Beowulf

'tis but a scratch: fact and fiction about the Middle Ages

Send us a Text Message.

This is the first of a two-part series on the most famous monster story in pre-modern literature, the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. My co-host for both is Dr. Christine Senecal of Shippensburg University. In this episode Chrissy and I talk about the poem itself. We begin with the story of the hero Beowulf and how as a youth he kills two monsters ravaging the mead-hall of King Hrothgar, the fearsome Grendel and his even more fierce mother, and how as an aged king he fights and kills a fire-breathing dragon, saving his kingdom and winning the dragon's treasure, but at the cost of his life. We then discuss when the poem was written and what we can learn from it about the warrior aristocratic culture of early Anglo-Saxon England. In the follow-on episode, Chrissy and I talk about modern literary and cinematic adaptations of the Beowulf story. I hope you can join us.
Passages are quoted from
Beowulf, A Dual-Language Edition, trans. Howell D. Chickering, Jr. (New York: Anchor Books, 1977).
Beowulf: The Donaldson Translation Backgrounds and Sources Criticism, ed. Joseph Tuso (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1975).
Beowulf, A New Translation, trans. Maria Dahvana Headley (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2020).
The Heliand: The Saxon Gospel, trans. G. Ronald Murphy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992).
The Dating of Beowulf, A Reassessment, ed. Leonard Neidorf (Cambridge: D.S. Brewer, 2014).
Music:
"Wælheall," composed by Hrōðmund Wōdening (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQfdqIyqJ4g)
"Caedmon's Hymn" on a lyre, sung and played by Peter Pringle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8WaPIu1tAc)
If you are interested in the Middle Ages--and I assume you are if you listening to 'Tis But A Scratch--you might want to check out Dr. Christine Senecal's Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/chrissysenecal/) and her webpage, "Weird History Stories" (https://chrissysenecal.com/). Both are well worth a visit.
I would same about Medievalists.net, a website dedicated to offering readers news, articles, videos and more about the medieval world and how that history is presented today (https://www.medievalists.net/)
Finally, if you are enjoying 'Tis But A Scratch, please tell friends and family about it. Good ratings and good reviews help spread the word!

Listen on Podurama https://podurama.com

Intro and exit music are by Alexander Nakarada
If you have questions, feel free to contact me at [e-mail]