Beowulf Quotes
A curated collection of the best quotes about Beowulf.
Top Quotes
“Gǣð ā Wyrd swā hīo scel!”
“Beowulf Quotes analyzed; study guide with themes, literary devices, character analyses, teaching guide”
“ lof-dǣdum sceal
in mǣgða gehwǣre man geþēon.”
“HǷÆT! ǷĒ Gār-Dena in geār-dagum
þēod-cyninga þrym gefrūnon,
hū þā æðelingas ellen fremedon.”
“Beowulf is in fact so interesting as poetry, in places poetry so powerful, that this quite overshadows the historical content, and is largely independent even of the most important facts...that research has discovered.”
“ Sēlre bið æghwæm,
þæt hē his frēond wrece, þonne hē fela murne;
ūre æghwylc sceal ende gebīdan
worolde līfes; wyrce sē þe mōte
dōmes ær dēaðe! þæt bið driht-guman
unlifgendum æfter sēlest.”
“At the beginning, and during its process, and most of all at the end, we look down as if from a visionary height upon the house of man in the valley of the world. A light starts...and there is a sound of music; but the outer darkness and its hostile offspring lie ever in wait for the torches to fail and the voices to cease.
• Wikisource: Beowulf
• Wikicommons: -inline”
“In Caines cynne þone cwealm gewræc,
ēce drihten, þæs þe hē Ābel slōg;
ne gefeah hē þære fæhðe, ac hē hine feor forwræc,
metod for þy māne man-cynne fram.
Þanon untydras ealle onwōcon,
eotenas and ylfe and orcnēas,
swylce gīgantas, þā wið gode wunnon
lange þrāge; hē him þæs lēan forgeald.”
“ Oferhyda ne gym,
mære cempa! Nū is þīnes mægnes blæd
āne hwīle; eft sōna bið,
þæt þec ādl oððe ecg eafoðes getwæfeð,
oððe fyres feng oððe flōdes wylm,
oððe gripe mēces oððe gāres fliht,
oððe atol yldo, oððe ēagena bearhtm
forsiteð and forsworceð; semninga bið,
þæt þec, dryht-guma, dēað oferswyðeð.”
“Sƿā bið geōmorlīc gomelum ceorle
tō gebīdanne, þæt his byre rīde
giong on galgan, þonne hē gyd ƿrece,
sārigne sang, þonne his sunu hangað
hrefne tō hrōðre and hē him helpe ne mæg,
eald and in‐frōd, ǣnige gefremman.
Symble bið gemyndgad morna gehƿylce
eaforan ellor‐sīð; ōðres ne gȳmeð
tō gebīdanne burgum on innan
yrfe‐ƿeardes ...
Geƿīteð þonne on sealman, sorh‐lēoð gæleð
ān æfter ānum: þūhte him eall tō rūm,
ƿongas and ƿīc‐stede.”
“''Ic þāra frætwa frēan ealles þanc
wuldur-cyninge wordum secge,
ēcum dryhtne, þē ic hēr on starie,
þæs þe ic mōste mīnum lēodum
ær swylt-dæge swylc gestrynan.
Nū ic on māðma hord mīne bebohte
frōde feorh-lege, fremmað gē nū
lēoda þearfe; ne mæg ic hēr leng wesan.
Hātað heaðo-mære hlæw gewyrcean,
beorhtne æfter bæle æt brimes nosan;
se scel tō gemyndum mīnum lēodum
hēah hlīfian on Hrones næsse,
þæt hit sæ-līðend syððan hātan
Bīowulfes biorh, þā þe brentingas
ofer flōda genipu feorran drīfað."”
“Ā-lēdon þā lēofne þēoden,
bēaga bryttan on bearm scipes,
mærne be mæste. Þær wæs mādma fela,
of feor-wegum frætwa gelæded:
ne hyrde ic cymlīcor cēol gegyrwan
hilde-wæpnum and heaðo-wædum,
billum and byrnum; him on bearme læg
mādma mænigo, þā him mid scoldon
on flōdes æht feor gewītan.
Nalas hī hine læssan lācum tēodan,
þēod-gestrēonum, þonne þā dydon,
þē hine æt frumsceafte forð onsendon
ænne ofer yðe umbor wesende:
þā gyt hīe him āsetton segen gyldenne
hēah ofer hēafod, lēton holm beran,
gēafon on gār-secg: him wæs geōmor sefa,
murnende mōd. Men ne cunnon
secgan tō soðe sele-rædende,
hæleð under heofenum, hwā þæm hlæste onfēng.”
“Heald þū nū, hrūse, nū hæleð ne mōston,
eorla æhte. Hwæt! hit ær on þē
gōde begeāton; gūð-dēað fornam,
feorh-bealo frēcne fyra gehwylcne,
lēoda mīnra, þāra þe þis līf ofgeaf,
gesāwon sele-drēam. Nāh hwā sweord wege
oððe fetige fæted wæge,
drync-fæt dēore: duguð ellor scōc.
Sceal se hearda helm hyrsted golde
fætum befeallen: feormiend swefað,
þā þe beado-grīman bywan sceoldon,
gē swylce sēo here-pād, sīo æt hilde gebād
ofer borda gebræc bite īrena,
brosnað æfter beorne. Ne mæg byrnan hring
æfter wīg-fruman wīde fēran
hæleðum be healfe; næs hearpan wyn,
gomen glēo-bēames, nē gōd hafoc
geond sæl swingeð, nē se swifta mearh
burh-stede bēateð. Bealo-cwealm hafað
fela feorh-cynna feorr onsended!”