Tolkien Tries His Hand at Beowulf

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Show of hands, who likes J.R.R.Tolkien? For those of you who raised their hands, fantastic. For those of you didn’t, dear Hell what is wrong with you? Go out and read his books, your brain will thank you (and so will I).

The famous writer of “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” is long gone, but in his place we have his legacy: his literary works. His books have entered our culture, creating whimsical worlds to entertain us. However, there is another piece of Tolkien literature that very few know of that was just recently published.

Tolkien was an Oxford English professor who often dappled in Old Norse and Old English languages. From these topics, arose “Beowulf” the classic Norse tale that was not only Tolkien’s early love, but was also touched by his hand.

“Beowulf” is a famed Norse epic in which Grendel, a monster, raids Beowulf’s dining hall. Beowulf, one of the strongest men in existence easily smites Grendel and his mother, an evil dragon. This piece attracted the eye of Tolkien as he attempted to translate it from such an ancient language, to a more modern, understandable read. The translation was abandoned for many years so he could pursue “The Lord of the Rings” series. However, he would go back to it every now and then. Picking away a section or a sentence and translating it, as many scholars have done before.

Now Tolkien’s translation of “Beowulf” has been published to the public. People will be able to see how the master of literary language tried his hand at translating a classic epic.

So what are you waiting for? Go out there and enjoy a good read.