Beowulf

Beowulf, the great Old English heroic poem, recounts the exploits of its Geatish protagonist as he battles the monster Grendel, Grendel's vengeful mother, and, in old age, a ravaging dragon. Composed in alliterative verse and preserved in a single medieval manuscript, the poem fuses Germanic legend, aristocratic warrior ethics, and Christian moral reflection. Its richly formulaic diction, intricat...