The poem, beowulf, is contained in the nowell codex. A brilliant and faithful rendering of the anglosaxon epic from the nobel laureate. A date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars. Long a mainstay of english literature 101 courses at universities around the world, it is not only one of the oldest. The synopsis of the story of beowulf which begins the volume is immensely useful for new readers struggling to keep their bearings in an often digressive narrative, as is the people and places index that follows the text. A new verse translation bilingual edition and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. More than 3,000 lines long, beowulf relates the exploits of its eponymous hero, and his successive battles with a monster named grendel, with grendels revengeful mother, and with a dragon which was guarding a hoard of treasure. Following are selections from seamus heaneys new translation of beowulf, with excerpts from mr. Beowulf repeatedly endangers himself to protect others. Hrothgar will set aside this feud by giving his daughter as peaceweaver.
Due to the fame of beowulf, the nowell codex is also sometimes known simply as the beowulf manuscript. As the dragon flies back to heorot, it is met by a group of bowmen who attack it. As noted in lines 106114 and lines 12601267 of beowulf, monsters which include grendels mother and grendel are descendants of cain. Beowulf a new verse translation hc,2000 hardcover march 1, 2000 4. Beowulf is the great anglosaxon hero who represents all that is good in the world and fights to protect the innocent. The greatest warrior of his time, beowulf confronts monsters, including the swampfiend grendel, grendels amphibious mother. The date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars. After earning his teachers certificate in english from st. The speardanes in days gone by and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness. Liuzzas translation of beowulf, first published by broadview in 1999, has been widely praised for its accuracy and beauty. After grendel is killed, grendels mother attacks heorot in revenge. But who will guard the great hall he has built, where so many men have lost their lives to the monster while keeping watch. The main division is into two totally distinct books which were apparently not bound together until the 17th century. The beowulf manuscript is known as the nowell codex, gaining its name from 16thcentury scholar laurence nowell.
Beowulf is an old english epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative lines. Anglosaxon culture from the beowulf epic, many details of saxon and old english social life can be found. In 1563, laurence nowell, dean of lichfield cathedral, subscribed the thirtynine articles of religion, the main tenets of the anglican church. The introduction is a wonderful orientation to the text and to old english poetry in general, and it is to be hoped that. His bookbinder first traced the outline of each burnt leaf, cut out the center of the. It is a heroic narrative, more than three thousand lines long. Beowulf initially fails to slay the dragon, but is spurred on when wiglaf stabs below the dragons head, where beowulf finds his dagger strong enough to harm the beast. He sails across the sea and gets to denmark with 14 other geats. He is a monster, grendel, and all who know of him live in fear. Translation by michael alexander, first published on 1973 is very skillfully put together and admirable.
There was shield sheafson, scourge of many tribes, a wrecker of meadbenches, rampaging among foes. The beowulf codex mystery the new beowulf film is only possible due to the amazing and mysterious survival of a single copy of the original codex. The facingpage translation is accompanied in this edition by genealogical charts, historical summaries, and a glossary of proper names. Buy beowulf limited edition numbered and signed by the author limited ed 300 by heaney, seamus isbn. The official designation is british library, cotton vitellius a. He received a degree in english from queens college in belfast in 1961. The story of beowulf is a timeless tale that many people have heard before. The volume as it was bound in the 17th century contains two manuscripts. The reformed nowell codex and the beowulf manuscript volume 46 kevin kiernan.
Its narrative elements may belong to a previous age but as a work of art it lives in its own continuous. Beowulf then ventures into her cave under a lake, and engages in fierce combat with grendels mother. Lichfield was not dissolved during the reformation and undoubtedly kept some of its books. The full poem survives in the manuscript known as the nowell codex, located in the. Historical appendices include related legends, stories, and religious writings from both christian and anglosaxon traditions. Alexis began selfpublishing his kid beowulf comic series through ambitionlexpress.
The nowell codex is the second of two manuscripts comprising the bound volume cotton ms vitellius a xv, one of the four major anglosaxon poetic manuscripts. Francis barton gummere translates this beautiful poem. More than one hundred fullpage illustrationsviking warships, chain mail, lyres, spearheads, even a reconstruction of the great hallmake visible beowulfs world and the elemental themes of his story. Beowulf follows three prose works in the nowell codex and precedes the poem.
The manuscript, known as the nowell codex offsite link. List of books and articles about beowulf online research. In addition to this, it contains first a fragment of the life of saint christopher, then the more complete texts wonders of the east and letters of. Beowulf is a narrative meditation in traditional old english alliterative verse on. He sought of himself who sorely did harm him, but, for need very pressing, the servant of one of the sons of the heroes hateblows evaded, 5 seeking for shelter and the sindriven warrior took refuge within there. It is most famous as the manuscript containing the unique copy of the epic poem beowulf. Find evidence in lines 173198 to indicate that beowulf. Beowulf is admired by all of the other characters, with the exception of the monsters. It is one of the most important works of old english literature. The southwick codex including old english adaptations of augustine of hippo, soliloquia, the. Hrothgar, the king of the danes, knows something must be done to stop grendel. The reformed nowell codex and the beowulf manuscript.
You may copy it, give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at. Studies in the monsters of the beowulf manuscript heritage 9780802085832. In the fight with the fire dragon, beowulfs weapons are portrayed as having. Project gutenberg offers 61,626 free ebooks to download. Beowulf limited edition numbered and signed by the. When he leaves, a trail of blood is all that remains. Tolkien also wrote a translation of beowulf, which has never been published. Beowulf translated by gummere beowulf prelude of the founder of the danish house lo, praise of the prowess of peoplekings of speararmed danes, in days long sped. At the great warriors funeral, wiglaf the protege and scaife the constant companion talk. This book is a highly accurate, new prose translation of the classic anglosaxon poem, beowulf. Xv because it was one of sir robert bruce cotton s holdings in the cotton library in the middle of the 17th century. Museum went about systematically repairing the books damaged by the fire. Josephs college in belfast the following year, he took a position at the school as an english teacher. Bearing the mead jug around the hall was hygd, haereths daughter, loved by the people, filling the offered cups with plenty.
Beowulf is the iconic work of literature in old english. As both beowulf and hygelac know, and the folk for whom the beowulf was put together also knew, froda was king of the heathobards probably the langobards, once near neighbors of angle and saxon tribes on the continent, and had fallen in fight with the danes. Beowulf is the first great english, anglosaxon, literary epic, chronicling a heros exploits as northern european clans teeter between christianity and the old religions. Beowulf, a geat, hears about this and decides he is going to be the hero and fight grendel. The story of heroic beowulf and his battles with the monster grendel and also with grendels mother not to mention the dragon is rather awesome. The poem called beowulf was composed some time between the middle of the seventh and the end of the tenth century of the first millennium, in the language that is today called anglosaxon or old english. It seems to me that orchard just decided to rename the nowell codex for beowulf, and he all but. Beowulf a new verse translation bilingual edition isbn. In spring 2008, the series will be relaunched with new artwork and storyline, through bowler hat comics.
Read xxxii the hoard and the dragon of beowulf by anonymous. The criticallyacclaimed beowulf trilogy collected in a single volume. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Ad by two scribes and preserved in the british library in the collection of sir robert cotton. Beowulf tells the story of a mysterious young warrior who saves the speardanes from the terrible monster grendel and his venomous mother. Beowulf goes out to battle monsters like grendel, grendels mother, and the firedrake in order to keep the people safe. Beowulf beowulf bawoolf, oldest english epic, probably composed in the early 8th cent. Most of the men flee for their lives while he fights for his. Seamus heaney was born in mossbawn, ireland on april, 1939.
Epics often center on a battle between good and evil. Beowulf and wiglaf travel to grendels mothers cave, where beowulf enters alone. The book to which price refers was thorkelins edition of beowulf, the first complete. Beowulf is the longest epic poem in old english, the language spoken in anglosaxon england before the norman conquest.
Irish poet seamus heaneywhose work engaged with the ironies and complications of tribalism and nationalismhad a deep respect for beowulf. Beowulf, is an epic poem about hrothgars castle in denmark that is harassed by a monster, grendel, for over 12 years. Beowulf translation by seamus heaney so many books. The electronic beowulf and digital restoration university of kentucky. Composed toward the end of the first millennium of our era, beowulf is the elegiac narrative of the adventures of beowulf, a scandinavian hero who saves the danes from the seemingly invincible monster grendel and, later, from grendels mother. A new telling essay and need some advice, post your robert nye essay question on our facebook page where fellow bookworms are always glad to help. He comes out of the darkness, moving in on his victims in deadly silence. The first folio of the heroic epic poem beowulf, written primarily in the west. Beowulf hall translation unknown, translated by john lesslie hall 1856 1928 the most famous piece of old english literature, beowulf was written by an unknown poet at least years ago and tells how the eponymous hero who is a great warrior defeats the monster grendel and his mother. It may be the oldest surviving long poem in old english and is commonly cited as one of the most important works of old english literature. The beowulf story was a noticeable influence on tolkiens later works the hobbit and the lord of the rings trilogy. First page of the unique manuscript of beowulf in the british library cotton ms vitellius a xv. The greatest and most important of the anglosaxon epic poems, the 1200yearold beowulf is one of the earliest pieces of literature in the english language.
Niles, a scholar of old english, brings heaneys remarkable, bestselling translation to life. The southwick codex including old english adaptations of augustine of. An hour later, i sat with scaife by my side, watching the funeral boat drift out to sea, burning brightly, the flames having caught the sweet oils drenching beowulfs shroud. There is a possibility that beowulf, because of his age, is not as powerful as he needs to be in order to defeat the dragon. Beowulf sat there among his own, a survivor of battle amidst veterans, kin with kin, once the lord there had graciously greeted him with singing tones and great words. The nowell codex is the second of two manuscripts comprising the bound volume cotton ms. The main character, beowulf, proves himself a hero as he battles against supernatural demons and beasts. Translated from the heynesocin text by lesslie hall language. Beowulf was composed by an anonymous anglosaxon poet. A monster, grendel, has descended on heorot, mead hall of king hrothgar, bringing death and chaos for 12 years.