Week 11 Reading Diary: Beowulf Continued

The story continues with Beowulf! I finished the second unit of Beowulf, and let me just say that he was more of a monster that the dragons that he battled. He destroyed the horrendous Grendel with his bare hands, and destroyed its mother. Afterwards, he died battling a dragon. Can you believe that it took a beast such as a dragon to destroy Beowulf? I'm convinced that this man isn't human at all.

What really surprised me was Beowulf's anxiety the night before he battled Grendel. He tossed and turned in bed, worrying about the battle that would ensue the next day with the monster. Ironically, Grendel put a sleeping spell on the kingdom so that he could sneak into the castle undetected. Maybe it was the spell that interfered with Beowulf's sleep.

The most depressing part of the story was Beowulf's death. Beowulf and his most faithful companion Wiglaf battled the dragon side by side. Right before the dragon fell to its death, its tail caught Beowulf and broke his body. Outraged with the dragon, Wiglaf stabbed the the dragon's heart, finishing him once and for all. Wiglaf rushed to Beowulf's side to hear his last words. Beowulf told his friend, "Farewell, good Wiglaf, my own true friend." That was the end of Beowulf.

Beowulf and Wiglaf battling the dragon. Source.

(The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs, 1933)