Reading Notes: British and Celtic Stories, Part A

For the twelveth week, I chose the Beowulf unit.  I really loved the story of Grendel by John Gardener so Beowulf is also really interesting to me.  I've never actually read the story of Beowulf, which is what Grendel is based on, so it's nice to be able to look into his ballads/stories.

The Wanderer's Song is really awesome.  It starts off with this little bit of imagery that I feel has a whole lot of symbolism: "...there was no sound in the whole length of the vast hall save the spluttering of the flares upon the walls and the snarling of two dogs over a chunk of meat on the earthen floor."

First of all, the King Hygelac makes an entire hall of people go silent with a gesture - which gives him the characteristic of not only having a powerful role but being a powerful ruler.  The two dogs fighting over the meat also stuck out to me, because it seems to represent the struggle between Beowulf and Grendel.

The minstrel's description begins him as a wanderer - hence the song name - in the reader's imagination.  His voice is strong and intense: it sounds like the cries of birds on high seas and yet it has a sweetness that enchants all who hears.

Then, after the Wanderer sings about other places, we get to Hrothgar's land where Grendel - described as half-animal, half-man, half-bird - and a terrifying monster.  Grendel is described as terrorizing the lands and carrying away thirty men during one night's sleep.  But I feel like Beowulf, too, is described with less humanistic qualities.  He's fought monsters, participated in supernatural feats, and defeats monsters he shouldn't be able to if he was an average guy and not a hero.

I think a bit of a love story between the two creatures of destruction would be a fun and interesting turn to the story!

Image from Tumblr

The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs with illustrations by Henry Pitz (1933).