power struggles, social hierarchy," he says. Tolkien, who was a professor of Anglo-Saxon English, completed his own translation of Beowulf in 1926. Irish poet Seamus Heaney's 1999 translation ...

Hrothgar gives Beowulf a sword which, he tells him, has magical powers. Then Beowulf dives into the lake. Beowulf is seized by Grendel's mother and dragged into her cave. Hrothgar's sword is ...

Lookout: Who are you, strangers? Beowulf: My friend, we are Geats and we come in peace. I am Beowulf and I wish to speak with Hrothgar, your king. Lookout: If you are truly the famous Beowulf then ...

He offers rewards for the death of Grendel (Crispin Glover), so Beowulf (Ray Winstone), a great and boastful Geat warrior, arrives with his thanes. Beowulf sets aside his armor and awaits the monster.