Posted on 08/31/2013 8:24:39 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Although the story of Beowulf centres around the heroic exploits of the Scandinavians, it found fame in the epic poem written in Old English by an Anglo-Saxon bard.
The poem, which is 3,000 lines long, is testimony to the historic links between the Norse and the Anglo-Saxons, some of whom emigrated from southern Scandinavia.
It tells the tale of Beowulf, a Geat warrior from modern-day Scandinavia, who travels to Denmark to help King Hrothgar defend his magnificent hall of Heorot.
Beowulf kills the monster Grendel, saving the Danes from his murderous attacks, then defeats the fiend's mother and is later acclaimed king of the Geats.
The poem concludes decades later with a face-off between the ageing king and a fearsome dragon, ending with the death of both.
It could have been written as early as the seventh century, but survives only in one manuscript from the early 11th century, which is now in the British Library but has been badly burnt...
The extent to which the events of the poem are based on historical fact is controversial, but it seems to have been inspired by the wealthy Danish court at Lejre...
Archaeologists have found a total of seven halls dating from various points between 500 and 1000, implying that the structures were periodically torn down and rebuilt.
The earliest of all the halls, located 500m from all the others, is the one most likely to have provided the historical inspiration for Heorot.
On the site there are the remains of hundreds of animals apparently killed and eaten at massive feasts, as recounted in the poem.
The animals include cattle, sheep, suckling pigs, goats, chicken, geese, ducks, deer and fish -- implying that the Scandinavian elite enjoyed a diverse and luxurious diet.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
So disappointed by that series. Waste of my time. I suspect that the only reason I kept watching the DVR’d shows was that the actor portraying Raggnar reminded me of my deceased son.
In a hot climate, you can bathe in unheated water. In a cold climate, it takes considerable firewood to heat a bath full of water.
Just because they didn't immerse themselves in baths, doesn't mean they didn't wash themselves. When all you have is cold water, you can wash yourself with a cloth, and just splash yourself to rinse. I've had to do this from time to time.
Love “Canterbury Tales”!
Cursive, foiled again.
&&
Brilliant!
Not surprisingly: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf:_The_Monsters_and_the_Critics
Sorry to hear about your son, The Vikings I was referring to was the old kirk Douglas movie. I was ten years old when i first saw it...I thought it was great. Have not seen the new series...maybe should get the DVD.
As a ten year old, I loved The Vikings when it came out. Still get the DVD out when an adventure film is desired. :-)
PDF of the original - PLEASE?
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