Beowulf, a translation by Burton Raffel

This timeless adventure tells the tale of Beowulf, the greatest of Geat warriors, who sets out to avenge the monster Grendel's slaughter of thirty warriors of the Danish king Hrothgar. Beowulf must risk his life and the lives of his followers as he faces the monster and tries to bring an end to Grendel's reign of terror.

Related Readings

from The New Beowulf—online interview with Seamus Heaney

from Grendel—fiction by John Gardner

Old English Riddles—riddles translated by Charles W. Kennedy

"The Slaying of the Dragon"—short story by Dino Buzzati

"Medusa's Story"—short story by Jane Cahill

"The Woman with the Big Thumbnail"—Basotho folktale edited by Minnie Postma

Study Guide (PDF)