Beowulf

Before there was Game of Thrones, there was Beowulf.

With its monsters, life-and-death struggles, and a hero pulled right from the pages of a Marvel comic book, this ancient tale of kingdoms under siege is as mesmerizing today as it was over a thousand years ago.

When Hrothgar, king of the Danes, finds his mead hall beset by a terror that strikes at night, the warrior Beowulf is his only hope. Beowulf lies in wait for the demon Grendel and, showing strength beyond the power of mortal men, defeats him — not with a sword, but by pulling the giant creature's arm from its socket! But the action doesn't end there.

In this tale of injury and reprisal, where even the monsters demand that honor be satisfied with blood, Beowulf must face an even deadlier, more terrifying foe: Grendel's mother. Even when he is old, and a king himself, Beowulf finds no rest, but must go forth once more to defeat a deadly dragon.

Beowulf is one of the earliest extant poems in a modern European language, composed in England before the Norman Conquest. As a social document this great epic poem is invaluable reflecting a feudal world of heroes and monsters, blood and victory, life and death. As a work of art, it is unique. Beowulf rings with beauty, power, and artistry that have kept it alive for a thousand years. The noble simplicity of Beowulf's anonymous Anglo-Saxon singer is recaptured in this vivid translation by Burton Raffel.