Though it is recommended reading for youngsters, I had avoided it. Beowulf seemed... pagan? gory! This volume caused regret for skirting the classic poem for so long.
Our copy of Beowulf: Grendel the Ghastly is growing worn and real with re-readings.
Doug Phillips says:
"The beauty of Beowulf is not only its literary brilliance, but its rich Creationist theme, which dominates the epic from its discussion of Cain and Abel and references to the Nephilim of Genesis 7, to one of the antagonists of the story, the dragon, a clear, historic reference to dinosaurs living contemporaneous with man. For these and other reasons, it has long been my view that Beowulf is one of the ten most important works of Christian literature in history."The oldest epic in the English languages, written anonymously around 700 AD, and the basis of modern hero tales, Beowulf, though a pagan hero, the Anglo-Saxon poem is that of a Christian, as the introduction of the Norton Anthology of English Literature posits:
"The poet [author of Beowulf] was reviving the heroic language, style, and pagan world of ancient Germanic oral poetry [...] it is now widely believed that Beowulf is the work of a single poet who was a Christian and that his poem reflects well-established Christian tradition."
A glance into this stunning volume, the roots of every word in the book researched by author Michelle Szobody to use only words with Anglo-Saxon origins:
And when we read the last words of this hue-saturated, lyrically rich book and turned the final page, the still sat for a moment... until a young voice asked: "How soon until we read the next Beowulf book?""Beowulf boasted as he took off his armor. "I have faith in my hand-grip as the monster does in his. I will fight my foe without weapons. May God in His wisdom give glory where He sees fit." The leader lay down, and his band fell asleep.
Then from the marsh-mists the monster came slinking...."
Ah, the sign of a book well-loved. When will the next word-feast be served?
(Grendel the Ghastly relates the first third of the epic poem of Beowulf. Two more volumes from the same author and illustrator are keenly anticipated. Discernment in reading to younger children encouraged. The artistry of this 26 page, hardback volume is rich, beautiful and vivid-- it may be best to wait until particularly sensitive children are older.)
View more sample pages and reviews here. A volume worth seeking out and reading... again and again.
Beowulf and Courage--thoughts from Tolkein and Chesterton
Beowulf recommended by Ambleside
Ambleside's Beowulf's guide
Beowulf recommended by Classical Christian Homeschooling
Beowulf recommended by Ambleside
Ambleside's Beowulf's guide
Beowulf recommended by Classical Christian Homeschooling
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