“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”
Blessed and Beloved
“Live blessed and beloved. To these bairns of mine
Show compassion, kindness, and concern for their gladness”
Wyrd Overtook
“But fickle is war, and wasteful, and so wyrd overwhelmed him,
That time when he taunted the terrors of war,
To fight with the Frisians”
Gracious in Greeting
“She carried a cup to him, with kindness greeted him,
With gold-wire winding and words that were winsome”
Heroism in Smoke
“With the smoke of the slain and the songs of death mingling,
The fire was fierce, the fallen consumed,
Brains boiling over, blood gushing from wounds,
The bodies were bursting, the burning greedily ate
And gone were their great ones, their glory vanished”
Unfeeling Sky
“Hildeburh wailed for Hnaef, and her son as well,
Bidding his body be brought alongside,
That his bones might burn, and his body ascend,
Alongside his uncle, to the unfeeling sky”
Simple Courage
“His courage in combat never cowered or quailed;
He was daring and doughty when dead bodies fell”
Spears for Infighting
“Gigantic fingers grim, those gray-clawed spikes,
Like burnished steel, bent spikes, short spears for infighting”