Beowulf: Difference between revisions

* [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent]]: When the lake that Grendel's mother lives in is described, we know it's a bad place because it's described as being infested with all kinds of reptiles, including, but not limited to, sea dragons, serpents, and wild beasts.

* [[Royals Who Actually Do Something]]: Of course, kings in that era [[Asskicking Equals Authority|became kings by proving themselves in combat]]. Hrothgar is capable, but can't do anything, because ... he's not a hero. (No, seriously.) Of course, there is also Beowulf himself.

* [[Shout-Out]]: A minstrel in the poem compares Beowulf to [[Norse Mythology|Sigurd Fafnebane]], a hero that was known throughout the Northern tribes since the 6th century. And it's [[Foreshadowing|fitting]].

* [[Spell My Name with an "S"]]: Various characters have had their names translated in several different ways across different translations. For example, the king of Geatland is most commonly named "Hygelac", but at least one translation uses "Higlac". Then there's Hrothgar's great-grandfather, who has been variously called "Scyld", "Shild", or "Shield". Beowulf's father's name has been translated as "Ecgtheow" and "Edgetho". Not even the eponymous hero himself is immune - while "Beowulf" is universally accepted as the translation, some passages in the original poem spell it as "Biowulf".