son of hafden sent me immediately to sit with his own sons on the bench it was a happy gathering in my whole life i have never seen mead enjoyed more in any hall on earth sometimes the queen herself appeared peace pledge between nations to hearten the young ones and hand out a talk to a warrior then take her place sometimes hrothgar's daughter distributed ale to older ranks in order on the benches i heard the company call her freya as she made her rounds presenting men with the gem-studded bull young bride-to-be to the gracious ingeld in her gold-trimmed attire the friend of the shieldings favors her betrothal the guardian of the kingdom sees good in it and hopes this woman will heal old wounds and grievous feuds but generally the spear is prompt to retaliate when a prince is killed no matter how admirable the bride may be think how the heather birds will be bound to feel their lord inguild and his loyal things when he walks in with that woman to the feast danes are at the table being entertained honored guests and glittering regalia bernie string mail that was their host's birthright looted when the heathobards could no longer wield their weapons in the shield flash when they went down with their beloved comrades and forfeited their lives then an old spearman will speak while they are drinking having glimpsed some heirloom that brings alive memories of the massacre his mood will darken and heart stricken in the stress of emotion he will begin to test a young man's temper and stir up trouble starting like this now my friend don't you recognize your father's sword his favorite weapon the one he wore when he went out in his war mask to face the danger on that final day after weathergirl died and his men were doomed the shieldings quickly claimed the field and now here's a son of one or other of those same killers coming through our hall overbearing us mouthing boasts and rigged in armor that by right is yours and so he keeps on recalling and accusing working things up with bitter words until one of the ladies retainers lies spattered in blood split open on his father's account the killer knows the lie of the land and escapes with his life then on both sides the oath bound lords will break the peace a passionate hate will build up an inguild and love for his bride will falter in him as the feud rankles i therefore suspect the good faith of the heathobards the truth of their friendship and the trustworthiness of their alliance with the danes but now my lord i shall carry on with my account of grendel the whole story of everything that happened in the hand-to-hand fight after heaven's gem had gone mildly to earth that madden spirit the terror of those twilights came to attack us where we stood guard still safe inside the hall their deadly violence came down on hancio and he fell as fate ordained the first to perish rigged out for the combat a comrade from our ranks had come to grief and grendel's maw he ate up the entire body there was blood on his teeth he was bloated and dangerous all rised up yet still unready to leave the hall empty-handed renowned for his might he matched himself against me wildly reaching he had this roomy pouch a strange cutterman intricately strung and hung at the ready a rare patchwork of devilishly fitted dragon skins i had done him no wrong yet the raging demon wanted to cram me and many another into this bag but it was not to be once i got to my feet in a blind fury it would take too long to tell how i repaid the terror of the land for every life he took and so one credit for you my king and for all your people and although he got away to enjoy life's sweetness for a while longer his right hand stayed behind him inherit evidence of his miserable overthrow as he dived into murk on the mere bottom i got lavish rewards from the lord of the danes from my part in the battle beaten gold and much else once morning came and we took our places at the banquet table there was singing and excitement an old reciter a carrier of stories recalled the early days at times some hero made the timbered harp tremble with sweetness or related true and tragic happenings at times the king gave the proper turn to some fantastic tale or a battle-scarred veteran bowed with age would begin to remember the martial deeds of his youth and prime and be overcome as the past welled up in his wintry heart we were happy there the whole day long and enjoyed our time until another night descended upon us then with sudden dispatch the vehement mother avenged her son and wreaked destruction death had robbed her geets had slain grendel so his ghastly dam struck back and with barefaced defiance laid a man low thus life departed from the sage ashery and held her wise in council but afterwards on the morning following the danes could not burn the dead body nor lay the remains of the man they loved on his funeral pyre she had fled with the corpse and taken refuge beneath torrance on the mountain it was a hard blow for rothgar to bear harder than any he had undergone before and so the heartsoar king beseeched me in your royal name to take my chances underwater to win glory and prove my worth he promised me rewards hence as is well known i went to my encounter with the terror monger at the bottom of the turn for a while it was hand to hand between us then blood went curling along the currents and i beheaded grendel's mother in the hall with a mighty sword i barely managed to escape with my life my time had not yet come but haftain's heir the shelter of those earls again endowed me with a multitude of gifts thus the king acted with due custom i was paid and recompensed completely given full measure and the freedom to choose from rothgar's treasures by rothgar himself these king halak i am happy to present to you as gifts it is still upon your grace that all favor depends i have few kinsmen who are close my king except for your kind self then he ordered the boar framed standard to be brought the battle topping helmet the male shirt grey as frost and the precious war sword i heard four horses were handed over next beowulf bestowed four base deeds to go with the armor swift gallopers all alike so ought a kinsman act instead of plotting and planning in secret to bring people to grief or conspiring to arrange the death of comrades the warrior king was uncle to beowulf and honored by his nephew each was concerned for the other's good i heard he presented higged with a gorget the priceless torque that the prince's daughter whalethel had given him and three horses supple creatures brilliantly saddled the bright necklace would be luminous on higgs breast thus beowulf bore himself with valor he was formidable in battle yet behaved with honor and took no advantage never cut down a comrade who was drunk kept his temper and warrior that he was watched and controlled his god-sent strength and his outstanding natural powers he had been poorly regarded for a long time was taken by the gates for less than he was worth and their lord too had never much esteemed him in the mead hall they firmly believed that he lacked force that the prince was a weakling but presently every affront to his deserving was reversed the battle-famed king bulwark of his earls ordered a gold-chased heirloom of wrethels to be brought in it was the best example of a gem-studded sword in the geet treasury this he laid on beowulf's lap and rewarded him with land as well seven thousand hides and a hall and a throne both owned land by birth in that country ancestral grounds but the greater right and sway were inherited by the higher born a lot was to happen in later days in the fury of battle helac fell and the shelter of hair dreads shield proved useless against the fierce aggression of the shield things ruthless swordsmen seasoned campaigners they came against him and his conquering nation and with cruel force cut him down so that afterwards the wide kingdom reverted to beowulf he ruled it well for fifty winters grew old and wise as warden of the land until one began to dominate the dark a dragon on the prowl from the steep vaults of a stone-roofed borough where he guarded a horde there was a hidden passage unknown to men but someone managed to enter by it and interfere with the heathen trove he handled and removed a gem-studded goblet it gained him nothing though with a thief's wiles he had outwitted the sleeping dragon that drove him into rage as the people of that country would soon discover the intruder who broached the dragon's treasure and moved him to wrath had never meant to it was desperation on the part of a slave fleeing the heavy hand of some master guilt-ridden and on the run going to ground but he soon began to shake with terror in shock the wretch panicked and ran away with the precious metalwork there were many other heirlooms heaped inside the earth house because long ago with deliberate care some forgotten person had deposited the whole rich inheritance of a high-born race in that ancient crash death had come and taken them all and times gone by and the one surviving witness of their fate the last veteran could envisage only the same fate for himself he foresaw that his joy and the treasure would be brief a newly constructed burrow stood waiting on a wide headland close to the waves its entryway secured into it the keeper of the horde had carried all the goods and golden wear worth preserving his words were few now earth hold what earl's once held and heroes can no more it was mined from you first by honorable men my own people have been ruined in war one by one they went down to death looked their last on sweet life in the hall i am left with nobody to bear a sword or burnish plated goblets put a sheen on the cup the companies have departed the hard helmet hasped with gold will be stripped of its hoops and the helmet shiner who should polish the metal of the war mask sleeps the coat of mail that came through all fights through shield collapse and cut of sword decays with the warrior nor may webbed mail range far and wide on the warlord's back beside his mustard troops no trembling harp no tuned timber no tumbling hawk swerving through the hall no swift horse pawing the courtyard pillage and slaughter have emptied the earth of entire peoples and so he mourned as he moved about the world deserted and alone lamenting his unhappiness day and night until death's flood brimmed up in his heart then an old hardware of the dark happened to find the horde open the burning one who hunts out burrows the slick-skinned dragon threatening the night sky with streamers of fire people on the farms are in dread of him he is driven to hunt out hordes underground to guard heathen gold through age-long vigils though to little avail for three centuries this scourge of the people had stood guard on that stoutly protected underground treasury until the intruder unleashed its fury he hurried to his lord with the gold-plated cup and made his plea to be reinstated then the vault was rifled the ring horde robbed and the wretched man at his request granted his master gazed on that find from the past for the first time when the dragon awoke trouble flared again he rippled down the rock writhing with anger when he saw the footprints of the broiler who had stolen too close to his dreaming head so may a man not marked by fate easily escape exile and woe by the grace of god the horde guardian scorched the ground as he scarred and hunted for the trespasser who had troubled his sleep hot and savage he kept circling and circling the outside of the mound no man appeared in that desert waste but he worked himself up by imagining battle then back in he'd go in search of the cup only to discover signs that someone had stumbled upon the golden treasures so the guardian of the mount the horde watcher waited for the gloaming with fierce impatience his pent-up fury at the loss of the vessel made him long to hit back and lash out in flames then to his delight the day waned and he could wait no longer behind the wall but hurtled forth in a fiery blaze the first to suffer were the people on the land but before long it was their treasure-giver who would come to grief the dragon began to belch out flames and burn bright homesteads there was a hot glow that scared everyone for the vile sky winger would leave nothing alive in his wake everywhere the havoc he wrought was an evidence far and near the geet nation bore the brunt of his brutal assaults and virulent hate then back to the horde he would dart before daybreak to hide in his den he had swinged the land swathed it in flame in fire and burning and now he felt secure in the vaults of his borough but his trust was unavailing then beowulf was given bad news a hard truth his own home the best of buildings had been burnt to a cinder the throne room of the gates it threw the hero into deep anguish and darkened his mud the wise man thought he must have thwarted ancient ordinance of the eternal lord broken his commandment his mind was in turmoil unaccustomed anxiety and gloom confused his brain the fire dragon had raised the coastal region and reduced forts and earthworks to dust and ashes so the war king planned and plotted his revenge the warriors protector prince of the hall troop ordered a marvelous all-iron shield from his smithy works he well knew that linden boards would let him down and timber burn after many trials he was destined to face the end of his days in this mortal world as was the dragon for all his long leasehold on the treasure the veteran king sat down on the cliff top he wished good luck to the gates who had shared his hearth and his gold he was sad at heart unsettled yet ready sensing his death his fate hovered near unknowable but certain it would soon claim his coffered soul part life from limb before long the prince's spirit would spin free from his body beowulf spoke made a formal boast for the last time i risked my life often when i was young now i am old but as king of the people i shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning if the evil one will abandon his fort and face me in the open he addressed each dear companion one final time those fighters in their helmets resolute and highborn i would rather not use a weapon if i knew another way to grapple with the dragon and make good my boast as i did against grendel in days gone by but i shall be meeting molten venom in the fire he breathes so i go forth in male shirt and shield i won't shift a foot when i meet the caveguard what who occurs on the wall between the two of us will turn out as fate overseer of men decides i am resolved i scorn further words against this skyborne foe men at arms remain here on the burrow safe in your armor to see which one of us is better in the end at bearing wounds in a deadly fray this fight is not yours nor is it up to any man except me to measure his strength against the monster or to prove his worth i shall win the gold by my courage or else mortal combat doom of battle will bear your lord away then he drew himself up beside his shield the fabled warrior in his war shirt and helmet trusted in his own strength entirely and went under the crag no coward path hard by the rock face that hail veteran a good man who had gone repeatedly into combat in danger and come through saw a stone arch and a gushing stream that burst from the barrow blazing and wafting a deadly heat it would be hard to survive unscathed near the horde to hold firm against the dragon in those flaming depths then he gave a shout the lord of the gates unburdened his breast and broke out in a storm of anger under the gray stone his voice challenged and resounded clearly hate was ignited the horde guard recognized a human voice the time was over for peace and parliament pouring forth in a hot battle fume the breath of the monster burst from the rock there was a rumble underground down there in the burrow beowulf the warrior lifted his shield the outlandish thing writhed and convulsed and vehemently turned on the king whose keen aged sword an heirloom inherited by ancient rite was already in his hand rose to a fury each antagonist struck terror in the other unyielding the lord of his people loomed by his tall shield sure of his ground while the serpent looped and unleashed itself swaddled in flames it came gliding and flexing and racing towards its fate yet his shield defended the renowned leader's life and limb for a shorter time than he meant it to that final day was the first time when beowulf fought and fate denied him glory in battle so the king of the gates raised his hand and struck hard at the enameled scales but scarcely cut through the blade flashed and slashed yet the blow was far less powerful than the hard-pressed king had need of at that moment the mound keeper went into a spasm and spouted deadly flames when he felt the stroke battle fire billowed and spewed beowulf was foiled of a glorious victory the glittering sword infallible before that day failed when he unsheathed it as it never should have for the son of ed still it was no easy thing to have to give ground like that and go unwillingly to inhabit another home in a place beyond so every man must yield the least hold of his days sad at heart addressing his companions wiglaf spoke wise and fluent words i remember that time when mead was flowing how we pledged loyalty to our lord in the hall promised our ring giver we would be worth our price make good the gift of the war gear these swords and helmets as and when his need required it now the day has come when this lord we serve needs sound men to give him their support let us go to him help our leader through the hot flame and dread of the fire as god is my witness i would rather my body were robed in the same burning blaze as my gold giver's body than go back home bearing arms that is unthinkable unless we have first slain the foe and defended the life of the prince of the weathergates i well know the things he has done for us deserve better why should he alone be left exposed to fall in battle we must bond together shield and helmet male shirt and sword then he waded the dangerous wreak and went under arms to his lord saying only go on dear beowulf do everything you said you would when you were still young and void you would never let your name and fame be dimmed while you lived your deeds are famous so stay resolute my lord defend your life now with the whole of your strength i shall stand by you after those words a wildness rose in the dragon again and drove it to attack heaving up fire hunting for enemies the humans it loathed flames lapped the shield charred it to the boss and the body armor on the young warrior was useless to him but wigleff did well under the wide rim beowulf shared with him once his own had shattered in sparks and ashes inspired again by the thought of glory the war king threw his whole strength behind the sword stroke and connected with the skull and nagling snapped beowulf's ancient iron gray sword let him down in the fight it was never his fortune to be helped in combat by the cutting edge of weapons made of iron when he wielded a sword no matter how blooded and hard-edged the blade his hand was too strong the stroke he dealt i have heard would ruin it he could reap no advantage then the bane of that people the fire-breathing dragon was mad to attack for a third time when a chance came he caught the hero in a rush of flame and clamped sharp fangs into his neck beowulf's body ran wet with his lifeblood it came wailing out next thing they say the noble son of wilston saw the king in danger at his side and displayed his inborn bravery and strength he left the head alone but his fighting hand was burned when he came to his kinsman's aid he lunged at the enemy lower down so that his decorated sword sank into its belly and the flames grew weaker once again the king gathered his strength and drew a stabbing knife he carried on his belt sharpened for battle he stuck it deep into the dragon's flank beowulf dealt it a deadly wound they had killed the enemy their courage quelled his life that pair of kinsmen partners in nobility had destroyed the foe so every man should act be at hand when needed but now for the king this would be the last of his many labors and triumphs in the world then the wound dealt by the ground burner earlier began to scald and swell beowulf discovered deadly poison suppurating inside him surges of nausea and so in his wisdom the prince realized his state and proceeded towards a seat on the rampart he steadied his gaze on those gigantic stones saw how the earthwork was braced with arches built over columns and now that thing unequaled for goodness with his own hands washed his lord's wounds swabbed the weary prince with water bathed him clean unbuckled his helmet beowulf spoke in spite of his wounds mortal wounds he still spoke for he well knew his days in the world had been lived out to the end his allotted time was drawing to a close death was very near now is the time when i would have wanted to bestow this armor on my own son had it been my fortune to have fathered an heir and live on in his flesh for fifty years i ruled this nation no king of any neighboring clan would dare face me with troops none had the power to intimidate me i stood my ground and took what came cared for things in my keeping never fomented quarrels never swore to a lie all this consoles me go now quickly dearest weak love under the gray stone where the dragon is laid out lost to his treasure hurry to feast your eyes on the horde away you go i want to examine the ancient gold gaze my fill on those garnered jewels my going will be easier for having seen the treasure a less troubled letting go of the life and lordship i have long maintained and so i have heard the son of williaston quickly obeyed the command of his languishing war-weary lord he went in his chain mail under the rock-piled roof of the burrow exalting in his triumph and so beyond the seat a treasure trove of astonishing richness wall hangings that were a wonder to behold glittering gold spread across the ground the old dawn scorching serpent's den packed with goblets and vessels from the past tarnished and corroding rusty helmets all eaten away armbands everywhere artfully wrought easily treasure buried in the ground gold hidden however skillfully can escape from any man and he saw to a standard entirely of gold hanging high over the horde a masterpiece of filigree it glowed with light so he could make out the ground at his feet and inspect the valuables of the dragon there was no remaining sign the sword had dispatched him the one who had for long minded the horde hovering over gold unleashing fire surging forth midnight after midnight had been mourned down wiglaf went quickly keen to get back excited by the treasure anxiety weighed on his brave heart he was hoping he would find the leader of the geets alive for he had left him helpless earlier on the open ground so he came to the place carrying the treasure and found his lord bleeding profusely his life at an end again he began to swab his body the beginnings of an utterance heaved up from the coffers of the king's heart the old lord gazed sadly at the gold to the everlasting lord of all to the king of glory i give thanks that i behold this treasure here in front of me that i have been allowed to leave my people so well endowed on the day i die now that i have bartered my last breath to own this fortune it is up to you to look after their needs i can hold out no longer order my troop to construct a burrow on a headland on the coast after my pyre has cooled it will loom on the horizon at chrome's nest and be a reminder among my people so that in coming times crews under sail will call it beowulf's burrow as they steer ships across the wide and shrouded waters then the king in his great-heartedness unclasped the color of gold from his neck and gave it to his young thane telling him to use it and the war shirt and the gilded helmet you are the last of us the only one left of the wegmundings fate swept us away sent my whole brave high-born clan to their final doom now i must follow that was the warrior's last word he had no more to confide the furious heat of the pyre would assail him his soul fled from his breast to its destined place among the steadfast ones it was hard then on the young hero having to watch the one he held so dear there on the ground going through his death agony the dragon from under earth his nightmarish destroyer lay destroyed as well utterly without life he lay there rigid brought low beside the treasure lodge never again would he glitter and glide and show himself off in the midnight air exalting in his riches he fell to earth through the battle strengthened beowulf's arm the treasure had been won bought and paid for by beowulf's death both had reached the end of the road through the life they had been lent before long the battle dodgers abandoned the wood the ones who had let their lord down earlier the tail turners ten of them together when he needed them most they had made off now they were ashamed and came behind shields in their battle outfits to where the old man lay they watched wiglaf sitting worn out a comrade shoulder to shoulder with his lord trying in vain to bring him round with water much as he wanted to there was no way he could preserve his lord's life on earth or alter in the least the almighty's will what god judged right would rule what happened to every man as it does to this day then a stern rebuke was bound to come from the young warrior to the ones who had been cowards wiglav son of western spoke he upgraded the battle dodgers saying beowulf had little cause to brag about his armed guard yet god who ordains who wins or loses allowed him to strike with his own blade when bravery was needed i could do little to protect his life in the heat of the fray yet i found new strength wailing up when i went to help him then my sword connected and the deadly assaults of our foe grew weaker the fire coursed less strongly from his head but when the worst happened too few rallied around the prince so it is goodbye now to all you know and love on your home ground the open-handedness the giving of war swords every one of you with free holes of land our whole nation will be dispossessed once princes from beyond get tidings of how you turned and fled and distressed yourselves a warrior will die sooner than live a life of shame then he ordered the outcome of the fight to be reported to those camped on the ridge that crowd of retainers who had sat all morning sad at heart shield bearers wondering about the man they loved would this day be his last or would he return he told the truth and did not bulk the rider who bore news to the cliff top he addressed them all now the people's pride and love the lord of the geets is laid on his death bed brought down by the dragon's attack beside him lies the bane of his life dead from knife wounds there was no way beowulf could manage to get the better of the monster with his sword wiglaf sits at beowulf's side the son of willston the living warrior watching by the dead keeping weary vigil holding awake for the loved and the loathed no war is looming over our nation soon it will be known to franks and friesians far and wide if the king is gone hostility has been great among the franks since helac sailed forth at the head of a war fleet into friesland there the het wara hurried and attacked and overwhelmed him with great odds the leader in his war gear was brought low fell amongst followers that lord did not favor his company with spoils the merovingian king has been an enemy to us ever since nor do i expect peace or pact keeping of any sort from the swedes remember at ravenswood ungenthal slaughtered hethkin wrethel's son when the geet people in their arrogance attacked first the fierce shielfings the return blow was quickly struck by oak terry's father old and terrible he fell the sea king then he kept hard on the heels of the foe and drove them leaderless lucky to get away in a desperate route into raven's wood so this bad blood between us and the swedes this vicious feud i am convinced is bound to revive they will cross our borders and attack in force when they find out that beowulf is dead in days gone by when our warriors fell and we were undefended he kept our coffers and our kingdom safe he worked for the people but as well as that he behaved like a hero we must hurry now to take a last look at the king and launch him lord and lavisher of rings on the funeral road his royal pyre will melt no small amount of gold heaped there in a horde it was bought at heavy cost and that pile of rings he paid for at the end with his own life will go up with the flame be furled in fire treasure no follower will wear in his memory nor lovely woman link and attach as a torque around her neck but often repeatedly in the path of exile they shall walk bereft bowed under woe now that their leader's laugh is silenced his spirits quenched many a spear dawn cold to the touch will be taken down and waved on high the swept harp won't waken warriors but the raven winging darkly over the doomed will have news tidings for the eagle of how he hooked and ate how the wolf and he made short work of the dead such was the drift of the dire report that gallant man delivered he got little wrong in what he told and predicted the whole troop rose in tears then took their way to the uncanny scene under ernerness there on the sand where his soul had left him they found him at rest their ring giver from days gone by the great man had breathed his last beowulf the king had indeed met with a marvelous death but what they saw first was far stranger the serpent on the ground gruesome and vile lying facing him the fire dragon was scarcely burnt scorched all colors from head to tail his entire length was fifty feet he had shimmered forth on the night air once then winged back down to his den but death owned him now he would never enter his earth gallery again beside him stood pitchers and piled up dishes silent flagons precious swords eaten through with rust reigns as they had been while they waited their thousand winters underground that huge cache gold inherited from an ancient race was under a spell which meant no one was ever permitted to enter the ring hall unless god himself mankind's keeper true king of triumphs allowed some person pleasing to him and in his eyes worthy to open the horde wiglev son of wayston spoke often when one man follows his own will many are hurt this happened to us nothing we advised could ever convince the lord we loved our land's guardian not to aggravate the keeper of the gold let him lie where he was long accustomed lurk there under earth until the end of the world he held to his high destiny the horde is laid bare but at a grave cost it was too cruel of fate that forced the king to that encounter i have been inside and seen everything amassed in the vault i managed to enter although no great welcome awaited me under the earth wall i quickly gathered up a huge pile of the priceless treasures hand-picked from the horde and carried them here where the king could see them he was still himself alive aware and in spite of his weakness he had many requests he wanted me to greet you and order the building of a burrow that would crown the sight of his pyre serve as his memorial in a commanding position since of all men to have lived and thrived and lorded it on earth his worth and you as a warrior were the greatest now let us again go quickly and feast our eyes on that amazing fortune heaped under the wall i will show the way and bring you close to those coffers packed with rings and bars of gold let a beer be made and got ready quickly when we come out and then let us bring the body of our lord the man we loved to where he will lodge for a long time in the care of the almighty then where stan's son stalwart to the end had orders given to owners of dwellings many people of importance in the land to fetch wood from far and wide for the good man's pyre now shall flame consume our leader in battle the blaze darken around him who stood his ground in the steel hail when the arrow storm shot from bow strings pelted the shield wall the shaft hit home feather fledged it finned the barb in flight then the wise son of weston called from among the king's thanes a group of seven he selected the best and entered with them the eighth of their number under the god cursed roof one raised a lighted torch and led the way no lots were cast for who should loot the horde for it was obvious to them that every bit of it lay unprotected within the vault there for the taking it was no trouble to hurry to work and haul out the priceless store they pitched the dragon over the cliff top let tides flow and backwash take the treasure minder then coiled gold was loaded on a cart in great abundance and the grey-haired leader the prince on his beer was born to hron's nest the geet people built a pyre for beowulf stacked and decked it until it stood four square hung with helmets heavy war shields and shining armor just as he had ordered then his warriors laid him in the middle of it mourning a lord far famed and beloved on a height they kindled the hugest of all funeral fires fumes of wood smoke billowed darkly up the blaze roared and drowned out there weeping wind died down and flames wrought havoc in the hot bone house burning it to the core they were disconsolate and wailed aloud for their lord's decease a geet woman too sang out in grief with hair burned up she unburdened herself of her worst fears a wild litany of nightmare and lament her nation invaded enemies on the rampage bodies in piles slavery and the basement heaven swallowed the smoke then the gate people began to construct a mound on a headland high and imposing a marker that sailors could see from far away and in ten days they had done the work it was their hero's memorial what remained from the fire they housed inside it behind the wall as worthy of him as their workmanship could make it and they buried torques in the burrow and jewels and a trove of such things as trespassing men had once dared to drag from the horde they let the ground keep that ancestral treasure gold under gravel gone to earth as useless to men now as it ever was then twelve warriors rode around the tomb chieftain sons champions in battle all of them distraught chanting in dirges mourning his loss as a man and a king they extolled his heroic nature and exploits and gave thanks for his greatness which was the proper thing for a man should praise a prince whom he holds dear and cherish his memory when that moment comes when he has to be convoyed from his bodily home so the geet people his hearth companions sorrowed for the lord who had been laid low they said that of all the kings upon the earth he was the man most gracious and fair-minded kindest to his people and keenest to win fame [Music] [Music] you