The Beowulf Thesaurus is freely available and can offer unique new insights into the vocabulary of early medieval England's best-known epic.
From Bede (731) to BONE (1991-2004): A sparrow’s flight through the ages
This blog post looks at how Bede's famous parable of the sparrow was reused in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
Beowulf: A Paper Doll Pirate History (1934)
A set of Beowulf paper dolls, published in Dutch newspapers in 1934, is now made available with a modern English translation!
Anglo-Saxon gift horses: Equine gifts in early medieval England
Whether as a royal present, a reward for heroism, a treasured heirloom or an impressive bride price, a horse was the perfect gift in early medieval England!
The history of Beowulf’s sandwich: A sketch about ‘fake news’ from 1909
Before 'fake news', there was 'Beowulf's sandwich'. A reconstruction of a comic sketch from 1909.
Grendel’s Mother: A Student Doodle Edition
For a bonus question on their exam, my students used their artistic talents to draw their own rendition of Grendel's mother from the Old English poem Beowulf.
Spoiling the Mystery: Grendel in Beowulf Movies
What is Grendel? Six movie adaptations of Beowulf each give their own twist to this early medieval nightmare being.
Heads on sticks: Decapitation and impalement in early medieval England
A good way to keep out unwanted visitors and an inspiration to authors and artists: decapitation and impalement in Anglo-Saxon England.
“A conspicuous specimen of Anglosaxon poetry”: A student summary of Beowulf from 1880
One of the earliest student summaries of Beowulf survives in the drafts of a work by Dutch schoolmaster G. J. P. J. Bolland (1852-1922).
Benjamin Thorpe: The Man Who Translated Almost All Old English Texts
Not much is known about Benjamin Thorpe (1782-1870), yet he was one of the first scholars to publish voluminous editions and translations of Old English texts. This blog provides an overview of Thorpe's works on Anglo-Saxon texts and also reveals how his reputation was almost ruined because of faulty reprints of his Beowulf edition. Benjamin … Continue reading Benjamin Thorpe: The Man Who Translated Almost All Old English Texts
Thijs Porck 