by Elizabeth Sky-McIlvain
Teacher Resources ~ Student Resources & Activities
E-texts ~ Other Books You Might Like
The text to which all page numbers refer is Beowulf the Warrior, retold by Ian Serraillier, illustrated by Severin, 1994, Bethlehem Books, ISBN 1-883937-03-5.
The dragon icons are from IconBazaar. Search for dragon03 and dragon04. This is now a subscription service.
This web site is designed for students in a laptop middle school. Taking advantage of this, the site assumes a basic student knowledge of Internet searching, file management, and word processing skills. Where reasonable, resources suitable for more complex courses and more challenging texts have been included. Please contact Least Tern with additions, corrections and improvements. Activities and related readings are welcome. All contributions to this site will be acknowledged on this page.
E-Texts - this is not a complete list. You can find one at Syd Allan's Beowulf site.
From the Harvard Classics, volume 49, translated by Robin Katsuya-Corbet - textual footnotes provided.
- Beowulf in Hypertext - notes, glossary, more - Gummere translation or Old English
Beowulf in Old English - just that, nothing more - And another from Georgetown's Labyrinth Library
Manuscript images - use the .ftp image directory (somewhat hit & miss) from the University of Kentucky
Old English and Interlinear Translation - this site also includes a timeline of literature
Side-by-Side translation of selected passages, from English 311: Beowulf - this is the 1998 syllabus - follow the line links.
Readings from Beowulf - hear the Old English while you read a good translation (selections)
- Readings from UC Berkeley course
Diplomatic e-text - this is in 16 files on an .ftp site - serious researchers might download it - read the Read Me file first!
- Translation by David Breeden - recommended as a text for middle school students if you do not want to teach the Serraillier
- Alliterative verse translation by poets - this page also contains some resource links
Other books you might like if you liked this one:
The Unbroken Web, by Richard Adams and others. 1980, Ballentine - connected short stories - out of print, but can be ordered from Amazon.com.
Beowulf, by Rosemary Sutcliff. 1984, Peter Smith (available from Amazon.com) - the story retold in novel form - this author has written many novels set in the world of knights and dragons.
Dragons & Dreams, ed. by Janet Yolen, Martin H. Greenberg and Charles Waugh. 1986, Harper & Row - fantasy and science fiction stories - out of print, but can be ordered from Amazon.com.
Jaws, by Peter Benchley (available from Amazon.com) - a more contemporary Grendel and Beowulf - if you see the movie, you should think about Beowulf.
The 13th Warrior, by Michael Crichton (available from Amazon.com) - a movie, but better as the book - the tale of the Arab scholar Ibn who meets Beowulf by chance and records the battles. The book was originally published as Eaters of the Dead.
The Magic Circle, by Donno Jo Napoli (available from Amazon.com) - a retelling of a fairy tale that you will recognize.
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien (many additions are available from Amazon.com) - first in a multi-volume saga of epic hobbit battles.
Grendel by John Gardner (available from Amazon.com) - the battle told from the monster's point of view.
Dragonsong by Anne McCaffery - first in a series of novels about dragonriders on the planet Pern - (out of print in some additions, but available from Amazon.com or your library).
The Legacy of Heorot, by Larry Niven, et al. 1989, Pocketbooks (reissue - I have a much earlier edition) - (available from Amazon.com) - uses the epic to build a SciFi story about a space station facing an ancient monster. There is a sequel, Grendel's Children, which begins slowly but ends, appropriately, with energy. It promises another story.
Elizabeth Sky-McIlvain 2/20/04
Least
Tern