Hi y’all!

Everyday is a bit closer to meeting our new baby. And I am starting to feel all the end of pregnancy feelings — uncomfortable and exciting and scary and all the emotions in between. We are excited for a very special and unique holiday season ahead!

Today I am here sharing my review of Beowulf. I recently reread this one as part of my Classics Club list #2 and a readalong I’m doing on bookstagram. I hadn’t read this since high school and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it!

Book Summary: “Composed toward the end of the first millennium, Beowulf is the elegiac narrative of the adventures of Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the seemingly invincible monster Grendel and, later, from Grendel’s mother. He then returns to his own country and dies in old age in a vivid fight against a dragon. The poem is about encountering the monstrous, defeating it, and then having to live on in the exhausted aftermath. In the contours of this story, at once remote and uncannily familiar at the beginning of the twenty-first century, Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney finds a resonance that summons power to the poetry from deep beneath its surface. Drawn to what he has called the “four-squareness of the utterance” in Beowulf and its immense emotional credibility, Heaney gives these epic qualities new and convincing reality for the contemporary reader.”

I was surprised how spiritual and religious this text is. Perhaps as a high school student, that just didn’t resonate with me as much as it does now. But the connections to God and fate are plentiful throughout the text. There are many references to God and God’s hand in the fate of men. Beowulf feels that God is with him as he fights and defeats Grendel and Grendel’s mother. I appreciated those connections to God. And I also appreciate that the battles weren’t easy. God doesn’t take away hardships or just fixes the problems for Beowulf. Rather, He gives Beowulf the strength and the courage to fight through intense adversity and come out the victor because of God’s help.

Beowulf is a compelling character with incredible heroism, loyalty, and bravery. You can’t help but cheer for this medieval hero. He seems to be everything a true hero should be — courageous, humble, strong, fearless, respected. The list could go on and on. There are so many reasons he is an iconic hero both in ancient writings and a great model for hero archetypes in the modern era. Seeing his journey was impressive as he comes to help the people battle Grendel. And then becomes king of his own land and must defend them from an angry dragon. I was impressed that he maintains his humility and dedication to helping others regardless of his situation. Truly a hero worth emulating.  

This is definitely an epic poem with a lot of intense imagery and a fast paced plot. The battles are intense! Some parts are more graphic than I remember which surprised me. There are gruesome battle wounds and people being plucked from sleep and killed by monsters. And this didn’t happen just once. We have the attacks of Grendel and of Grendel’s mother and the dragon all described in at least some detail. Perhaps it’s simply a product of this different time, but the action was definitely central to this story. Through these intense battle scenes, I liked the ways that Beowulf teaches his people the importance of courage, loyalty and accepting God’s will.

This is a quick read with a fast paced plot! Definitely worth reading to fill out your classics experience as there is not much written that is older than this epic poem. I recommend it!

What are your favorite classics?
Have you read Beowulf before? What do you think of it?

This is my 14th classic finished on my 2nd list for The Classics Club!
Check out my full list here. To see my completed first list, click here. For more info on the club, click here.