“Our Shielding held that hilt, and hit and struck with it,
Emboldened with battle-lust, that blow was great;
He was wrathful and reckless, his rage was just.
It pierced her proud neck, the point went deep,
Her spine snapped; the blade sliced clean through
Her blotched body, blood went to the floor with her,
His blade was blood-wet, his boast erupted”
Ancient Doom
“He saw a great sword, a slasher from old time,
Ancient doom from the ettins [giants], with an edge well-tempered,
A warrior’s war-treasure, a weapon unmatched,
Too hard and heavy to be held by three men
To brandish in battle, in the brunt of war”
God of Battles
“But the blessed God of battles brought him deliverance.”
Utterly Spent
“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”
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