Week 11 Storytelling: The Last Battle

The battled continued with Beowulf and Wiglaf, Beowulf's most trusted ally, versus the kingdom's public enemy: the fire dragon. After months of waging war on the devilish monster, it appeared that the dragon made a turning point in the fight.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" shouted Wiglaf as he saw Beowulf fall to his knees. The mighty dragon had lashed his invincible tail against Beowulf's body, shattering his bones. Gloating in its victory, the infamous beast bellowed a horrendous roar and came charging at the fallen Beowulf to finish his life. Wiglaf, face covered in tears, turned to the dragon and wailed "I will slay you, wretched beast! I will avenge Beowulf!" He then drew his mighty sword out of its sheath and pointed its flawless steel towards the dragon. He felt his anger erupting in white hot flashes, and promised himself that he would slay his enemy even if it meant sacrificing his own life. For Beowulf thought Wiglaf as he let out a powerful wail and drove his sword deep into the dragon's heart. The sword was completely engulfed by the beast's chest, but the devoted knight continue to press his sword deeper into the wound. Boiling blood spilled everywhere from the center of the dragon's chest. What was once the dragon's golden scales has now become a scarlet cloak that flooded the arena. The terrifying winged beast fell beside Beowulf, as if he was joining Beowulf in his journey of death.

Wiglaf fighting the dragon. Source.

Dropping his sword and all defenses, Wiglaf rushed to Beowulf's side and held him close. The loyal friend begged him, "Beowulf, do not close your eyes. Come celebrate the dragon's death with me!" Wiglaf gently cradled Beowulf's head in his palms. "Please, Beowulf. Do not leave me here." Beowulf's eyes fluttered weakly as he opened his eyes to see Wiglaf's scarred face.

"Wiglaf, where is the dragon? Is the kingdom safe?" Beowulf whispered weakly. He coughed more blood and groaned due to the immense amount of pain.

"Yes! The dragon is defeated! We can remove it's scales to make you a golden cloak, Beowulf, to show the entire kingdom your accomplishment!"

"It is not my triumph, Wiglaf. It is yours. You made me proud." Beowulf drew in a sharp breath. He felt himself slipping in and our of consciousness. "Farewell, good Wiglaf, my own true friend... my brother..."

Wiglaf felt Beowulf's blood dripping from scalp, and his struggled breathing coming to a stop.

Bibliography:  The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs (1933)

Author's Note: I wrote about Beowulf's last battle with the dragon that was terrorizing his kingdom. His most faithful friend, Wiglaf, was his only ally that stayed with him through the entire battle. It was actually Wiglaf that destroyed the dragon which was surprising to me because I expected Beowulf to kill the dragon. Beowulf did die in Wiglaf's arms, which was really sad when I read the story. I decided to put more dialogue than what the original story had. I couldn't imagine losing someone so close to and to not say a word.

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)

Week 11 Reading Diary: Beowulf

For this week's reading, I read the first half of Beowulf unit from The Story of Beowulf by Strafford Riggs and illustrator Henry Pitz (1933). It wasn't a bad choice! I'm really appreciative that Riggs translated Beowulf into modern prose. It made the read easier and more enjoyable.

The story begins with a description of King Hygelac of Geatsland who is Beowulf's uncle. Beowulf lives with his uncle and his aunt who is Queen Hygd. Young Beowulf was described as a very athletic young boy with a strength so that all of his friends were filled with jealousy and rage. Because Beowulf is his uncle's favorite, he is appointed as the king's thane, or a nobleman that served the king.

 I've noticed that there is great criticism of Beowulf from his friends and the people of Geatsland. The legendary man is known for destroying dragons and swimming across the great sea for five days and night, yet people still call him a coward and lazy. It seems to me that Beowulf is stubborn and short-tempered. He cares about his reputation, and will never allow anyone to ruin it. This is obvious during the quarrel between Unferth, a counselor of the king of Danes, and Beowulf.

Unferth vs. Beowulf

In short, Beowulf hears from the songs of a traveling man that there is a monster named Grendel that has been terrorizing Daneland. He sees this as an opportunity to prove to his kingdom and his friends that he is the almighty and powerful Beowulf (and not a coward). He arrives at Daneland with a warm welcome from the king and his nobleman, except for one counselor, Unferth. During the celebration banquet to welcome Beowulf and his companions, Unferth declares that Beowulf should save himself from any embarrassment and go home. He calls Beowulf a "sluggard" and a coward that cannot defeat Grendel. Beowulf becomes enraged, but of course remains calm and collected. He makes a speech that entails of his many accomplishments to redeem himself and swears that he will defeat the evil, infamous Grendel.

Grendel. Source.