Beowulf Fights the Three Monsters of the Far North #BeowulfFightstheThreeMonsters #theFarNorth #BeowulfFights #Beowulf Beowulf is an Old English poem about Beowulf, a Prince of Geatland (now part of Sweden) who travels to Denmark to rid King Hrothgar’s fabulous hall, Heorot, of a terrible man-eating monster. He kills the monster and the monster’s vengeful mother, receiving great honours. In later life, back home in Sweden, he confronts and kills a fire-breathing dragon, but dies in the effort. All versions of Beowulf come from this original poem. It was written in Old English, the language of the Saxons. Originally untitled, it only became known as Beowulf (after the main character) in the 19th century. It is very important because so little is known about the period in which it is written. Out of the 30,000 lines of literature left from the time of the Anglo-Saxons, nearly 4,000 lines come from the text of Beowulf. Because there was little literacy and few books at the time, this poem gives an important insight into the Anglo-Saxon settlers, their ancestry, beliefs and culture. The times during which it was written were turbulent and the combination in the poem of fantasy elements with war, betrayal and adventure may have captured the spirit of the time.