home.social

#beowulf — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #beowulf, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Two Words, Three Sources, Four Generations: How I Built The Wergild

    A novel can be assembled inside the space between two words, provided the words are old enough and the space between them has never closed. The oldest components of The Wergild are a pair of terms from early English and Germanic law. The first is the title itself: the wergild was the man-price, the payment a killer or the killer's kin owed to the family of the killed, scaled to the standing of the dead, the settlement that closed a feud and kept grief from multiplying into graves. Beside it sat morð, the old law's name for a killing done in secret and left unacknowledged, the one category of death the whole system could never settle, since no price can change hands until the killer has a name. Every law that promises repayment carries a shadow clause for the debt it cannot collect. I built the novel inside that shadow, and every other component was chosen for how much load it could carry there. […]

    bolesblogs.com/2026/07/07/two-

  2. Two Words, Three Sources, Four Generations: How I Built The Wergild

    A novel can be assembled inside the space between two words, provided the words are old enough and the space between them has never closed. The oldest components of The Wergild are a pair of terms from early English and Germanic law. The first is the title itself: the wergild was the man-price, the payment a killer or the killer's kin owed to the family of the killed, scaled to the standing of the dead, the settlement that closed a feud and kept grief from multiplying into graves. Beside it sat morð, the old law's name for a killing done in secret and left unacknowledged, the one category of death the whole system could never settle, since no price can change hands until the killer has a name. Every law that promises repayment carries a shadow clause for the debt it cannot collect. I built the novel inside that shadow, and every other component was chosen for how much load it could carry there. […]

    bolesblogs.com/2026/07/07/two-

  3. Two Words, Three Sources, Four Generations: How I Built The Wergild

    A novel can be assembled inside the space between two words, provided the words are old enough and the space between them has never closed. The oldest components of The Wergild are a pair of terms from early English and Germanic law. The first is the title itself: the wergild was the man-price, the payment a killer or the killer's kin owed to the family of the killed, scaled to the standing of the dead, the settlement that closed a feud and kept grief from multiplying into graves. Beside it sat morð, the old law's name for a killing done in secret and left unacknowledged, the one category of death the whole system could never settle, since no price can change hands until the killer has a name. Every law that promises repayment carries a shadow clause for the debt it cannot collect. I built the novel inside that shadow, and every other component was chosen for how much load it could carry there. […]

    bolesblogs.com/2026/07/07/two-

  4. Two Words, Three Sources, Four Generations: How I Built The Wergild

    A novel can be assembled inside the space between two words, provided the words are old enough and the space between them has never closed. The oldest components of The Wergild are a pair of terms from early English and Germanic law. The first is the title itself: the wergild was the man-price, the payment a killer or the killer's kin owed to the family of the killed, scaled to the standing of the dead, the settlement that closed a feud and kept grief from multiplying into graves. Beside it sat morð, the old law's name for a killing done in secret and left unacknowledged, the one category of death the whole system could never settle, since no price can change hands until the killer has a name. Every law that promises repayment carries a shadow clause for the debt it cannot collect. I built the novel inside that shadow, and every other component was chosen for how much load it could carry there. […]

    bolesblogs.com/2026/07/07/two-

  5. Two Words, Three Sources, Four Generations: How I Built The Wergild

    A novel can be assembled inside the space between two words, provided the words are old enough and the space between them has never closed. The oldest components of The Wergild are a pair of terms from early English and Germanic law. The first is the title itself: the wergild was the man-price, the payment a killer or the killer's kin owed to the family of the killed, scaled to the standing of the dead, the settlement that closed a feud and kept grief from multiplying into graves. Beside it sat morð, the old law's name for a killing done in secret and left unacknowledged, the one category of death the whole system could never settle, since no price can change hands until the killer has a name. Every law that promises repayment carries a shadow clause for the debt it cannot collect. I built the novel inside that shadow, and every other component was chosen for how much load it could carry there. […]

    bolesblogs.com/2026/07/07/two-

  6. This is fantastic www.youtube.com/live/2WcIK_8... #beowulf #benjaminbagby

    Beowulf: The Epic in Performan...

  7. Hwæt! The first victim of propaganda? Grendel. I bet the only reason he attacked Heorot was because King Hroðgar & his #AngloSaxon warrior-tech-bros displaced Grendel and his mum from their own land, then demonised them, just so that they could build an AI data centre.

    #Beowulf #OldEnglish

  8. Hwæt! The first victim of propaganda? Grendel. I bet the only reason he attacked Heorot was because King Hroðgar & his #AngloSaxon warrior-tech-bros displaced Grendel and his mum from their own land, then demonised them, just so that they could build an AI data centre.

    #Beowulf #OldEnglish

  9. RE: meow.social/@Wolf_Baginski/116

    Speaking of BEOWULF, Maria D. Headley's translation is my favorite. Her opener:

    "Bro! Tell me we still know how to speak of kings!"

    😄

    ICYMI, the name "Beowulf" ultimately derives from Proto-Indo-European words that could mean "Danger in the Growing" or "Evil in the Becoming."

    #Beowulf
    #etymology
    #linguistics
    #ProtoIndoEuropean
    #HittiteLanguage

  10. RE: meow.social/@Wolf_Baginski/116

    Speaking of BEOWULF, Maria D. Headley's translation is my favorite. Her opener:

    "Bro! Tell me we still know how to speak of kings!"

    😄

    ICYMI, the name "Beowulf" ultimately derives from Proto-Indo-European words that could mean "Danger in the Growing" or "Evil in the Becoming."

    #Beowulf
    #etymology
    #linguistics
    #ProtoIndoEuropean
    #HittiteLanguage

  11. After a long work day with mostly #AI related stuff now back to the podcast on the newest development in #Beowulf research yay! #weAreNerds

    grimfrost.com/pages/grimfrost-

  12. After a long work day with mostly #AI related stuff now back to the podcast on the newest development in #Beowulf research yay! #weAreNerds

    grimfrost.com/pages/grimfrost-

  13. Wolf-boy and Grinder: The audio version

    I promised to record audio of my translated passages from Beowulf, and I have. As a bonus, I’ve also recorded the introduction in the original version, for those who want to have an idea of how Old English was pronounced. (I have not recorded the full fight scene in Old English, because pretty much no one’s going to listen to seven and a half minutes of a language they don’t understand.) Here they are!

    #audio #Beowulf #translation
  14. Wolf-boy and Grinder: The audio version

    I promised to record audio of my translated passages from Beowulf, and I have. As a bonus, I’ve also recorded the introduction in the original version, for those who want to have an idea of how Old English was pronounced. (I have not recorded the full fight scene in Old English, because pretty much no one’s going to listen to seven and a half minutes of a language they don’t understand.) Here they are!

    #audio #Beowulf #translation
  15. #beowulf a tale born from shadows that thrives on shadows, tugging on the flashes of light of the ancient imagination to bring forth...a puppet show. youtube.com/watch?v=V17UE8Eb6u0

  16. #beowulf a tale born from shadows that thrives on shadows, tugging on the flashes of light of the ancient imagination to bring forth...a puppet show. youtube.com/watch?v=V17UE8Eb6u0

  17. Wolf-boy versus Grinder (the Bow Valley Beowulf)

    tl;dr: I’ve translated the intro to Beowulf and the fight scene between Beowulf and Grendel into modern rural Western Canadian English, complete with lots of rude language. Why? Because I wanted to. Here it is.

    Slightly longer introduction: 

    Some time ago, I was thinking about the famous opening of Beowulf (“Hwæt!”), and how it gets translated. And I considered that people are always advised to translate into their native idiom. Well, in my native idiom – the dirtbag vernacular of the Bow Valley in Alberta – it could be “Fucken A!” (also sometimes written “Fuckin’ eh!” but that’s an argument for another time). 

    So, for fun, starting with that and in that style, I translated the first 19 lines of Beowulf. I left it at that for some time, with the intention of translating more eventually. Well, I’ve now translated the fight scene between Beowulf and Grendel – or, in my translation, Wolf-boy and Grinder (see the end for notes on my translations of names). And, because it’s a gleefully crude translation, revelling in the potential of English strong language, I’m presenting it here on Strong Language.

    Translations of Beowulf tend to be almost strainingly literary, sometimes to the point of prissiness. Well, fuck that. This is a violent, earthy story, told not in studied rhymes or in blank iambs but in the rough-and-tumble alliterative verse that was popular among the Anglo-Saxons of more than a millennium ago. And it’s clear that what the poet chose to say was importantly conditioned by the sound and impact of the verse. So I’ve taken that as a prime directive: translate as accurately as reasonably possible (with the help of a decent Old English dictionary and my own education in the language), adapt as necessary to modern English grammar and idiom, prioritize the mood, tone, and general thrust over the exact literal meaning, use wordplays as available, and above all, don’t fuck up the sound. (If you want a reasonably accurate – though starchy – literal rendition, interlinear with the original, Representative Poetry Online has one.)

    Because we’re all fucking nerds here, I’m including the original text as well. But I can’t do it side-by-side – it would barely fit, and not at all on a phone screen – and I don’t want to do it as a strict interlinear, because that’s a nuisance and is too scholarly for this. Instead, I’m putting a block of the original in right-align (because our template doesn’t make block indent easy), followed by a block of the translation, and so on. If I have time soon, I’ll post recordings of these.

    Let’s start with the opening!

    Hwæt. We Gardena in geardagum,
    þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,
    hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.

    Fucken A! We fighting Danes
    have epic tales of kings and clans,
    how righteous dudes did righteous deeds.

    Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
    monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah,
    egsode eorlas. Syððan ærest wearð
    feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad,
    weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah,
    oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra
    ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
    gomban gyldan. þæt wæs god cyning.

    Shove’s son, Shield, shot shit, kicked ass,
    busted benches in wicked bar brawls,
    duked the earls. His early years
    were poor as dirt, but he paid his dues,
    made it big, beat the bank,
    till he was the baddest man in town,
    and even across the pond they paid
    him tribute. That was one true king!

    ðæm eafera wæs æfter cenned,
    geong in geardum, þone god sende
    folce to frofre; fyrenðearfe ongeat
    þe hie ær drugon aldorlease
    lange hwile. Him þæs liffrea,
    wuldres wealdend, woroldare forgeaf;
    Beowulf wæs breme blæd wide sprang,
    Scyldes eafera Scedelandum in.

    Then, of course, he had a kid,
    hell of a guy, gift from God,
    a helping hand in times of trouble
    cuz they’d been wandering in the woods
    for fucking ever. He fixed them up,
    the wonder-boy, and won their bows.
    Wolf-boy was famous: they knew his worth,
    this son of Shield, across the North.

    OK, let’s cut to the chase. I haven’t translated all of Beowulf yet, because that would take a lot of time (it’s 3182 lines) and I’ll only do it if someone actually wants to publish it. But the most famous part of the story is the fight between Grendel and Beowulf in the mead-hall, lines 702 to 863. Here it is – LFG!

    Com on wanre niht 
    scriðan sceadugenga. Sceotend swæfon, 
    þa þæt hornreced healdan scoldon, 
    ealle buton anum. þæt wæs yldum cuþ 
    þæt hie ne moste, þa metod nolde, 
    se scynscaþa under sceadu bregdan; 

    At zero-dark-thirty
    the slimebag slid up. Soldiers slept
    instead of guarding the gabled pub—
    well, except one. The whole world knew
    the demon couldn’t drag him down
    into the grave if God said no.

    ac he wæccende wraþum on andan 
    bad bolgenmod beadwa geþinges. 
    ða com of more under misthleoþum 
    Grendel gongan, godes yrre bær; 
    mynte se manscaða manna cynnes 
    sumne besyrwan in sele þam hean. 

    But he was awake, and wicked angry,
    pissed but patient to settle the score.
    Then from the swamps under sweaty dark
    Grinder goes, wearing God’s anger;
    the bastard planned to break in and bag
    some human bodies in the big house.

    Wod under wolcnum to þæs þe he winreced, 
    goldsele gumena, gearwost wisse, 
    fættum fahne. Ne wæs þæt forma sið 
    þæt he Hroþgares ham gesohte; 
    næfre he on aldordagum ær ne siþðan 
    heardran hæle, healðegnas fand. 

    He slouched under the sky until he saw
    the golden door gleaming in the dark,
    full of fat. It wasn’t the first time
    he’d raided Roger’s residence,
    but never on any other night of his life
    did he hit such a horde of healthy heroes.

    Com þa to recede rinc siðian, 
    dreamum bedæled. Duru sona onarn, 
    fyrbendum fæst, syþðan he hire folmum æthran; 
    onbræd þa bealohydig, ða he gebolgen wæs, 
    recedes muþan. Raþe æfter þon 

    Buddy broke into the building then,
    in a shit mood. He shoved the door
    wide with his fist, fuck the iron bolts,
    swung it back like a sonofabitch
    and marched into the mouth of the mighty house.

    on fagne flor feond treddode, 
    eode yrremod; him of eagum stod 
    ligge gelicost leoht unfæger. 
    Geseah he in recede rinca manige, 
    swefan sibbegedriht samod ætgædere, 
    magorinca heap. þa his mod ahlog; 

    He traipsed on the tiles—that shit’s not cheap—
    loaded with loathing, and if looks could kill,
    his eyes would blast the buggers with lightning.
    He saw in the dark dozens of dudes,
    brothers in arms, boys and buds,
    fast asleep. Then the fucker chuckled

    mynte þæt he gedælde, ærþon dæg cwome, 
    atol aglæca, anra gehwylces 
    lif wið lice, þa him alumpen wæs 
    wistfylle wen. Ne wæs þæt wyrd þa gen 
    þæt he ma moste manna cynnes 
    ðicgean ofer þa niht. þryðswyð beheold 
    mæg Higelaces, hu se manscaða 
    under færgripum gefaran wolde. 

    because he reckoned, before the rooster rose,
    he’d rip each one—the rotten wretch—
    life from limb. He was looking forward
    to murder, that monster. But God almighty
    knew he’d never break another body
    after that soiree. Staring silently,
    Booty-brain’s kinsman clocked the creep,
    to see how he’d do in a dirty dust-up.

    Ne þæt se aglæca yldan þohte, 
    ac he gefeng hraðe forman siðe 
    slæpendne rinc, slat unwearnum, 
    bat banlocan, blod edrum dranc, 
    synsnædum swealh; sona hæfde 
    unlyfigendes eal gefeormod, 
    fet ond folma. Forð near ætstop, 
    nam þa mid handa higeþihtigne 
    rinc on ræste, ræhte ongean 
    feond mid folme; he onfeng hraþe 
    inwitþancum ond wið earm gesæt. 

    The hellraiser hardly held back a moment,
    but started by snatching a sleeping fighter
    right away and ripped him wildly,
    bit his bones and drank his blood,
    gobbled him greedily—goddamn fast,
    he crunched the corpse completely, clean
    from feet to fingers. Following that,
    he reached his hand and hit a hearty
    resting soldier, so he started
    to grab him—but guess who grabbed him first
    all of a sudden and sat right up.

    Sona þæt onfunde fyrena hyrde 
    þæt he ne mette middangeardes, 
    eorþan sceata, on elran men 
    mundgripe maran. He on mode wearð 
    forht on ferhðe; no þy ær fram meahte. 
    Hyge wæs him hinfus, wolde on heolster fleon, 
    secan deofla gedræg; ne wæs his drohtoð þær 
    swylce he on ealderdagum ær gemette. 

    Holy shit, that hell-hound thought,
    I’ve never met, in this mad, mad world,
    a goddamn grip on any guy
    as fierce as this. Fuck, he was freaked,
    and had to haul ass—like that would happen.
    He badly wanted to bail, go back
    to his demon hole; he had no hope
    of getting what he got in his glory days.

    Gemunde þa se goda, mæg Higelaces, 
    æfenspræce, uplang astod 
    ond him fæste wiðfeng; fingras burston. 
    Eoten wæs utweard; eorl furþur stop. 
    Mynte se mæra, þær he meahte swa, 
    widre gewindan ond on weg þanon 
    fleon on fenhopu; wiste his fingra geweald 
    on grames grapum. þæt wæs geocor sið 
    þæt se hearmscaþa to Heorute ateah. 

    Then Booty-brain’s boy brought back to mind
    his banquet boast and bounced to his feet
    and held him hard to break his hand.
    The giant jumped away; our hero held close.
    The evil shithead sure was eager
    to fuck right off and run far away
    back to the bog, but boy, his fingers
    were’t going anywhere. God, what an idiot
    he was to stage such a raid on Stag Hall.

    Dryhtsele dynede; Denum eallum wearð, 
    ceasterbuendum, cenra gehwylcum, 
    eorlum ealuscerwen. Yrre wæron begen, 
    reþe renweardas. Reced hlynsode. 
    þa wæs wundor micel þæt se winsele 
    wiðhæfde heaþodeorum, þæt he on hrusan ne feol, 
    fæger foldbold; ac he þæs fæste wæs 
    innan ond utan irenbendum 
    searoþoncum besmiþod. þær fram sylle abeag 
    medubenc monig, mine gefræge, 
    golde geregnad, þær þa graman wunnon. 

    And now there was howling from hungover Danes,
    dudes from the castle and kids from the clan,
    lords no longer drunk. And look,
    the watchmen were wild! What a racket!
    You could hardly believe they built this house
    strong enough to withstand the struggle,
    so fucken fiece, but it held fast,
    bound with iron bands both sides,
    brilliantly made. But man, those benches
    were smashing to splinters and flying like feathers 
    —even the gold ones, swear to God—

    þæs ne wendon ær witan Scyldinga 
    þæt hit a mid gemete manna ænig, 
    betlic ond banfag, tobrecan meahte, 
    listum tolucan, nymþe liges fæþm 
    swulge on swaþule. Sweg up astag 
    niwe geneahhe; Norðdenum stod 
    atelic egesa, anra gehwylcum 
    þara þe of wealle wop gehyrdon, 
    gryreleoð galan godes ondsacan, 
    sigeleasne sang, sar wanigean 
    helle hæfton. Heold hine fæste 
    se þe manna wæs mægene strengest 
    on þæm dæge þysses lifes. 

    that battle was grim. But Shield’s guys built
    the house so well no human would
    ever blow its bone-covered beauty,
    not even with trying, unless they torched it
    in a ball of smoke. Now, boy, that sound
    was deafening: the northern Danes
    were shitting themselves, every last one,
    when they heard the wailing through the walls,
    the horrible howling of God’s biggest hater,
    the loser’s lament, the sorry song
    of hell’s worst hostage. Holding tight
    was the man who was mightier than any other
    walking the world on that one day.

    Nolde eorla hleo ænige þinga 
    þone cwealmcuman cwicne forlætan, 
    ne his lifdagas leoda ænigum 
    nytte tealde. þær genehost brægd 
    eorl Beowulfes ealde lafe, 
    wolde freadrihtnes feorh ealgian, 
    mæres þeodnes, ðær hie meahton swa. 

    And the earls’ guardians were not gonna
    let this burglar be among the breathing,
    or let him end up anywhere other
    than the shit heap. Now, unsheathing
    well-used blades, Wolf-boy’s buds
    went to defend their worthy dude,
    their king of cool, if they ever could.

    Hie þæt ne wiston, þa hie gewin drugon, 
    heardhicgende hildemecgas, 
    ond on healfa gehwone heawan þohton, 
    sawle secan, þone synscaðan 
    ænig ofer eorþan irenna cyst, 
    guðbilla nan, gretan nolde, 
    ac he sigewæpnum forsworen hæfde, 
    ecga gehwylcre. Scolde his aldorgedal 
    on ðæm dæge þysses lifes 
    earmlic wurðan, ond se ellorgast 
    on feonda geweald feor siðian. 

    They had no idea, as they headed to fight,
    these fearless heroes and hearty henchmen,
    circling the scum to slice him to ribbons
    and send his soul seeping down to hell,
    that even the best iron blade on earth
    couldn’t do fuck-all to fight this foe,
    since he had spells that kept him safe
    from any edge. And yet the end
    of all the hours he’d lived on earth
    had to be horrible, and his hateful soul
    was bound to the fire kept burning for fiends.

    ða þæt onfunde se þe fela æror 
    modes myrðe manna cynne, 
    fyrene gefremede he wæs fag wið god, 
    þæt him se lichoma læstan nolde, 
    ac hine se modega mæg Hygelaces 
    hæfde be honda; wæs gehwæþer oðrum 
    lifigende lað. Licsar gebad 
    atol æglæca; him on eaxle wearð 
    syndolh sweotol, seonowe onsprungon, 
    burston banlocan. Beowulfe wearð 
    guðhreð gyfeþe; scolde Grendel þonan 
    feorhseoc fleon under fenhleoðu, 
    secean wynleas wic; wiste þe geornor 
    þæt his aldres wæs ende gegongen, 
    dogera dægrim. Denum eallum wearð 
    æfter þam wælræse willa gelumpen. 

    Fast enough this fuckhead found—
    whose heart was twisted with hate for humans,
    who committed crimes while cursing God—
    that his muscles might not make it,
    because Booty-brain’s brawny kinsman
    had him in hand—and how they hated
    each other’s guts. And now, goddamn,
    he was gonna die. Ah, shit, his shoulder
    was wrecked, alright. His sinews ripped,
    his bone-locks blew. Wolf-boy beat
    him gloriously. Grinder was gone
    like a bat out of hell to his boggy hole,
    his shitty shack; he sure enough knew
    his ass was grass, his grave was dug,
    his days were done. The Danes had all,
    after that bloodbath, won the bonus.

    Hæfde þa gefælsod se þe ær feorran com, 
    snotor ond swyðferhð, sele Hroðgares, 
    genered wið niðe; nihtweorce gefeh, 
    ellenmærþum. Hæfde Eastdenum 
    Geatmecga leod gilp gelæsted, 
    swylce oncyþðe ealle gebette, 
    inwidsorge, þe hie ær drugon 
    ond for þreanydum þolian scoldon, 
    torn unlytel. þæt wæs tacen sweotol, 
    syþðan hildedeor hond alegde, 
    earm ond eaxle þær wæs eal geador 
    Grendles grape under geapne hrof. 

    The welcome guest, gutsy and wise,
    had purged the pest from Roger’s place
    and left it like new. His wicked night’s work
    was fit for fame. The East Danes found
    the Goth made good on his glorious boast,
    fixed the fuckery, healed the hurt,
    the goddamn grief that had given them
    for fucking ever fear and frustration,
    pain a-plenty. And for proof,
    their healthy hero gave them a hand
    —and arm and shoulder, the whole shot,
    Grinder’s grip, under the gabled roof.

    ða wæs on morgen mine gefræge 
    ymb þa gifhealle guðrinc monig; 
    ferdon folctogan feorran ond nean 
    geond widwegas wundor sceawian, 
    laþes lastas. No his lifgedal 
    sarlic þuhte secga ænegum 
    þara þe tirleases trode sceawode, 
    hu he werigmod on weg þanon, 
    niða ofercumen, on nicera mere 
    fæge ond geflymed feorhlastas bær. 

    Many a morning, as I remember,
    guys would gather in that good house,
    folk-heroes welcomed from far and wide,
    hitting the highways to see the hell-hound’s
    farewell to arm. No one gave a fuck
    for the sore loser—literally—at his end
    as he shuffled, eating shit,
    heavy-hearted, heading home,
    badly beaten, bleeding out,
    dragging red all down the road.

    ðær wæs on blode brim weallende, 
    atol yða geswing eal gemenged 
    haton heolfre, heorodreore weol. 
    Deaðfæge deog, siððan dreama leas 
    in fenfreoðo feorh alegde, 
    hæþene sawle; þær him hel onfeng. 

    They followed and found a frothy pool,
    a sickening surf sloshing around,
    gross with gore, a bath of blood,
    above the body of the joyless bastard
    who breathed his last in that lousy bog,
    whose heathen soul was hauled to hell.

    þanon eft gewiton ealdgesiðas, 
    swylce geong manig of gomenwaþe 
    fram mere modge mearum ridan, 
    beornas on blancum. ðær wæs Beowulfes 
    mærðo mæned; monig oft gecwæð 
    þætte suð ne norð be sæm tweonum 
    ofer eormengrund oþer nænig 
    under swegles begong selra nære 
    rondhæbbendra, rices wyrðra. 
    Ne hie huru winedrihten wiht ne logon, 
    glædne Hroðgar, ac þæt wæs god cyning. 

    The comrades in arms then came along
    with all the young dudes, a delightful day,
    riding white horses all the way home
    back from the bog. Their buddy Wolf-boy
    they said was the best; they made this boast,
    that from sea to sea and south to north
    no one on earth had ever earned
    such worthy glory, as God was their witness,
    and frankly this fighter just fucking ruled.
    Of course, that’s no shade shed on their chief,
    the kindly Roger—he was a righteous king.

    Notes on translation of names:

    Beowulf = Wolf-boy. Wulf means ‘wolf’; the beo is less certain, could be ‘bee’, could be something else. Whatever. I like Wolf-boy.

    Grendel = Grinder. There are various ideas about the origin of Grendel, and one of them is that it comes from ‘grinder’, which I like and think fits well here.

    Heorot = Stag Hall. Literally heorot means ‘hart, stag’; I just added Hall to specify that it’s a place, as we would now. Sounds good too.

    Hroþgar = Roger. The name Hroþgar literally means ‘glory-spear’ but it’s also the source of the name Roger, which I think is a good name and has some other meanings too.

    Hygelac = Booty-brain. This one might piss some people off, but hyge means ‘mind, mood, thought, desire’ and lac means ‘gift, offering, sacrifice, booty’. This could have been Thought-gift but come on. We’re in fucking Exshaw, Alberta, Canada, here now.

    Sceafa = Shove. You see this name in Scefing, which means ‘descendant of Sceafa’. Sceafa (which was said sort of like “shave-a”) probably meant ‘sheaf’, but I liked the sound of Shove and anyway, he’s not really important here.

    Scyld = Shield. This is a literal translation, and the words are even pronounced almost identically (except the y in Scyld is like “ü”).

    #AngloSaxon #Beowulf #OldEnglish #translation
  18. Wolf-boy versus Grinder (the Bow Valley Beowulf)

    tl;dr: I’ve translated the intro to Beowulf and the fight scene between Beowulf and Grendel into modern rural Western Canadian English, complete with lots of rude language. Why? Because I wanted to. Here it is.

    Slightly longer introduction: 

    Some time ago, I was thinking about the famous opening of Beowulf (“Hwæt!”), and how it gets translated. And I considered that people are always advised to translate into their native idiom. Well, in my native idiom – the dirtbag vernacular of the Bow Valley in Alberta – it could be “Fucken A!” (also sometimes written “Fuckin’ eh!” but that’s an argument for another time). 

    So, for fun, starting with that and in that style, I translated the first 19 lines of Beowulf. I left it at that for some time, with the intention of translating more eventually. Well, I’ve now translated the fight scene between Beowulf and Grendel – or, in my translation, Wolf-boy and Grinder (see the end for notes on my translations of names). And, because it’s a gleefully crude translation, revelling in the potential of English strong language, I’m presenting it here on Strong Language.

    Translations of Beowulf tend to be almost strainingly literary, sometimes to the point of prissiness. Well, fuck that. This is a violent, earthy story, told not in studied rhymes or in blank iambs but in the rough-and-tumble alliterative verse that was popular among the Anglo-Saxons of more than a millennium ago. And it’s clear that what the poet chose to say was importantly conditioned by the sound and impact of the verse. So I’ve taken that as a prime directive: translate as accurately as reasonably possible (with the help of a decent Old English dictionary and my own education in the language), adapt as necessary to modern English grammar and idiom, prioritize the mood, tone, and general thrust over the exact literal meaning, use wordplays as available, and above all, don’t fuck up the sound. (If you want a reasonably accurate – though starchy – literal rendition, interlinear with the original, Representative Poetry Online has one.)

    Because we’re all fucking nerds here, I’m including the original text as well. But I can’t do it side-by-side – it would barely fit, and not at all on a phone screen – and I don’t want to do it as a strict interlinear, because that’s a nuisance and is too scholarly for this. Instead, I’m putting a block of the original in right-align (because our template doesn’t make block indent easy), followed by a block of the translation, and so on. If I have time soon, I’ll post recordings of these.

    Let’s start with the opening!

    Hwæt. We Gardena in geardagum,
    þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,
    hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.

    Fucken A! We fighting Danes
    have epic tales of kings and clans,
    how righteous dudes did righteous deeds.

    Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
    monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah,
    egsode eorlas. Syððan ærest wearð
    feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad,
    weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah,
    oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra
    ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
    gomban gyldan. þæt wæs god cyning.

    Shove’s son, Shield, shot shit, kicked ass,
    busted benches in wicked bar brawls,
    duked the earls. His early years
    were poor as dirt, but he paid his dues,
    made it big, beat the bank,
    till he was the baddest man in town,
    and even across the pond they paid
    him tribute. That was one true king!

    ðæm eafera wæs æfter cenned,
    geong in geardum, þone god sende
    folce to frofre; fyrenðearfe ongeat
    þe hie ær drugon aldorlease
    lange hwile. Him þæs liffrea,
    wuldres wealdend, woroldare forgeaf;
    Beowulf wæs breme blæd wide sprang,
    Scyldes eafera Scedelandum in.

    Then, of course, he had a kid,
    hell of a guy, gift from God,
    a helping hand in times of trouble
    cuz they’d been wandering in the woods
    for fucking ever. He fixed them up,
    the wonder-boy, and won their bows.
    Wolf-boy was famous: they knew his worth,
    this son of Shield, across the North.

    OK, let’s cut to the chase. I haven’t translated all of Beowulf yet, because that would take a lot of time (it’s 3182 lines) and I’ll only do it if someone actually wants to publish it. But the most famous part of the story is the fight between Grendel and Beowulf in the mead-hall, lines 702 to 863. Here it is – LFG!

    Com on wanre niht 
    scriðan sceadugenga. Sceotend swæfon, 
    þa þæt hornreced healdan scoldon, 
    ealle buton anum. þæt wæs yldum cuþ 
    þæt hie ne moste, þa metod nolde, 
    se scynscaþa under sceadu bregdan; 

    At zero-dark-thirty
    the slimebag slid up. Soldiers slept
    instead of guarding the gabled pub—
    well, except one. The whole world knew
    the demon couldn’t drag him down
    into the grave if God said no.

    ac he wæccende wraþum on andan 
    bad bolgenmod beadwa geþinges. 
    ða com of more under misthleoþum 
    Grendel gongan, godes yrre bær; 
    mynte se manscaða manna cynnes 
    sumne besyrwan in sele þam hean. 

    But he was awake, and wicked angry,
    pissed but patient to settle the score.
    Then from the swamps under sweaty dark
    Grinder goes, wearing God’s anger;
    the bastard planned to break in and bag
    some human bodies in the big house.

    Wod under wolcnum to þæs þe he winreced, 
    goldsele gumena, gearwost wisse, 
    fættum fahne. Ne wæs þæt forma sið 
    þæt he Hroþgares ham gesohte; 
    næfre he on aldordagum ær ne siþðan 
    heardran hæle, healðegnas fand. 

    He slouched under the sky until he saw
    the golden door gleaming in the dark,
    full of fat. It wasn’t the first time
    he’d raided Roger’s residence,
    but never on any other night of his life
    did he hit such a horde of healthy heroes.

    Com þa to recede rinc siðian, 
    dreamum bedæled. Duru sona onarn, 
    fyrbendum fæst, syþðan he hire folmum æthran; 
    onbræd þa bealohydig, ða he gebolgen wæs, 
    recedes muþan. Raþe æfter þon 

    Buddy broke into the building then,
    in a shit mood. He shoved the door
    wide with his fist, fuck the iron bolts,
    swung it back like a sonofabitch
    and marched into the mouth of the mighty house.

    on fagne flor feond treddode, 
    eode yrremod; him of eagum stod 
    ligge gelicost leoht unfæger. 
    Geseah he in recede rinca manige, 
    swefan sibbegedriht samod ætgædere, 
    magorinca heap. þa his mod ahlog; 

    He traipsed on the tiles—that shit’s not cheap—
    loaded with loathing, and if looks could kill,
    his eyes would blast the buggers with lightning.
    He saw in the dark dozens of dudes,
    brothers in arms, boys and buds,
    fast asleep. Then the fucker chuckled

    mynte þæt he gedælde, ærþon dæg cwome, 
    atol aglæca, anra gehwylces 
    lif wið lice, þa him alumpen wæs 
    wistfylle wen. Ne wæs þæt wyrd þa gen 
    þæt he ma moste manna cynnes 
    ðicgean ofer þa niht. þryðswyð beheold 
    mæg Higelaces, hu se manscaða 
    under færgripum gefaran wolde. 

    because he reckoned, before the rooster rose,
    he’d rip each one—the rotten wretch—
    life from limb. He was looking forward
    to murder, that monster. But God almighty
    knew he’d never break another body
    after that soiree. Staring silently,
    Booty-brain’s kinsman clocked the creep,
    to see how he’d do in a dirty dust-up.

    Ne þæt se aglæca yldan þohte, 
    ac he gefeng hraðe forman siðe 
    slæpendne rinc, slat unwearnum, 
    bat banlocan, blod edrum dranc, 
    synsnædum swealh; sona hæfde 
    unlyfigendes eal gefeormod, 
    fet ond folma. Forð near ætstop, 
    nam þa mid handa higeþihtigne 
    rinc on ræste, ræhte ongean 
    feond mid folme; he onfeng hraþe 
    inwitþancum ond wið earm gesæt. 

    The hellraiser hardly held back a moment,
    but started by snatching a sleeping fighter
    right away and ripped him wildly,
    bit his bones and drank his blood,
    gobbled him greedily—goddamn fast,
    he crunched the corpse completely, clean
    from feet to fingers. Following that,
    he reached his hand and hit a hearty
    resting soldier, so he started
    to grab him—but guess who grabbed him first
    all of a sudden and sat right up.

    Sona þæt onfunde fyrena hyrde 
    þæt he ne mette middangeardes, 
    eorþan sceata, on elran men 
    mundgripe maran. He on mode wearð 
    forht on ferhðe; no þy ær fram meahte. 
    Hyge wæs him hinfus, wolde on heolster fleon, 
    secan deofla gedræg; ne wæs his drohtoð þær 
    swylce he on ealderdagum ær gemette. 

    Holy shit, that hell-hound thought,
    I’ve never met, in this mad, mad world,
    a goddamn grip on any guy
    as fierce as this. Fuck, he was freaked,
    and had to haul ass—like that would happen.
    He badly wanted to bail, go back
    to his demon hole; he had no hope
    of getting what he got in his glory days.

    Gemunde þa se goda, mæg Higelaces, 
    æfenspræce, uplang astod 
    ond him fæste wiðfeng; fingras burston. 
    Eoten wæs utweard; eorl furþur stop. 
    Mynte se mæra, þær he meahte swa, 
    widre gewindan ond on weg þanon 
    fleon on fenhopu; wiste his fingra geweald 
    on grames grapum. þæt wæs geocor sið 
    þæt se hearmscaþa to Heorute ateah. 

    Then Booty-brain’s boy brought back to mind
    his banquet boast and bounced to his feet
    and held him hard to break his hand.
    The giant jumped away; our hero held close.
    The evil shithead sure was eager
    to fuck right off and run far away
    back to the bog, but boy, his fingers
    were’t going anywhere. God, what an idiot
    he was to stage such a raid on Stag Hall.

    Dryhtsele dynede; Denum eallum wearð, 
    ceasterbuendum, cenra gehwylcum, 
    eorlum ealuscerwen. Yrre wæron begen, 
    reþe renweardas. Reced hlynsode. 
    þa wæs wundor micel þæt se winsele 
    wiðhæfde heaþodeorum, þæt he on hrusan ne feol, 
    fæger foldbold; ac he þæs fæste wæs 
    innan ond utan irenbendum 
    searoþoncum besmiþod. þær fram sylle abeag 
    medubenc monig, mine gefræge, 
    golde geregnad, þær þa graman wunnon. 

    And now there was howling from hungover Danes,
    dudes from the castle and kids from the clan,
    lords no longer drunk. And look,
    the watchmen were wild! What a racket!
    You could hardly believe they built this house
    strong enough to withstand the struggle,
    so fucken fiece, but it held fast,
    bound with iron bands both sides,
    brilliantly made. But man, those benches
    were smashing to splinters and flying like feathers 
    —even the gold ones, swear to God—

    þæs ne wendon ær witan Scyldinga 
    þæt hit a mid gemete manna ænig, 
    betlic ond banfag, tobrecan meahte, 
    listum tolucan, nymþe liges fæþm 
    swulge on swaþule. Sweg up astag 
    niwe geneahhe; Norðdenum stod 
    atelic egesa, anra gehwylcum 
    þara þe of wealle wop gehyrdon, 
    gryreleoð galan godes ondsacan, 
    sigeleasne sang, sar wanigean 
    helle hæfton. Heold hine fæste 
    se þe manna wæs mægene strengest 
    on þæm dæge þysses lifes. 

    that battle was grim. But Shield’s guys built
    the house so well no human would
    ever blow its bone-covered beauty,
    not even with trying, unless they torched it
    in a ball of smoke. Now, boy, that sound
    was deafening: the northern Danes
    were shitting themselves, every last one,
    when they heard the wailing through the walls,
    the horrible howling of God’s biggest hater,
    the loser’s lament, the sorry song
    of hell’s worst hostage. Holding tight
    was the man who was mightier than any other
    walking the world on that one day.

    Nolde eorla hleo ænige þinga 
    þone cwealmcuman cwicne forlætan, 
    ne his lifdagas leoda ænigum 
    nytte tealde. þær genehost brægd 
    eorl Beowulfes ealde lafe, 
    wolde freadrihtnes feorh ealgian, 
    mæres þeodnes, ðær hie meahton swa. 

    And the earls’ guardians were not gonna
    let this burglar be among the breathing,
    or let him end up anywhere other
    than the shit heap. Now, unsheathing
    well-used blades, Wolf-boy’s buds
    went to defend their worthy dude,
    their king of cool, if they ever could.

    Hie þæt ne wiston, þa hie gewin drugon, 
    heardhicgende hildemecgas, 
    ond on healfa gehwone heawan þohton, 
    sawle secan, þone synscaðan 
    ænig ofer eorþan irenna cyst, 
    guðbilla nan, gretan nolde, 
    ac he sigewæpnum forsworen hæfde, 
    ecga gehwylcre. Scolde his aldorgedal 
    on ðæm dæge þysses lifes 
    earmlic wurðan, ond se ellorgast 
    on feonda geweald feor siðian. 

    They had no idea, as they headed to fight,
    these fearless heroes and hearty henchmen,
    circling the scum to slice him to ribbons
    and send his soul seeping down to hell,
    that even the best iron blade on earth
    couldn’t do fuck-all to fight this foe,
    since he had spells that kept him safe
    from any edge. And yet the end
    of all the hours he’d lived on earth
    had to be horrible, and his hateful soul
    was bound to the fire kept burning for fiends.

    ða þæt onfunde se þe fela æror 
    modes myrðe manna cynne, 
    fyrene gefremede he wæs fag wið god, 
    þæt him se lichoma læstan nolde, 
    ac hine se modega mæg Hygelaces 
    hæfde be honda; wæs gehwæþer oðrum 
    lifigende lað. Licsar gebad 
    atol æglæca; him on eaxle wearð 
    syndolh sweotol, seonowe onsprungon, 
    burston banlocan. Beowulfe wearð 
    guðhreð gyfeþe; scolde Grendel þonan 
    feorhseoc fleon under fenhleoðu, 
    secean wynleas wic; wiste þe geornor 
    þæt his aldres wæs ende gegongen, 
    dogera dægrim. Denum eallum wearð 
    æfter þam wælræse willa gelumpen. 

    Fast enough this fuckhead found—
    whose heart was twisted with hate for humans,
    who committed crimes while cursing God—
    that his muscles might not make it,
    because Booty-brain’s brawny kinsman
    had him in hand—and how they hated
    each other’s guts. And now, goddamn,
    he was gonna die. Ah, shit, his shoulder
    was wrecked, alright. His sinews ripped,
    his bone-locks blew. Wolf-boy beat
    him gloriously. Grinder was gone
    like a bat out of hell to his boggy hole,
    his shitty shack; he sure enough knew
    his ass was grass, his grave was dug,
    his days were done. The Danes had all,
    after that bloodbath, won the bonus.

    Hæfde þa gefælsod se þe ær feorran com, 
    snotor ond swyðferhð, sele Hroðgares, 
    genered wið niðe; nihtweorce gefeh, 
    ellenmærþum. Hæfde Eastdenum 
    Geatmecga leod gilp gelæsted, 
    swylce oncyþðe ealle gebette, 
    inwidsorge, þe hie ær drugon 
    ond for þreanydum þolian scoldon, 
    torn unlytel. þæt wæs tacen sweotol, 
    syþðan hildedeor hond alegde, 
    earm ond eaxle þær wæs eal geador 
    Grendles grape under geapne hrof. 

    The welcome guest, gutsy and wise,
    had purged the pest from Roger’s place
    and left it like new. His wicked night’s work
    was fit for fame. The East Danes found
    the Goth made good on his glorious boast,
    fixed the fuckery, healed the hurt,
    the goddamn grief that had given them
    for fucking ever fear and frustration,
    pain a-plenty. And for proof,
    their healthy hero gave them a hand
    —and arm and shoulder, the whole shot,
    Grinder’s grip, under the gabled roof.

    ða wæs on morgen mine gefræge 
    ymb þa gifhealle guðrinc monig; 
    ferdon folctogan feorran ond nean 
    geond widwegas wundor sceawian, 
    laþes lastas. No his lifgedal 
    sarlic þuhte secga ænegum 
    þara þe tirleases trode sceawode, 
    hu he werigmod on weg þanon, 
    niða ofercumen, on nicera mere 
    fæge ond geflymed feorhlastas bær. 

    Many a morning, as I remember,
    guys would gather in that good house,
    folk-heroes welcomed from far and wide,
    hitting the highways to see the hell-hound’s
    farewell to arm. No one gave a fuck
    for the sore loser—literally—at his end
    as he shuffled, eating shit,
    heavy-hearted, heading home,
    badly beaten, bleeding out,
    dragging red all down the road.

    ðær wæs on blode brim weallende, 
    atol yða geswing eal gemenged 
    haton heolfre, heorodreore weol. 
    Deaðfæge deog, siððan dreama leas 
    in fenfreoðo feorh alegde, 
    hæþene sawle; þær him hel onfeng. 

    They followed and found a frothy pool,
    a sickening surf sloshing around,
    gross with gore, a bath of blood,
    above the body of the joyless bastard
    who breathed his last in that lousy bog,
    whose heathen soul was hauled to hell.

    þanon eft gewiton ealdgesiðas, 
    swylce geong manig of gomenwaþe 
    fram mere modge mearum ridan, 
    beornas on blancum. ðær wæs Beowulfes 
    mærðo mæned; monig oft gecwæð 
    þætte suð ne norð be sæm tweonum 
    ofer eormengrund oþer nænig 
    under swegles begong selra nære 
    rondhæbbendra, rices wyrðra. 
    Ne hie huru winedrihten wiht ne logon, 
    glædne Hroðgar, ac þæt wæs god cyning. 

    The comrades in arms then came along
    with all the young dudes, a delightful day,
    riding white horses all the way home
    back from the bog. Their buddy Wolf-boy
    they said was the best; they made this boast,
    that from sea to sea and south to north
    no one on earth had ever earned
    such worthy glory, as God was their witness,
    and frankly this fighter just fucking ruled.
    Of course, that’s no shade shed on their chief,
    the kindly Roger—he was a righteous king.

    Notes on translation of names:

    Beowulf = Wolf-boy. Wulf means ‘wolf’; the beo is less certain, could be ‘bee’, could be something else. Whatever. I like Wolf-boy.

    Grendel = Grinder. There are various ideas about the origin of Grendel, and one of them is that it comes from ‘grinder’, which I like and think fits well here.

    Heorot = Stag Hall. Literally heorot means ‘hart, stag’; I just added Hall to specify that it’s a place, as we would now. Sounds good too.

    Hroþgar = Roger. The name Hroþgar literally means ‘glory-spear’ but it’s also the source of the name Roger, which I think is a good name and has some other meanings too.

    Hygelac = Booty-brain. This one might piss some people off, but hyge means ‘mind, mood, thought, desire’ and lac means ‘gift, offering, sacrifice, booty’. This could have been Thought-gift but come on. We’re in fucking Exshaw, Alberta, Canada, here now.

    Sceafa = Shove. You see this name in Scefing, which means ‘descendant of Sceafa’. Sceafa (which was said sort of like “shave-a”) probably meant ‘sheaf’, but I liked the sound of Shove and anyway, he’s not really important here.

    Scyld = Shield. This is a literal translation, and the words are even pronounced almost identically (except the y in Scyld is like “ü”).

    #AngloSaxon #Beowulf #OldEnglish #translation
  19. C'est aujourd'hui la parution de la ré-édition format broché de #Beowulf : Traduction et commentaire de #Tolkien aux Éditions Christian #Bourgois ! 🐉

    Plus de détails, référence et liens de commande sont dispo sur notre fiche biblio 👉 tolkiendil.com/tolkien/biblio/

  20. C'est aujourd'hui la parution de la ré-édition format broché de #Beowulf : Traduction et commentaire de #Tolkien aux Éditions Christian #Bourgois ! 🐉

    Plus de détails, référence et liens de commande sont dispo sur notre fiche biblio 👉 tolkiendil.com/tolkien/biblio/

  21. Fun With Language: Literature in Translation

    Earlier this week I finished Maria Dahvana Headley's translation of Beowulf. It's a story I know well, having read various translations of the poem over the last couple decades. I loved her translation. There's a mix of modern language and archaic formalities. It's a translation you can feel the fun she had in writing it. In undergrad, I majored in Linguistics. Between high school and college, I studied five years of French, four years of Russian, and two years of Japanese. I'm absolute […]

    alexanderkeane.com/2026/04/14/

  22. Fun With Language: Literature in Translation

    Earlier this week I finished Maria Dahvana Headley's translation of Beowulf. It's a story I know well, having read various translations of the poem over the last couple decades. I loved her translation. There's a mix of modern language and archaic formalities. It's a translation you can feel the fun she had in writing it. In undergrad, I majored in Linguistics. Between high school and college, I studied five years of French, four years of Russian, and two years of Japanese. I'm absolute […]

    alexanderkeane.com/2026/04/14/

  23. Finished Maria Dahvana Headley's translation of Beowulf tonight. It scratches an itch for me in being a translation that tries to understand what the text tried to be to its original audience and to translate that to the new audience. Here, we have the boasting translated into a frat-boy-esque narration that totally works.

    (My favorite translation of Eugene Onegin is the Hofstadter one with little translation puns thrown in here and there.)

    #Bookstodon #Translation #Beowulf

  24. Finished Maria Dahvana Headley's translation of Beowulf tonight. It scratches an itch for me in being a translation that tries to understand what the text tried to be to its original audience and to translate that to the new audience. Here, we have the boasting translated into a frat-boy-esque narration that totally works.

    (My favorite translation of Eugene Onegin is the Hofstadter one with little translation puns thrown in here and there.)

    #Bookstodon #Translation #Beowulf

  25. Movie TV Tech Geeks #MovieNews #Beowulf #AlanRitchson #Fantasy 19 Years Later, Alan Ritchson’s Forgotten Fantasy Gem Is Officially Dominating on U.S. Streaming dlvr.it/TRg7pG

  26. Movie TV Tech Geeks #MovieNews #Beowulf #AlanRitchson #Fantasy 19 Years Later, Alan Ritchson’s Forgotten Fantasy Gem Is Officially Dominating on U.S. Streaming dlvr.it/TRg7pG

  27. After stops that took in the Bodleian Library complex and the Radcliffe Science Library, the last stop on the nostalgia tour was the British Library.

    (I wrote large chunks of my PhD thesis camped out there, back in the day.)

    It feels more important than ever to show appreciation for these wondrous and beautiful institutions.

    #nostalgia #oxford #london #library #magnacarta #firstfolio #beowulf

  28. @mjd Spear-shaped, as in "Gardena", the "spear-armed Danes" in the first line of . Not to be confused with the similar gear- in "geardagum" also in that line, meaning "days of yore" (yore/year-days)

  29. @mjd Spear-shaped, as in "Gardena", the "spear-armed Danes" in the first line of #Beowulf. Not to be confused with the similar gear- in "geardagum" also in that line, meaning "days of yore" (yore/year-days)

  30. FreeBSD cluster setup with total 24 cores is completed. let's move to next phase

    #beowulf #cluster #freebsd

  31. FreeBSD cluster setup with total 24 cores is completed. let's move to next phase

    #beowulf #cluster #freebsd

  32. Oh, the irony! 🧐 An article about Beowulf's "What" that opens with a demand for #JavaScript as if ancient epics were composed in HTML. 🍪 But sure, let's pause our digital lives for a cookie break to decode literary history. 🙄
    poetryfoundation.org/poetry-ne #Beowulf #Irony #DigitalLiterature #CookieBreak #HackerNews #ngated

  33. Oh, the irony! 🧐 An article about Beowulf's "What" that opens with a demand for #JavaScript as if ancient epics were composed in HTML. 🍪 But sure, let's pause our digital lives for a cookie break to decode literary history. 🙄
    poetryfoundation.org/poetry-ne #Beowulf #Irony #DigitalLiterature #CookieBreak #HackerNews #ngated

  34. #PhotoMonday #Family #Beowulf #Grendel

    This is my son, pinned down by a ferocious swamp monster, fighting for his life!

  35. #PhotoMonday #Family #Beowulf #Grendel

    This is my son, pinned down by a ferocious swamp monster, fighting for his life!