The story of Beowulf and his infamous monsters is a long and complicated record of terror, blood, glory, and death. The setting draws us back to a place and time that's foreign to our understanding.
It was a time when hardy warrior tribes fought against one another, when change and death were inevitable, when all that really mattered was not if you died by how and when... Set against the backdrop of this lethal landscape, we read the tale of Beowulf, a hero who brings new hope and promise of possible survival--at least for a little while.
It's actually a story that is PERFECT for the days right before Halloween. You could dress up like the hero (Beowulf), the horrific and marauding creature (Grendal), Grendal's mother (the grief-stricken mother, who attempts to avenge what she sees as her her son's untimely death/murder), the sea-monsters (from Beowulf's heroic younger days), or the dragon (Beowulf's final battle).
Cover Art © W.W. Norton & Co.
Comments
Anyone? Anyone?
One of my favourite books. There is now a novelisation available at least on the kindle as well. If you like such books as Lord of the Rings, etc., then you should really read this, as it was an inspiration for so many fantasy books.