Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...

'' is an

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...

heroic epic poem of anonymous authorship. Its creation dates from between the 8th and the 11th century, the only surviving manuscript dating from circa 1010. At 3182 lines, it is notable for its length. It has risen to

national epic A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation—not necessarily a nation state, but at least an ethnic or linguistic group with as ...

status in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. ''Beowulf'' has been adapted many times in verse, in prose, on the stage, and in film. In 2003, the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies published Marijane Osborn's annotated list of over 300 translations and adaptations, withdrawn in 2019. By 2020, the Beowulf's Afterlives Bibliographic Database listed some 688 translations and other versions of the poem, from Thorkelin's 1787 transcription of the text, and in languages including Afrikaans, Albanian, Arabic, Basque, Belarusian, Catalan, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, French, Ganda, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Macedonian,

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, Portuguese, Polish, Punjabi, Russian, Serbo-Croat, Slovenian, Somali, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Turkish, Uighur, and Urdu. The poet

John Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the per ...

's categories of translation have influenced how scholars discuss variation between translations and adaptations. In the ''Preface to Ovid's Epistles'' (1680) Dryden proposed three different types of translation: The works listed below are novels and other works that take more "latitude" than pure "translations". Those are listed at List of translations of ''Beowulf''.

Novels based on ''Beowulf''

Novels and short stories

* 1958: ''The Ring-givers'', a novel by

W. H. Canaway William Hamilton Canaway (1925 – 22 May 1988) was the author of novels that combined adventure with natural history and a love of the outdoors. He was born in 1925 in Altrincham, Cheshire, England, UK, and died on 22 May 1988 (age 62) in Derbys ...

. It is historical novel based closely on the poem. * 1961: As a children's story by Rosemary Sutcliff. * 1966: in '' The Green Man'', a novel by

Henry Treece Henry Treece (22 December 1911 – 10 June 1966) was a British poet and writer who also worked as a teacher and editor. He wrote a range of works but is mostly remembered as a writer of children's historical novels. Life and work Treece wa ...

, Beowulf is a minor character, who travels with his own bard, who is making the story about him. * 1971: ''

Grendel Grendel is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem '' Beowulf'' (700–1000). He is one of the poem's three antagonists (along with his mother and the dragon), all aligned in opposition against the protagonist Beowulf. Grendel is feared by a ...

'', The ''Beowulf'' story is retold from

's point of view in this

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

by John Gardner. * 1976: ''

Eaters of the Dead ''Eaters of the Dead: The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan Relating His Experiences with the Northmen in AD 922'' (later republished as ''The 13th Warrior'' to correspond with the film adaptation of the novel) is a 1976 novel by Michael Crichton, the ...

'': The ''Beowulf'' story, in combination with a fictionalized 10th century

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

narrative of

Ahmad ibn Fadlan Aḥmad ibn Faḍlān ibn al-ʿAbbās ibn Rāšid ibn Ḥammād, ( ar, أحمد بن فضلان بن العباس بن راشد بن حماد; ) commonly known as Ahmad ibn Fadlan, was a 10th-century Muslim traveler, famous for his account of his ...

created by the author

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...

, was used as the basis for this novel. This story is portrayed in the movie '' The 13th Warrior''. * 1987: ''The Heorot series'': science-fiction novels, by

Steven Barnes Steven Barnes (born March 1, 1952) is an American science fiction, fantasy, and mystery writer. He has written novels, short fiction, screen plays for television, scripts for comic books, animation, newspaper copy, and magazine articles. Career ...

, Jerry Pournelle, and Larry Niven, is named after the stronghold of King Hrothgar and partly parallels ''Beowulf''. * 1996: ''Whose Song is Sung'', a novel by Frank Schaefer. The narrative is told from the point of view of a dwarf named Musculus, who becomes an advisor to Emperor

Heraclius Heraclius ( grc-gre, Ἡράκλειος, Hērákleios; c. 575 – 11 February 641), was List of Byzantine emperors, Eastern Roman emperor from 610 to 641. His rise to power began in 608, when he and his father, Heraclius the Elder, the Exa ...

in the last days of the Roman Empire. Eventually, he makes his way north and becomes a traveling companion to Beowulf. * 1998: ''Bay Wolf'': a poem by Neil Gaiman which retells the ''Beowulf'' story and appears in ''

Smoke and Mirrors Smoke and mirrors is a classic technique in magical illusions that makes an entity appear to hover in empty space. It was documented as early as 1770 and spread widely after its use by the charlatan Johann Georg Schröpfer, who claimed the appa ...

.'' * 1999: ''Beowulf'', an illustrated version by Kevin Crossley-Holland and Charles Keeping. * 2006: ''The Monarch of the Glen'', a novella

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

published in his anthology ''

Fragile Things ''Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders'' is a collection of short stories and poetry by English author Neil Gaiman. It was published in the US and UK in 2006 by HarperCollins and Headline Review. Most of the stories in this book are repr ...

'' involves "modernized ''Beowulf'' characters." * 2007: As a tie-in with the Beowulf film by Robert Zemeckis, a novelization of the film by

Caitlin R. Kiernan Caitlin () is a female given name of Irish origin. Historically, the Irish name Caitlín was anglicized as Cathleen or Kathleen. In the 1970s, however, non-Irish speakers began pronouncing the name according to English spelling rules as , which ...

was published in September of that year. * 2013: ''Beowulf'', an adaptation for children by

Michael Morpurgo Sir Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo (''né'' Bridge; 5 October 1943) is an English book author, poet, playwright, and librettist who is known best for children's novels such as ''War Horse'' (1982). His work is noted for its "magical storytellin ...

, with illustrations by Michael Foreman. * 2015: ''Grendel's Mother: The Saga of the Wyrd-Wife'', a novel by Susan Signe Morrison, portrays Grendel's Mother as being human, washed upon the shores of Denmark, with the character representing an integration between the old ways of the Scandinavian/Germanic tribes, and early Christianity. This novel has won a number of awards. * 2018: ''The Mere Wife'', a novel by Maria Dahvana Headley, retells the story from the point of view of Grendel's Mother, set in contemporary, suburban America.

Graphic novels and comics

* 1975-1976: '' Beowulf Dragon Slayer'', published by DC comics and edited by Dennis O'Neil, written by Michael Uslan and primarily illustrated by Ricardo Villamonte. Later, Beowulf appears in ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

'' #20 (2008). * Issue #49 of the '' Animaniacs'' comic book featured a Pinky and the Brain story featuring Brain as Brainwulf, who, accompanied by Pinknarf (Pinky), attempts to defeat Grendel so that he can take over Denmark afterwards. * 1999-2000:''The Collected Beowulf'': by Gareth Hinds & Leslie Siddeley. * ''Beowulf'' by Gareth Hinds, Published by TheComic.com (2000) and Candlewick Press (2007). A faithful adaptation with historically-detailed, fully painted illustrations. * 2006:

Antarctic Press Antarctic Press is a San Antonio-based comic book publishing company which publishes "Amerimanga" style comic books. The company also produces "how-to" and "you can" comics, instructing on areas of comic book creation and craft. Beginning in 1 ...

ran a

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

adaptation of the ''Beowulf'' legend, written and drawn by David Hutchison. * 2007'': Beowulf: The Graphic Novel'' by

Stephen L. Stern Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

and Christopher Steininger, released by AAM/Markosia. * ''Beowulf Cartoon'': Bookwork by

Michael J. Weller Michael John Weller (South London, 1946) is a British underground comics artist, political writer, cartoonist, activist and album-cover designer. Weller designed the sleeve for the United States release of David Bowie's '' The Man Who Sold th ...

with introduction by Bill Griffiths. * ''Biowulf'' by David Hutchinson. "A

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyber ...

adaptation of the classic tale of Beowulf." Published by

in 2007. * 2007,

and Roger Avary, a graphic novel version of their screenplay of the '' Beowulf movie,'' published by

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...

. * 2008'': Kid Beowulf,'' by Alexis E. Fajardo. A series of eight graphic novels, that depict the characters of

in the years leading up to the epic poem. Published by Bowler Hat Comics * Stephen Notley's weekly strip Bob the Angry Flower ran a 10-part series entitled ''Rothgar''. Bob attempted to take the place of Beowulf, using modern technology to help Hroðgar defeat Grendel; the ancient epic changed when Grendel was revealed as a sympathetic character. * 2017''
Beowulf
' by Santiago Garcia and David Rubin, published by

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

. * ''

Speakeasy Comics Speakeasy Comics was a Canadian publishing company of comic books and graphic novels which operated from 2004–2006. Based in Toronto, Ontario, Speakeasy published monthly comics, creator-owned independent series, original graphic novels, and col ...

'': this series debuted a ''Beowulf'' monthly title featuring the character having survived into the modern era and now working alongside law enforcement in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to handle superpowered beings.

Music

* ''Grendel'': A song by

Marillion Marillion are a British rock music, rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979. They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becomin ...

is the B side to their first single, "'' Market Square Heroes''" (1982). The recorded version of the song is 17:40 long, while the live versions regularly ran to over 20 minutes. * ''The Lament for Beowulf'': (1925), op. 25, by American composer Howard Hanson (1896–1981). Large-scale work for chorus and orchestra. Translation by W. Morris and A. Wyatt. * ''Beowulf: Scyld's Burial'' (2009), by composer

Ezequiel Viñao Ezequiel Viñao (born July 21, 1960 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine- American composer. He emigrated to the United States in 1980 and studied at the Juilliard School. His compositions include ''La Noche de las Noches'' (1989) for string quartet ...

. For SATB and percussion quartet. Translation by E. Viñao. * ''Beowulf'': (2010) by historyteachers Set to ''

99 Luftballoons "99 Luftballons" (german: link=no, Neunundneunzig Luftballons, "99 balloons") is a song by the German band Nena from their 1983 self-titled album. An English-language version titled "99 Red Balloons", with lyrics by Kevin McAlea, was also relea ...

'' by '' Nena'' * ''Beowulf: A Suite for Ancient Instruments'' (2000) by American composer

John Craton John Douglas Craton (born August 6, 1953) is an American classical composer. His works have been performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. While his compositions cover a diverse range, he is best known for his operas, ballets, and ...

(b. 1953). A multi-movement work depicting the life and exploits of Beowulf, scored for ancient instruments. The composer also created a version for modern orchestra in 2005.

Opera and theatre

* 1974: ''Beowulf: A Musical Epic'': a rock opera by

Victor Davies Victor Albert Davies is a Canadian composer, pianist, and conductor, best known for his opera ''Transit of Venus'' and '' The Mennonite Piano Concerto''. Biography Davies was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1939. As a child and teenager, he st ...

(music) and Betty Jane Wylie (libretto), with Chad Allen as Beowulf. * 1984: ''Beowulf'': adapted for live performance by the founding members of'' Theatre in the Ground''. * 1990s ''Beowulf'' one-man shows in modern English by Julian Glover * 1993. ''Beowulf'', op. 17, chamber opera (or dramatic cantata) in one act for a chorus of young voices, light soprano, light tenor and baritone soli, by Richard Lambert. * 2005: ''Beowulf'': rock opera composed by Lenny Picket, lyrics by Lenny Pickett and Lindsey Turner, produced October–November 2005 by the Irish Repertory Theatre, directed by Charlotte Moore * 2006: ''Grendel'': an opera composed by Elliot Goldenthal, directed by Julie Taymor, and commissioned by

Los Angeles Opera The Los Angeles Opera is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center. Leadersh ...

; it was given its world premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on June 8, 2006, with bass Eric Owens starring in the title role. * 2007: ''Beowulf'': The Heart Off Guard Theatre Company produced a musical adaptation for children of the ''Beowulf'' story at the Edinburgh Fringe. Directed by Guy Jones with a score by Michael Betteridge. * 2008: ''Beowulf - A Thousand Years of Baggage'': a SongPlay by Banana Bag & Bodice. Text by Jason Craig, Music by Dave Malloy * 2010: ''Exploding Beowulf'', a musical stage drama by Momus and David Woodard. Text by Woodard and Momus, music by Momus. * 2016: ''Beowulf.'' An adaptation for chamber opera. Libretto and music by

Hannah Lash Han Lash (born 1981) is an American composer of concert music who has taught at Yale School of Music, Mannes School of Music, and the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Biography Han Lash was born in Alfred, New York, USA on Novembe ...

. Commissioned by

Guerilla Opera Guerilla Opera is an opera company in Boston, Massachusetts founded in 2007 specializing in accessible contemporary chamber operas, several of which have been commissioned by the company. In 2010, its Artistic Directors were Mike Williams and Ru ...

and premiered in May 2016. * 2016: Beowulf, an opera commissioned by Cantata Dramatica, composed by Louis Mander, with libretto by Nick Pitts-Tucker. * 2017: ''Beowulf'', A one-person musical adaptation by Chris Thorpe, produced for the Unicorn Theatre, London, with all roles played by Debbie Korley.

Cinema and television adaptations

* 1981: ''

Grendel Grendel Grendel ''Grendel Grendel Grendel'' is a 1981 Australian animated film written, directed and designed by Alexander Stitt and starring Peter Ustinov. It was based on John Gardner's novel '' Grendel''. The music was composed and conducted by Bruce Smea ...

'' * 1998: ''Animated Epics: Beowulf'' * 1999: ''

'', a science-fiction/fantasy film starring

Christopher Lambert Christophe Guy Denis "Christopher" Lambert (; ; born March 29, 1957) is a French-American actor, producer, and novelist. He started his career playing supporting parts in several French films, and became internationally famous for portraying Ta ...

. * 1999: '' The 13th Warrior'', action movie directed by John McTiernan mixing Beowulf with the travels of

Ibn Fadlan Aḥmad ibn Faḍlān ibn al-ʿAbbās ibn Rāšid ibn Ḥammād, ( ar, أحمد بن فضلان بن العباس بن راشد بن حماد; ) commonly known as Ahmad ibn Fadlan, was a 10th-century Muslim traveler, famous for his account of his ...

; based on Crichton's ''

'' (see below). * 2005: ''

Beowulf & Grendel ''Beowulf & Grendel'' is a 2005 Canadian- Icelandic fantasy adventure film directed by Sturla Gunnarsson, loosely based on the Anglo-Saxon epic poem '' Beowulf''. It stars Gerard Butler as Beowulf, Stellan Skarsgård as Hrothgar, Ingvar Eggert ...

'', starring Gerard Butler and directed by the Icelandic-Canadian

Sturla Gunnarsson Sturla Gunnarsson (born August 30, 1951) is an Icelandic-Canadian film and television director and producer. Gunnarsson was born in Reykjavík in 1951. He moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, with his parents when he was seven years old. As he ...

. * 2007: ''

'', a made-for television movie on the

Sci Fi Channel (United States) Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...

. * 2007: ''Beowulf'', a DVD release of a performance of Beowulf by

Benjamin Bagby Benjamin Bagby (born February 20, 1950) is an American singer, composer, harpist, and performer of medieval music. Biography Born in Evanston, Illinois, Bagby was educated at Oberlin College, Ohio, and the Schola Cantorum in Basel, Bagby foun ...

in the original Old English * 2007: ''

'', a

computer animated Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refer ...

film directed by

Robert Zemeckis Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an American filmmaker. He first came to public attention as the director of the action-adventure romantic comedy ''Romancing the Stone'' (1984), the science-fiction comedy ''Back to the Future'' film tr ...

and created through

motion capture Motion capture (sometimes referred as mo-cap or mocap, for short) is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robo ...

. The manuscript was written by Roger Avary and

. It deviates ''significantly'' from the original poem, most notably by making the dragon fought in the finale the offspring of Beowulf and Grendel's mother, whom he did not slay. * 2007: '' Beowulf: Prince of the Geats'' * 2008: '' Outlander'', a

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...

starring James Caviezel. * 2016: ''

'', an ITV adaptation - starring Kieran Bew as Beowulf.

Games

Board games

* Beowulf: The Legend is a board game by Reiner Knizia with artwork by John Howe, based on the events of ''Beowulf''.

Video games

* ''Beowulf: Viking Warrior'': action adventure game based on the original story, by 4HEAD Studios; cancelled after Ubisoft announced ''Beowulf: The Game'' * '' Beowulf: The Game'': action adventure game based on the 2007 film, developed by

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', ''Far Cry'', '' ...

coming for PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and PSP. * '' Grendel's Cave'': a MUD role playing fantasy game based on the original story.

References

Sources

External links

Beowulfiana: Modern Adaptations of Beowulf
by John William Sutton- Robbins Library,

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Artistic Depictions Of Beowulf Works based on Beowulf