This is a retelling of the ancient Beowulf epic in poetic form. I read this for school, but it didn't feel like school at all. It's a great tale of heroic deeds (usually monster slaying) and life in the Dark Ages. The examples of the comitatus system in it were fascinating. (The comitatus system is the relationship between a lord and his knights who do his services in return for rewards. Think King Arthur and the Knights of The Round Table.)

Many of the founders of the fantasy genre (Tolkien, Lewis, etc.) found inspiration in Beowulf. Indeed, Tolkien actually copied a lot of it in his tales especially when it comes to the dragon. If you've ever read The Lord of The Rings you'll probably find yourself picking out all the similarities

In this epic you follow the adventures of Beowulf prince of the Geats who is gifted with super human strength. He earns his honor by slaying the great beast Grendel who has been terrorizing the Danish king. He eventually becomes king and has a long and prosperous rule before he dies (spoiler alert! ) in a great battle against an angry dragon.

How fantastical it was. It was way different than the Iliad or the Odyssey that take place in the Mediterranean. This book takes place in Northern Europe which gives it more of a fantasy rather than mythology feel.

The poetic from was a little hard to read especially with all the Old English words, but it was still enjoyable. If you are not familiar with the story I would suggest you start by reading a prose version before tackling the poem.

It's a great piece of ancient literature and the oldest surviving epic in a Germanic language. Going through life without reading it is like never reading at all.

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Created Jan 29, 2015 at 1:52pm • Submit your own review...