“Spent with the struggle, he staggered and fell,
Though fierce among fighters, he fell nonetheless”
Wolf in the Water
“Then he saw that she-devil, that savage wolf-in-the-water,
That monstrous mere-hag. With a main stroke
He spun his strong blade, and struck her foul head.
The blade sang as he swung, a savage war-song”
Sharp Battle Bolt
“Hearing the horn, those hateful beasts dove,
The great prince of the Geats grasped his bow ,
And shot with sure aim, the shaft flying true,
Its mark a great monster, striking its middle,
The sharp battle bolt bloodied the water,
As the serpent swam slowly, singled out by death”
Watching the Water
“They watched the water; they saw worms and serpents,
Sea monsters strange that sounded the depths,
And cold and cruel kraken on the crags basking”
Steep Defiles
“Then the proud prince passed by the crags,
Down steep defiles, and deep under cliffs,
Narrow, unknown, the noble king led them,
Past crags with caves, crags with trolls”
Keeping It Honest
“It is important though that the prayer be a genuine prayer rather than an introduction to the sermon”
Olford, Anointed Expository Preaching, p. 190
That Bog Smokes
“On clear nights uncanny sights go cold to the bone,
The water burns and blazes, that bog smokes.
Our people have not plumbed the perils of that deep”
Monsters of the Mere
“One wraith a woman, the other wicked, accursed,
In man-shape, a monster, across marshes and meres
He slipped quietly, silent, skulking through bogs”
Beowulf. p. 51
Fleeing Maimed
“That fiend then failed, and fled the hall maimed,
Wretched, he ran to the realms of death,
That enemy of men.”
Grim Beast
“Grendel’s mother, grim beast, a ghastly dame,
A mother and monster, mourned her loss.
In the dread water, wet doom, she dwelt for centuries”