Over sea, a day's voyage off, Beowulf, of the Geats, nephew of Higelac, king of the Geats, hears of Grendel's doings and of Hrothgar's misery. He resolves to crush the fell monster and relieve the aged king. With fourteen chosen companions, he sets sail for Dane-land. Reaching that country, he soon persuades Hrothgar of his ability to help him. The hours that elapse before night are spent in beer-drinking and conversation. When Hrothgar's bedtime comes he leaves the hall in charge of Beowulf, telling him that never before has he given to another the absolute wardship of his palace. All retire to rest, Beowulf, as it were, sleeping upon his arms.

     Grendel comes, the great march-stepper, bearing God's anger. He seizes and kills one of the sleeping warriors. Then he advances towards Beowulf. A fierce and desperate hand-to-hand struggle ensures. No arms are used, both combatants trusting to strength and hand-grip. Beowulf tears Grendel's shoulder from its socket, and the monster retreats to his den, howling and yelling with agony and fury. The would is fatal.

     The next morning, at early dawn, warriors in numbers flock to the hall Heorot, to hear the news. Joy is boundless. Glee runs high. Hrothgar and his retainers are lavish of gratitude and of gifts.

     Grendel's mother, however, comes the next night to avenge his death. She is furious and raging. While Beowulf is sleeping in a room somewhat apart from the quarters of the other warriors, she seizes one of Hrothgar's favorite counsellors, and carries him off and devours him. Beowulf is called. Determined to leave Heorot entirely purified, he arms himself, and goes down to look for the female monster. After traveling through the waters many hours, he meets here near the sea-bottom. She drags him to her den. There he sees Grendel lying dead. After a desperate and almost fatal struggle with the woman, he slays her, and swims upward in triumph, taking with him Grendel's head.

     Joy is renewed at Heorot. Congratulations crowd upon the victor. Hrothgar literally pours treasures into the lap of Beowulf; and it is agreed among the vassals of the king that Beowulf will be their next liegelord.

     Beowulf leaves Dane-land. Hrothgar weeps and laments at his departure.

     When the hero arrives in his own land, Higelac treats him as a distinguished guest. He is the hero of the hour.

     Beowulf subsequently becomes king of his own people, the Geats. After he has been ruling for fifty years, his own neighborhood is wofully harried by a fire-spewing dragon. Beowulf determines to kill him. In the ensuring struggle both Beowulf and the dragon are slain. The grief of the Geats is inexpressible. The determine, however, to leave nothing undone to honor the memory of their lord. A great funeral-pyre is built, and his body is burnt. Then a memorial-barrow is made, visible from a great distance, that sailors afar may be constantly reminded of the prowess of the national hero of Geatland.

I [lines 53-114]. The genealogy continues with a reiteration of the fame of Scefing's son Beowulf, his son Healfdene, and Helfdene's four sons Heorogar, Hrothgar, Halga, and Ela. Heorogar, as is implied later, ruled for a time but then turned over the government to his brother Hrothgar who build the great hall Heorot, a symbol of his fame and glory. But tragedy lurked in the darkness where the demon Grendel, one of the evil descendants of Cain, listened to the gleeman chanting lays of the glory of God.

II [lines 115-188]. Filled with rage, Grendel comes at night to Heorot, kills the thirty thanes sleeping there, and returns home with their slaughtered corpses. Daybreak brings woe to the ruler and his people upon their discovery of the monster's vengeance. The next night Grendel returns, the hall soon stands deserted (at night), and for twelve years, refusing to parley or to make peace, the demon prowls over the fen, raiding and destroying. The tale is soon noised abroad by the gleemen.

III [lines 189-257]. News of the calamity reaches the Jute Beowulf, a nephew of Hygelac, king of the opposite territory of West Gothland. Strongest and boldest of men, Beowulf chooses a band of fifteen heroic followers and with them sails to Hrothgar's realm where he is challenged by the Scylding coast-guard who is stationed on a cliff to keep watch.

IIII [lines 258-319]. Beowulf identifies himself as the son of Ecgtheow and describes his followers as Goths and hearth-companions of Hygelac. His mission, he says, is to assist Hrothgar, lord of the Danes, in overcoming his demon-foe. The coast-guard welcomes them, promises to guard their ship, and speeds them on their way to King Hrothgar.

V [lines 320-370]. Up the stone-paved street march Beowulf and his men. Arriving at the hall they are greeted with admiration by a noble Dane Wulfgar who asks them who they are. Beowulf again identifies himself, Wulfgar goes to Hrothgar, and, in courtly fashion, asks a hearing for the strangers.

VI [lines 371-455]. Hrothgar recalls that he had known Beowulf as a child and that he has heard of Beowulf's matchless strength. He bids Wulfgar to welcome the strangers and bid them approach. Beowulf introduces himself to King Hrothgar, explains his mission, and, as evidence of his capability, mentions his night of wrestling with the sea-monsters. If he loses his battle with Grendel, he remarks, there will be no need to bury his body or to feed him longer.

VII [lines 456-498]. Hrothgar continues to reminisce about Beowulf's father and his great feat, while apparently a warrior with the Wylfings, of killing Heatholaf. This account is followed by an obscure passage concerning his own settling of a quarrel with the Wylfings. He then turns abruptly to a description of the ravages wrought by Grendel and then, with equal abruptness, invites Beowulf to speak his own mind and welcomes Beowulf and his company as guests. The ale flows and the minstrel sings.

VIII [lines 499-558]. Hunferth [referred to in other translations as "Unferth"], jealous of Beowulf's glory, asks Beowulf if he is the one who was defeated by Breca, prince of the Brondings, in a swimming contest and dares him to spend a night in the vicinity of Heorot. Beowulf angrily replies with his own version of that youthful exploit, telling how, with naked swords to defend themselves from the sea-monsters, they swam together for five nights in the icy waters, then became parted, and Beowulf was attacked by a monster who dragged him to the bottom of the sea where Beowulf dispatched him with his sword.

VIIII [lines 559-662]. Continuing the story Beowulf describes successive slaughters until he killed nine of the monsters whose bodies were washed to the shore. He himself, fatigued by battle, was borne by the tide to the land of the Finns. Breca, he boasts, never achieved the equal of this feat. He rails an Hunferth as a murderer of his own brothers and as helpless before the fury of Grendel. He concludes by boasting that he will rid Heorot of the monster. Amidst the ensuing revelry Wealtheow, Hrothgar's queen, passes the cup first to her lord and then to all the people. Giving the cup to Beowulf she thanks God for his arrival. Beowulf's reply that he will conquer or dies pleases the queen. The celebration continues until Beowulf begs leave to retire. They all leave Beowulf alone in the hall after a parting speech by Hrothgar expressing his confidence in the hero.

X [lines 663-709]. Beowulf removes his armor and gives his sword to his thane, boasting that he will meet the unarmed monster on its own terms. He then lies down to sleep with his companions around him, none of whom expected to see home again. From afar in the night Grendel approaches.

XI [lines 710-790]. Grendel smashes open the door, bites and swallows one of the thanes, and springs at Beowulf who seizes the monster's arm. Grendel, never having felt such a grip, attempts to flee to the fen. The mead-hall barely withstands the vibration caused by his struggle to escape. The Danes are smitten with terror at Grendel's wail of defeat.

XII [lines 791-836]. Beowulf's companions draw their weapons and hack at the monster with their blades without effect. Finally, the monster's arm is wrenched from its socket. Bleeding to death Grendel escapes over the moor to his lair. Beowulf fastens the arm high up near the roof of the hall.

XIII [lines 837-924]. The next morning warriors gather from far and near to applaud the victory and to trace the monster's footprints across the moor to a blood-stained pool. The valor of Beowulf is praised by all. One of the thanes introduces a tale from the Nibelungen legend, recounting how Sigmund the Volsung with his son and nephew slew wild beasts in the forests and how, thereafter, when the nephew Fitela was not with him, Sigmund destroyed a great dragon with his sword and gained a great treasure. When this story is concluded all return to Heorot to view the wonder, the king and his queen with her maidens joining them there.

XIIII [lines 925-990]. Hrothgar praises Beowulf's achievement and gives glory to God. He promises to cherish Beowulf hereafter as his own child. Beowulf responds by acknowledging his chagrin that the dead body of Grendel is not in the hall, says that he had intended to hold his arm until his other hand could strangle him, regrets that he broke away, but expresses his agreement that the monster could not escape his doom by ripping loose his arm. Hunferth is silent as all declare that no weapon could perform what Beowulf has done with his bare hands.

XV [lines 991-1049]. The hall is cleansed, repaired, and refurnished with new golden tapestries. A great feast is held, and Hrothgar bestows a banner, breast-plate, and helmet upon Beowulf. After Beowulf drinks the king's health, eight stallions are brought into the hall, each bearing a jewelled saddle, to be added to Beowulf's trophies.

XVI [lines 1050-1124]. Hrothgar gives gifts to all of Beowulf's mean and offers to pay gold for the man whom Grendel had killed. The gleeman sings of a feud between the Frisians and the Danes (mentioned also in "The Fight at Finnesburg") in the course of which the Danish Hnaef (mentioned in "Widsith") is killed. Finn, the Frisian king, loses the battle to the Danish Hengest and concludes a truce. A funeral pyre for Hnaef is prepared on which Hildeburh, Danish wife of Finn, places her own sons with great lamentation.

XVII [lines 1125-1192]. The Danish warriors return to their homes while Hengest remains all winter with Finn. When spring returns, aided by some of his men (who had either remained with him or had returned - the whole passage is very obscure) Hengest breaks the truce, kills Finn, and carries Hildeburh and much treasure back to the Danes. The gleeman concludes his song, the celebration continues, and Wealtheow takes the cup to Beowulf sitting between her sons Hrethric and Hrothmund.

XVIII [lines 1193-1250]. She presents Beowulf with gifts of corslet, rings, and a magnificent collar, subsequently given to Hygelac the Goth who wore it on his raid against the Frisians in which he was slain. She asks him to instruct her sons and wishes him joy, prosperity, and long life. At nightfall Hrothgar retires to his chambers while his thanes sleep in the hall, their armor by their sides, as they did before the ravages of Grendel.

XVIIII [lines 1251-1320]. While they are sleeping, Grendel's mother, seeking to avenge the death of her son, enters the hall. The warriors are roused and she departs, taking an old friend and counsellor of Hrothgar, named Aeschere, as well as the talon of her son with her. At dawn Beowulf, who had slept elsewhere, is summoned to attend Hrothgar.

XX [lines 1321-1382]. Hrothgar laments the death of Aeschere and recalls the tale, oft told, of the two monsters, male and female, whose home was a haunted pool in a wild and lonely fen. He promises Beowulf great rewards if he will succeed in finding the monster's abode and destroying Grendel's mother.

XXI [lines 1383-1472]. Beowulf nobly accepts the challenge. Hrothgar mounts a horse and, accompanied by Beowulf and a band of men, rides over the moor to a bloody pool where they see Aeschere's severed head. Sea-monsters swim in the pool; one of them is killed and dragged ashore. Beowulf dons his armor and grasps the sword Hrunting, loaned to him by Hunferth.

XXII [lines 1473-1556]. He makes a parting speech, asking that if he dies the treasures given him be bestowed upon Hygelac and the sword returned to Hunferth. Thereupon he plunges into the water. Nearly a day is required to reach the bottom where Grendel's mother seizes him and drags him to her lair. There, lit by the glow of firelight, he is able to see the monster. With a mighty blow he strikes her head, only to find the sword Hrunting powerless to wound her. Casting the sword aside he grips her shoulder with his hand, but by superior strength she throws him down, kneels upon him, and tries to thrust her dagger into his breast. Saved by his corslet, Beowulf springs to his feet.

XXIII [lines 1557-1650]. He espies a giant sword near by, seizes it, and thrusts it into the monster's throat, killing her. Hrothgar and his men waiting above see the pool stained with blood, conclude that Beowulf is slain, and return home, sick at heart. Beowulf's men remain, gazing hopelessly at the pool. Meanwhile, the blade of the giant sword is dissolved by the venomous blood of the monster. Beowulf, clutching the sword-hilt and the monster's severed head [here this summary of the story seems to mix up the fact that Beowulf has killed Grendel's mother with the fact that he cut off the dead Grendel's head -- the fact that it is Grendel's head is clear at line 1639 -- , that it is Grendel's blood which melt the sword and that it is Grendel's head that he brings to the surface of the pool -- the schoolbytes.com outline makes the same mistake in saying that it was Grendel's mother's head he carried to the surface --], rises to the top of the pool where he is joyously greeted by his companions. All return to Heorot where Beowulf lays the head down in front of the king and queen.

XXIIII [lines 1651-1739]. Beowulf relates his adventure to Hrothgar and presents him with the hilt of the sword, promising the king that all may now sleep safely in Heorot. The hilt is described as a giant's work, recording in runic letters the origin of the ancient war of the giants before the flood. Hrothgar praises Beowulf and preaches to him a sermon on the evil of pride.

XXV [lines 1740-1816]. The sermon against arrogance continues, with Hrothgar pointing out the transitory nature of earthly things. He concludes by inviting Beowulf to sit at the feast, promising him more treasures in the morning. Beowulf joins the feast until, as the night deepens, all retire to rest. Eager to return home Beowulf and his men rise early in the morning. Beowulf returns Hrunting to Hunferth without a word of deprecation of the sword and approaches Hrothgar to bid him farewell.

XXVI [lines 1817-1887]. Beowulf praises Hrothgar's hospitality and promises his own and Hygelac's assistance in case of any future need. Hrothgar praises Beowulf's valor and wisdom and prophesies Beowulf's future rise to kingship. Beowulf, he says, has brought peace between their peoples. After more treasures are bestowed upon the here, he and his thanes depart for their boat.

XXVII [lines 1888-1962]. They board the ship, sail home, and carry the treasures to Hygelac's hall. Here is inserted a short account of Hygd, the daughter of Haereth and queen of Hygelac, who after her husband's death became the wife of Offa.

XXVIII [lines 1963-????]. Beowulf is greeted by Hygelac and Hygd. Hygelac asks about his adventures, confessing to grave forebodings when Beowulf had departed. With great brevity Beowulf touches upon his achievements and then tells how Wealtheow distributed gifts to the warriors while her daughter Freaware, betrothed to the son of Froda, passed the mead-cup.

XXVIIII. The Thorpe version says here that "This entire canto is missing, along with the last part of Canto XXVIII and the beginning of XXX." The Chickering version and the Penguin Classics version edited by Michael Alexander both have section XXVIIII starting at line 2039 and section XXXI starting at line 2144 and neither version mentions section XXX or explains why it is missing from their respective translations. Mitchell and Robinson suggest that the numbering should be: section XXVIIII starts with line 1999, section XXX starts with line 2039 and section XXXI starts with line 2144.

One of my books suggests that the section numbering may have become mixed up because the first scribe forgot to assign a number to the Preface and didn't realize his mistake until he had passed section XX, but since he had to eventually match up with the sections which were already written by the second scribe he skipped one of the section numbers.

Another reference also touched on the apparent fact that one of the pages near the end of what had been written by the first scribe had to hold so many words in order to fit on one page that there was no room to write one of the section numbers.

There are several issues related to the fact that what we now refer to as the "original" manuscript of Beowulf (contained within a manuscript we now refer to as "Cotton Vitellius A. xv.") was written down by two scribes who worked at the same time, the first scribe writing the first part of the story and the second scribe writing the second part. The two parts had to match up in pagination and section numbering, the two scribes used different styles of handwriting and we can see in the manuscript cases in which the second scribe has gone over and corrected parts of what was written by the first scribe. In any case, this mixup with the section numbering around sections XXVIIII, XXX and XXXI is one of the things which apparently resulted from two people writing two parts of the story at the same time.

XXX [lines ????-2143]. After a reference to a feud with the Heathobards which will be ended by the marriage of Froda and Freaware, he resumes in more detail the story of his fight with Grendel, the death of Aeschere, and his conquest of Grendel's mother.

XXXI [lines 2144-2220]. He continues to describe the gifts given him by Hrothgar, some of which he gives to Hygelac and Hygd and accepts in return from Hygelac a precious sword that belonged to Hrethel. The story turns suddenly to the succeeding years, mentioning the death of Hygelac and Heardred and the accession of Beowulf to the throne. After fifty years of wise government Beowulf is forced to confront a new danger in the shape of a fire dragon whose concealed treasure has been pilfered.

XXXII [lines 2221-2311]. The thief had stolen from dire necessity. The treasure had been hidden there by some nobleman of bygone days. For three hundred years the dragon guarded the hoard until the robber, in trouble with his lord, stole a cup to take to his master to appease him. The dragon discovered the theft and ravaged the dwellings round about with fire.

XXXIII [lines 2312-2390]. The dragon vomits embers which consume everything in their path including Beowulf's own mansion. Beowulf orders the fashioning of an iron shield, the aging hero of Heorot not fearing to join combat with another monster. Allusion is made to other feats of Beowulf: how when Hygelac was killed in Friesland, Beowulf, bearing thirty sets of armor on his back, escaped by swimming. When he was offered the kingdom of Hygd, who had no confidence in the powers of her son Heardred, he refused the honor and acted as advisor to Heardred until be came of age. When the prince was slain in battle by rovers who had overcome the king of the Scylfings, Beowulf ascended the throne.

XXXIIII [lines 2391-2459]. Further allusion is made to Beowulf's friendship with Eadgils whom he aided. Returning to the immediate problem, the story resumes with an account of Beowulf's going forth with twelve companions to view the dragon, guided by the unfortunate thief who had started the trouble. They sit some distance away from the hoard while Beowulf calls to mind the sad story of the accidental death of Herebeald, the oldest of Hrethel's sons, by an arrow shot from the bow of his brother Haetheyn.

XXXV [lines 2460-2601]. Beowulf then turns to a song of the war between the Swedes and the Goths after the death of Hrethel. In this war Haetheyn was killed; Ongentheow was also slain at the hand of Eofer. Beowulf then refers to his battle with Daeghrefn whom he killed. After a brief farewell, he prepares to fight the dragon. Bearing sword and shield he approaches the fiery blasts of the monster. He strikes with his sword but to no avail, nor does his shield offer him as much protection as he had hoped.

XXXVI [lines 2602-2693]. A young kinsman, Wiglaf, comes to his aid with armor given him by Onela, heirlooms of Eanmund whom Wiglaf's father Weohstan had killed in battle. Wiglaf calls up the others to give assistance and dashes recklessly into the flames. Reinvigorated, Beowulf swings his great sword Nægling at the dragon's head. The sword breaks and the dragon fastens its fangs in Beowulf's neck.

XXXVII [lines 2694-2751]. As Beowulf bleeds, Wiglaf strikes lower at the dragon. The fire lessens and Beowulf draws his knife and cuts the dragon in the middle: the two blows kill the dragon. Beowulf is aware that his death is near, caused by the venom. He sits down while Wiglaf loosens his helmet and brings water to refresh him. Beowulf makes a parting speech and asks Wiglaf to let him see the hoarded treasure so that he may die more tranquilly.

XXXVIII [lines 2752-2820]. Wiglaf views the jewels, gold, bowls, helmets, rings, and a golden banner. He returns with some of the spoil to find Beowulf on the point of death. After bathing him with water he listens as Beowulf gives praise to God and directs the building of a funeral barrow on Hrones-naes. Giving Wiglaf his helmet, ring, and byrnie, Beowulf expires.

XXXVIIII [lines 2821-2891]. The men who had retreated to the forest now reappear and are bitterly reproached by Wiglaf.

XL [lines 2892-2945]. Wiglaf bids a messenger spread the news of Beowulf's death. The messenger predicts that the news will bring war with the Frisians and Franks, reminding them of a previous war with the Swedes and the killing of Haetheyn.

XLI [lines 2946-3057]. He continues with a description of Ongentheow's last battle with Hygelac and bids his hearers to prepare a funeral pyre. They all go to view with amazement the dead king and the slain dragon.

XLII [lines 3058-3136]. A homily on the evils of hoarding and the uncertainty of life is followed by Wiglaf's eulogy of Beowulf and directions to bring wood. Choosing seven of the best of the king's thanes, he returns to the dragon's lair where they load a wagon with treasure.

Nobody knows who wrote this book. There’s a lot of debate over it, but nobody has a clue. Ok, to answer your first question...Beowulf is NOT a wolf. He’s a human. This is not a book. It is a really long and boring poem that nobody understands except for old English people. There’s a lot of make believe crap in this story like dragons and stuff. When they talk about Danish people they mean people from Denmark. So, here’s the explanation you can understand. You’re welcome.

Characters:

Beowulf: He is the main character. He is the Prince of Geats. Beowulf is a big hero type guy. He’s a brave warrior who kicks a lot of ass. He’s strong and basically wins a lot of fights, but he fights for good reasons.

Hrothgar: Hrothgar is this really old king. He’s a nice guy, who is very smart. He’s a lover, not a fighter. He is old when Beowulf is young. He acts like Beowulf’s daddy. He is a very popular king.

Wiglaf: Wiglaf is this young Swedish warrior. He is young when Beowulf is old. He helps out Beowulf fight a dragon when Beowulf is an old man. He is Beowulf’s assistant and acts like his son too.

Unferth: He is this warrior who is really jealous of Beowulf. He tries to talk shit about him all the time but they kiss and make up in the end.

Grendel: Grendel is a monster that lives in a lake and has superhuman strength. He is shaped somewhat like a human, and he only comes out at night. Grendel hates humans and all he does is go around killing people in Denmark. Beowulf kills him in the end.

Plot:

The book starts out telling you about the history of the Danish Kings (Kings from Denmark). There’s this king named Shild in the beginning. Then they talk about kings, and they end up with King Hrothgar. Hrothgar is Shild’s great grandson.

Hrothgar and his army kick a lot of ass in war. One day Hrothgar builds a hall named "Herot" for his army to stay in. After they finish it, the guys in the army party like it’s 1999. Then Grendel the big monster hears all these guys partying. So one night he goes to the Herot Hall and kills 30 guys. Then for 12 years the king is scared of Grendel the monster. He has no idea how to beat the thing and no one parties anymore in Herot Hall.

Then Beowulf hears about the monster. He gets 14 of his buddies (from Geats) to come with him to kick the monster’s ass. Beowulf goes to Hrothgar’s house (castle) and is pretty cocky about how easily he can kill the big monster. One of Hrothgar’s soldiers, Unferth, says that Beowulf is full of shit about what a good fighter he is. Then Beowulf gets mad and accuses Unferth of killing his brothers. Then Hrothgar tells Beowulf that he will give him some money of he kills the monster (Grendel).

Grendel shows up that night. Then Beowulf starts fighting with the monster with his bare hands. He rips Grendel’s arm off. Grendel runs away but dies later. Everyone is happy and they do some ceremony to honor Beowulf. Then King Hrothgar gives him some loot.

Meanwhile Grendel’s mommy is pissed and wants revenge. She comes to Herot one night and kidnaps one of the king’s advisors. Beowulf is pissed and goes to the swamp (her home) to kill her. He brings his army buddies. He sees the advisor’s head floating in the swamp. Then Beowulf asks King Hrothgar to send the reward money to his Uncle, in case he (Beowulf) gets killed. Then Beowulf goes to Grendel’s mom’s house and they fight. He finds some magic sword on the wall and kills her with it. Then he sees Grendel (who was killed awhile ago). He cuts off Grendel’s head and brings it back to the king.

Back at Hrothgar’s castle, everyone is happy and they have another feast. Hrothgar warns Beowulf about becoming too cocky, and then gives him some more $$. Then Beowulf goes home to Geats with his buddies and says goodbye to all the people in Denmark. Back at home Beowulf meets with HIS king, King Higlac (King of Geats). He tells the king about the monsters, and also that King Hrothgar has another enemy, the Hathobards. Beowulf talks about their peace treaty. In this peace treaty, King Hrothgar has to give his daughter to the King of the Hathobards. Beowulf thinks that this peace thing won’t last long.

Then the SECOND part of the poem starts. The second part starts in the future. Beowulf is now King of the Geats. When the second part starts he’s been king for 50 years. Then one night some dude steals a precious cup from a dragon. The dragon gets pissed at goes around burning houses. Then he burns Beowulf’s castle. Beowulf goes to the dragon’s cave to kick his ass. But remember Beowulf is old now, so he is a weakling. He fights the dragon, then the dragon shoots fire and burns Beowulf. Then Wiglaf (Beowulf’s assistant) comes and saves Beowulf. He stabs the dragon, then Beowulf cuts the dragon in half.

Beowulf is hurt really bad from the burning. On his deathbed, he asks Wiglaf to bring all the dragon’s treasure, so Beowulf can feel better about himself. Then he asks Wiglaf to build some tower in his honor, where his tomb will be. Then Wiglaf yells at the army because they were wimps and ran away when they saw the dragon. Wiglaf then tells everyone that Beowulf is dead. People are scared that they will get attacked now that the king is dead as a doorknob. Then Wiglaf builds the tower and buries Beowulf with the dragon’s loot.

Verse 1:

• The first verse just talks about the history of Danish Kings.
• Beo-->Healfdane-->Hrothgar
• All these kings are in the family. A king’s son becomes the next king.
• The poem talks about how Hrothgar is a kick ass king. He’s a good man.
• He wants to build some monument so his legacy will live on. He builds the "Herot" hall for his army.
• Hrothgar throws a big party for his army. A poet is the entertainment (wow…what a wild party).
• Then Grendel the monster wakes up because of the loud party. He is pissed. He hates humans partying.

Verse 2:

• Grendel walks into the Herot hall. All the soldiers are passed out because they’re drunk. Then Grendel kills 30 guys.
• Hrothgar wakes up in the morning and is sad because some of his men are dead. Then Grendel returns to kill more.
• All the soldiers run away because they’re scared.
• 12 years go by. Nobody goes back to the Herot hall because everyone is scared that the big bad monster will come back.
• Hrothgar tries to give the monster gifts to kiss his ass. Grendel doesn’t accept them.
• Hrothgar and his men do some weird pagan rituals to try and get rid of Grendel.

Verses 3-4:

• Everyone in Denmark hears about this evil monster.
• Beowulf, prince of the Geats, gets 14 of his friends to go kick the monster’s ass.
• The Geats gang gets to Denmark and meets some Danish soldier. The Danish soldier thinks they are enemies but finds out they are there to help in killing the monster.

• Beowulf talks to the soldier and tells him that he and his gang are there to kick a little monster ass.
• Beowulf is a cocky son of a bitch.

Verses 5-6:

• Beowulf’s gang go to Hrothgar’s castle. Another Danish soldier (Wulfgar) stops them. He asks them who they are and again Beowulf tells him that they are there to kick Grendel’s ass.
• They are let into the castle.
• Hrothgar talks about how he knew Beowulf when Beowulf was a little kid. Then he talks about how Beowulf is a good fighter blah blah blah.
• Beowulf tells Hrothgar that he is confident that he will kick Grendel’s ass.

Verse 7:

• Hrothgar talks about how he helped out Beowulf’s father (Edgetho).
• Here’s the story: Edgetho was fighting these people called the Wulfings. Edgetho’s army was a bunch of wimps, so Hrothgar sent the Wulfings some loot as a peace offering. This stopped the war.
• Then Hrothgar talks about Grendel the monster and how a lot of guys have tried to take him down, but failed.

Verses 8-9:

• They have a big feast at Herot Hall to honor Beowulf.
• During the shindig, one of the king’s men (Unferth) starts talking smack. He calls Beowulf a wimp and says that he is not a good fighter, just lucky. He also says that the monster will probably beat him.
• Unferth talks about one story where Beowulf acted like a jackass because he risked his life during a swimming competition in the ocean against some dude named Brecca.
• Beowulf tells a different story. He says that during the competition, he got split up from Brecca, and then Beowulf killed a monster.
• Then Beowulf starts talking smack about Unferth. He says that he is responsible for Grendel’s reign of terror.
• Then Hrothgar’s wife shows up to refill the drinks (good woman).
• At the end of the party Hrothgar hugs Beowulf and tells him that if he kills the monster, he will give Beowulf a lot of loot.

Verses 10-12:

• Beowulf gets ready for his big rumble.
• Beowulf is really confident about kicking the monster’s ass. He takes off all his armor and just uses his sword.
• Beowulf is really cocky. He’s not even thinking about the fight, he’s more concerned about the money he’s gonna get as a reward.
• All the Danish soldiers are still scared and they go to bed.
• Then Grendel comes to Herot hall. Everyone is asleep (except Beowulf) He walks in and kills one man. Beowulf just sits there and does nothing because he wants to see how strong Grendel REALLY is.
• Then Grendel goes to kill Beowulf. But Beowulf surprises him and fights back. He breaks Grendel’s claws.
• Then Grendel turns into a big wimp and tries to run away. But Beowulf keeps him there and starts kicking his ass. Then Beowulf rips one of his arms off.
• All the Danish soldiers wake up and start watching the fight.
• Grendel finally escapes and goes back to his home (the swamp) and dies.
• Beowulf hangs Grendel’s arm on the wall like it’s a trophy.

Verses 13-15:

• Then everyone finds out Grendel is dead. All the Danish soldiers go to the swamp and see that he is really dead.
• Everyone is happy that Beowulf killed the monster. They go back to Herot hall singing and smiling.
• Then they talk about these 2 other brave soldiers: Siegmund and Hermod.
• Then the poem talks about how heroes should have ethics too.
• Then Beowulf goes back to Hrothgar. Hrothgar is really happy that Beowulf killed the monster. He wants Beowulf to be his son.
• Even though he slaughtered the monster, Beowulf isn’t THAT happy with his victory. Who the hell knows why?
• They have a big party to honor Beowulf.
• Hrothgar and his nephew Hrothulf show up. Everyone is happy.

Verses 16-17:

• Hrothgar starts giving out some gifts. He gives armor to all of Beowulf’s army buddies. Then he gives them gold in honor of the one dude who was killed and eaten by Grendel.
• Then the poem talks about God, and how he is powerful and how there is good and evil in the world.
• During the party, the entertainment is a poet and he tells some war story.
• The story he tells basically breaks down like this: these guys led by a dude named Hnaf are all killed by some guys led by a dude named Finn. Finn’s wife is Hnaf’s sister and she is pissed because Finn killed Hnaf. One of Hnaf’s buddies, Hengest comes to a peace agreement with Finn over at Hnaf’s hall (house). Then Finn says that anyone who goes against the peace treaty will be killed. Then Hengest can’t decide whether to obey the peace treaty or kill Finn (because Finn killed his friend Hnaf...following this?). In the spring, Hengest decides to kill Finn and steal all his loot.
• The poet finishes the story and Hrothgar’s wife (Welthow) comes into the party. She talks to Hrothgar about how he shouldn’t spend TOO much time with Beowulf because he will be neglecting his own kids and his nephew (Hrothulf).
• The poem talks about Unferth. Everyone still hates him because he talked smack about the hero Beowulf.

Verses 18-20:

• Then Beowulf is given a really pretty necklace as a gift.
• Welthow (Hrothgar’s babe) asks Beowulf to talk to her sons and give them some advice.
• Then all the soldiers go to bed. The poem starts to sound like some bad shit is about to go down. (foreshadowing)
• Then Grendel’s (the monster) mom comes to Herot hall for revenge. She is pissed. She is a monster too.
• She walks in. The soldiers wake up. They fight her. She takes some dude named Esher (One of Hrothgar’s advisors).
• Then Grendel’s mommy takes back Grendel’s arm, which was hanging on the wall.
• Hrothgar wakes up Beowulf to go kick some ass.
• King Hrothgar is really upset. He talks to Beowulf about what the swamp looks like (Grendel’s home). Hrothgar asks Beowulf to take care of the 2nd big bad monster.

Verses 21-23:

• Beowulf consoles Hrothgar because his friend was killed.
• He promises to kill Grendel’s mommy. So they goes to the swamp where she lives. They see Esher’s head floating in the water.
• They see lots of serpents and sea monsters swimming around.
• Unferth now believes that Beowulf is a brave dude (earlier, he didn’t). He gives Beowulf a sword to fight Grendel’s mom.
• Beowulf tells Hrothgar to look after his friends and send all his loot to Higlac (King of Geats) in case he dies.
• Beowulf jumps in the lake and goes down to the bottom (he can hold his breath for a long time).
• He sees Grendel’s mom in an underwater cave and he fights in her cave. He tries to slice her head off but he finds out that ordinary weapons don’t hurt her at all.
• Grendel’s mom is winning the fight. Then Beowulf sees a magic sword on the wall and takes it. Then he cuts her head off (because it’s a magic sword so it works).
• Then Beowulf looks around and sees Grendel’s dead body. He cuts off his head too.
• Then the poem cuts back to the army dudes standing at the foot of the lake. They see blood and they THINK it is Beowulf’s. They are upset because they think he lost the fight. Back down underwater, Beowulf’s sword mysteriously melts. Then the poem talks about how it must have been God helping out.
• Then Beowulf takes Grendel’s mom’s head and swims back up to the surface.

Verses 24-26:

• Beowulf tells Hrothgar all about the fight and how he thinks God gave him that magic sword.
• Then Hrothgar talks to Beowulf and tells him not to get too much of a big ego over this.
• He tells Beowulf that he must use his fame and money wisely. Also he says that people must take advantage of God’s favors and love. If he blesses you, take advantage of it but use it wisely.
• Then Hrothgar tells him that he’s gonna give him more $$ for killing the 2nd monster.
• There’s another big dinner party in the Herot Hall to honor Beowulf. He and his buddies are gonna take off the next day.
• Everyone is happy because there are no more monsters.
• The next morning all the Geat soldiers (Beowulf’s army buddies) leave. Unferth gives Beowulf another sword. Beowulf accepts it.
• Before he leaves, Beowulf says goodbye to king Hrothgar. Hrothgar gives some long sad farewell speech to Beowulf. He is sad because he might not see him ever again. Awww shucks.

Verse 27:

• Beowulf and the Geat dudes leave with their treasure.
• They take their loot to their king (Higlac).
• Then the poem talks about Higlac’s wife (Higd) and his daughter (Thrith). His wife is a nice lady, and his daughter used to be a bitch, but after marrying some guy she’s nice now.

Verses 28-30:

• Beowulf is talking with King Higlac. Beowulf is telling him about all his adventures over in Denmark.
• Then Beowulf talks about Hrothgar. He says that Hrothgar is planning on having his daughter marry the prince of a tribe that is his enemy. Hrothgar hopes this will make peace.
• Beowulf tells Higlac that he thinks this won’t work and the 2 sides will go back to fighting.
• Beowulf continues his story about the monsters. He exaggerates a little bit to make him look like an even bigger stud.

Verses 31-32:

• Beowulf tells Higlac how much he loves him. He tells him that he is faithful to him and his kingdom.
• Then he gives Higlac all the treasure he got in Denmark.
• The poem then goes off track for a bit. It talks about Beowulf when he was a kid. The other kids picked on him.
• Then the poem cuts to the future. Higlac is dead, and Beowulf becomes the new king. He is king for fifty years. Then the story resumes from there (he is an old man now).
• Now that he is king, he has a problem. In his land, there is this big fire breathing dragon,
• One night a thief steals a cup from the dragon. The cup has nice jewels on it. Now the dragon is pissed.
• Beowulf has to stop the dragon.
• We learn that the dragon got the cup from some noble family and was protecting it.

Verses 33-35:

• The dragon goes around burning houses. Then he burns Beowulf’s house and his throne.
• At first Beowulf thinks God is mad at him, but then he finds out it is the dragon.
• Beowulf gets ready to rumble with the dragon.
• Then the poem starts talking about some old war that Beowulf was in (Frisian War). In this war, King Higlac died. Higlac’s son becomes king but then he is killed too. Then Beowulf becomes king.
• Then the poem cuts back to Beowulf and the dragon. The thief who stole the cup takes Beowulf to the dragon’s cave. Then Beowulf rests and thinks back about his life.
• Then the poem does a flashback about Beowulf’s life. When Beowulf was 7 he was taken in by some dude name Hrethel (not his dad). Then the poem talks about his brothers (Hrethel’s sons) and how they died in war. Then Beowulf was a soldier when Higlac became king and he fought hard for him.
• Thinking back on his life gives Beowulf some confidence and he’s ready to kick some dragon ass now. Even though he’s old, Beowulf wants to fight the dragon himself.
• So Beowulf and the dragon fight. The dragon shoots fire and melts Beowulf’s shield.
• Beowulf hurts the dragon a little. But then the dragon burns Beowulf. Beowulf is losing. His army is scared and runs away instead of helping Beowulf. What babies…it’s only a fire-breathing dragon.

Verses 36-37:

• One of Beowulf’s army guys shows up and helps him. His name is Wiglaf.
• Wiglaf yells at the other army guys for running away.
• Then the poem talks about Wiglaf’s sword.
• Wiglaf runs to help Beowulf. The dragon stabs Beowulf with its tusks.
• Then Wiglaf hurts the dragon with his sword. Then Beowulf cuts the dragon in half.
• Beowulf dies next, but before he dies he gives some long speech and once AGAIN he reviews his life. He talks about the things he never got to do.

Verses 38-39:

• Before he dies, Beowulf asks for the dragon’s treasure.
• His last request is that they build a tower and put his tomb inside it. He wants a monument in his honor.
• The soldiers come back and find that Beowulf is dead. Wiglaf yells at them again.
• Wiglaf makes a long speech to the soldiers about Beowulf and how the soldiers are big babies.

Verses 40-41:

• Wiglaf sends a messenger to tell everyone what happened.
• Everyone is scared because once people find out that the mighty Beowulf is dead, they will invade the Geats.
• They decide to bury Beowulf with all of the dragon’s treasure.
• All the soldiers go back to the scene of the battle. They talk about the "price" of war and why the hell do they fight?

Verses 42-43:

• The poem talks about the hidden treasure and how men are greedy.
• Wiglaf gives another speech about Beowulf. He reviews his life AGAIN and tells people what a great guy he was.
• They go get the dragon’s treasure.
• Then they build a huge tower and bury Beowulf inside it.
• They bury him with the dragon’s treasure.

Things to make you look smart:

• This is a classic tale with heroes and bad guys, but the author kinda makes it so everyone has some bad AND some good in them.
• Beowulf isn’t a totally innocent dude. He does some bad things in the book like being really arrogant.
• There is a big religious theme in this book. The religion and religious rules that they follow in this book are from Christianity.
• Everyone’s set of rules is kinda parallel to the bible.