Sub Bewulf Episode 8

7/28/2019 Sub Bewulf Episode 8

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A savage beast is on the rampage.

1500:01:11,948 --> 00:01:13,468He is Grendel.

1600:01:14,348 --> 00:01:17,908A monstrous outcastbanished from society

1700:01:17,948 --> 00:01:21,028whose rage has turned to violence.

1800:01:21,588 --> 00:01:24,788I always compare Grendel to Predator,

1900:01:24,828 --> 00:01:29,268you know, sort of hulking and darkand threatening.

2000:01:29,548 --> 00:01:34,988Night after night, the monster'svicious reign of terror continues.

2100:01:38,188 --> 00:01:40,068He's killing warriors.

2200:01:40,108 --> 00:01:43,028He's tearing them apart limb from limb.

2300:01:43,028 --> 00:01:44,788He's decapitating them.

2400:01:44,788 --> 00:01:47,268There are body partsall over the place.

2500:01:47,348 --> 00:01:50,428Denmark desperately needs a hero,

2600:01:50,468 --> 00:01:54,868someone strong enough toface off with the monster,

2700:01:54,908 --> 00:01:58,188someone who can take him down.

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00:01:58,228 --> 00:02:01,668That hero is Beowulf.

2900:02:02,628 --> 00:02:06,148Beowulf is the biggestpossible hero you could imagine.

3000:02:06,188 --> 00:02:09,228He can do anything.

3100:02:09,268 --> 00:02:11,868He's not afraid to lose his life.

3200:02:11,908 --> 00:02:16,108This is exactly what a heroin his culture has to be like,

3300:02:16,108 --> 00:02:19,108willing to lay down his

life for honour, for glory.

3400:02:19,148 --> 00:02:21,468Beowulf is no ordinary human being.

3500:02:21,468 --> 00:02:23,428He really is a heroic figure.

3600:02:23,468 --> 00:02:26,948Like the heroes in Greek mythology,

3700:02:26,948 --> 00:02:30,788his powers definitely exceedthose of an ordinary man.

3800:02:34,068 --> 00:02:38,708In a dark age when terror waseverywhere and heroes were few,

3900:02:38,748 --> 00:02:43,868

the myth of Beowulf resonated as theultimate clash between good and evil.

4000:02:46,468 --> 00:02:51,708Between a valiant warrior anda myriad of monstrous enemies.

4100:02:54,668 --> 00:02:59,268


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The legend of Beowulf is afictional story inspired by fact.

4400:03:07,508 --> 00:03:10,308in the seventh or eighth century AD,

4500:03:10,348 --> 00:03:13,948making it the oldest storyin the English language.

4600:03:13,988 --> 00:03:19,628The action of the poem takes placein the sixth century in Scandinavia,

4700:03:19,668 --> 00:03:22,708but the poem itself waswritten in Anglo-Saxon England

4800:03:22,708 --> 00:03:27,148

after the conversion ofthe Anglo-Saxons in 665.

4900:03:28,868 --> 00:03:31,508Christianity had recentlytaken root in England

5000:03:31,508 --> 00:03:34,948at the time of the writing of Beowulf.

51

00:03:34,988 --> 00:03:39,988The poem reflects a societythat has a deep pagan background

5200:03:40,028 --> 00:03:44,228and that has stories thatcome from its pagan past.

5300:03:44,268 --> 00:03:49,028What the poem does is, it recaststhese stories in a Christian mold

5400:03:49,068 --> 00:03:53,708so that its listeners would beable to keep touch with their past.

5500:03:53,748 --> 00:03:57,948They would reinterpretit in a Christian way.


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5600:04:01,108 --> 00:04:06,028In the myth, Beowulf's firstnemesis, the monster Grendel,

5700:04:06,068 --> 00:04:09,908has an intriguing linkto the Christian Bible.

5800:04:10,908 --> 00:04:14,708The text says that he isdescended from the line of Cain.

5900:04:14,748 --> 00:04:18,228According to the Old Testament,Cain, son of Adam,

6000:04:18,228 --> 00:04:20,868was mankind's first murderer.

6100:04:20,908 --> 00:04:23,388He slayed his brotherAbel out of jealousy

6200:04:23,388 --> 00:04:27,228and came to symbolizethe worst of human passions.

6300:04:27,268 --> 00:04:31,548

Grendel inherits that vile legacy.

6400:04:31,588 --> 00:04:35,668Grendel resents and isjealous of the humans

6500:04:35,708 --> 00:04:37,828who are feasting in the meet halls.

6600:04:37,868 --> 00:04:40,708

All of the men in the greathall are having a good time,

6700:04:40,748 --> 00:04:45,108and they're telling stories,and they're all together and united,

6800:04:45,148 --> 00:04:46,828


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and he seems to envy that.

6900:04:46,868 --> 00:04:49,668He seems that he'll never bepart of that kind of thing,

7000:04:49,708 --> 00:04:53,708and his reaction to thatis to attack and destroy.

7100:04:54,068 --> 00:04:59,948In the ancient text, Grendel's physicalappearance is left to the imagination.

7200:04:59,988 --> 00:05:02,668The only clue is the phrase,

7300:05:02,708 --> 00:05:05,548"... a fiend out of hell".

7400:05:05,588 --> 00:05:09,668Grendel is described asa demon of the dark, if you like.

7500:05:09,668 --> 00:05:13,028Wherever he moves,darkness surrounds him.

7600:05:14,788 --> 00:05:20,548

In the myth, the monster holdsDenmark under siege for 12 years.

7700:05:23,388 --> 00:05:25,948He kills 30 people at a time.

7800:05:25,988 --> 00:05:27,708You can't see him coming.

7900:05:27,748 --> 00:05:32,148

He's bloodthirsty andlikes to crunch on bones.

8000:05:32,188 --> 00:05:35,468After he decimates the king's warriors,

8100:05:35,508 --> 00:05:39,388Grendel turns his rage


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on innocent civilians.

8200:05:42,628 --> 00:05:46,308But there is one person he cannot harm,

8300:05:46,308 --> 00:05:48,868the Danish king Hrothgar.

8400:05:48,908 --> 00:05:52,028Like many real kings of the dark ages,

8500:05:52,068 --> 00:05:55,708he is thought to havethe power of god on his side.

8600:05:55,748 --> 00:05:58,788Strangely enough, Grendeldoesn't attack King Hrothgar.

8700:05:58,828 --> 00:06:02,628The King is seated on a thronethat's protected by god himself,

8800:06:02,628 --> 00:06:05,428and so Grendel has to keep his distance.

8900:06:07,068 --> 00:06:10,188All of Hrothgar'swarriors have failed him.

9000:06:11,428 --> 00:06:13,988But in the nearby kingdom of Geatland,

9100:06:14,028 --> 00:06:17,908there is one who willstand above all others.

9200:06:20,668 --> 00:06:22,988Beowulf comes from Scandinavia.

9300:06:22,988 --> 00:06:26,388He is a warrior descendedfrom great warriors,

9400:06:26,428 --> 00:06:30,188and he is a man who hasa reputation for his strength,


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9500:06:30,188 --> 00:06:32,788his courage, and his ambition.

9600:06:32,788 --> 00:06:35,468He wants to makea great name for himself.

9700:06:37,228 --> 00:06:42,668At the outset of the poem,Beowulf is a well-known warrior.

9800:06:42,668 --> 00:06:45,748He's a leader of whatseems to be a war band

9900:06:45,788 --> 00:06:48,708or a group of men who travel together.

10000:06:48,748 --> 00:06:50,628He's not really a mercenary, per se.

10100:06:50,628 --> 00:06:54,628It's not as if he is looking for pay.

10200:06:54,668 --> 00:07:00,268It's merely along the lines ofhim looking for a good fight.

10300:07:00,308 --> 00:07:06,148Beowulf is primarily seeking glory,what the old English called "lof".

10400:07:06,148 --> 00:07:09,708It's this kind of glory thatattends a person of high honour

10500:07:09,748 --> 00:07:13,708who's lived up to his obligations

under the honour code at the time.

10600:07:13,748 --> 00:07:17,588It's the kind of glory andstatus that noblemen of his time

10700:07:17,628 --> 00:07:20,188aimed for that really


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motivates Beowulf.

10800:07:20,548 --> 00:07:25,148Beowulf knows there is one wayto achieve everlasting distinction,

10900:07:25,188 --> 00:07:28,548to do what no man before him has done.

11000:07:29,068 --> 00:07:31,788He must slay Grendel.

11100:07:37,828 --> 00:07:39,348Night falls.

11200:07:40,428 --> 00:07:43,908The hall comes alive withthe sounds of celebration.

11300:07:45,828 --> 00:07:49,908But this time, it is a trickdesigned by Beowulf

11400:07:49,908 --> 00:07:52,868to lure Grendel from his lair.

11500:07:53,788 --> 00:07:56,468He's not going to wait for an attack.

11600:07:56,508 --> 00:07:58,588He's going to make surethat an attack will happen,

11700:07:58,628 --> 00:08:01,388and he uses, actually,surprisingly, the scientific method.

11800:08:01,428 --> 00:08:06,668He recreates the circumstances

of the first attack,

11900:08:06,668 --> 00:08:08,868and there is singing,and there is merriment,

12000:08:08,868 --> 00:08:14,548and Grendel, sure enough, hears this,


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and he comes to get his meat.

12100:08:15,468 --> 00:08:18,468The beast is thirsty for blood.

12200:08:23,548 --> 00:08:25,748But Beowulf is ready.

12300:08:29,228 --> 00:08:33,548In the dead of night,as the party dies down,

12400:08:33,548 --> 00:08:35,708the hero lies in wait.

12500:08:36,708 --> 00:08:39,828He will either kill or be killed.

126

00:08:41,588 --> 00:08:45,748Finally, Grendel makes his move.

12700:08:46,788 --> 00:08:50,988Beowulf and his warriorsbrace for attack.

12800:08:54,108 --> 00:08:56,348All the warriors pull out their swords,

129

00:08:56,348 --> 00:09:00,108and they start to try andhack and hew at Grendel.

13000:09:00,148 --> 00:09:03,308But Grendel is impervious.

13100:09:03,828 --> 00:09:08,508No sword can harm Grendel,no metal weapon of any kind.

13200:09:08,548 --> 00:09:11,828Grendel has put a curseon all such weapons,

13300:09:11,828 --> 00:09:14,668preventing them from affecting him.

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00:09:17,828 --> 00:09:20,148He grabs one of Beowulf's warriors,

13500:09:20,148 --> 00:09:24,028and he rips him in half,drinks down his blood,

13600:09:24,028 --> 00:09:29,308throws the body down,and then goes for Beowulf.

13700:09:29,828 --> 00:09:34,748This is the myth, but whatis the link to reality?

13800:09:38,948 --> 00:09:43,62890 miles north of London, England,is a place called Sutton Hoo.

139

00:09:44,708 --> 00:09:49,028This area was once ruled bypowerful Anglo-Saxon kings.

14000:09:52,108 --> 00:09:57,828In the 20th century, archaeologistsexcavated the ancient burial mounds

14100:09:57,868 --> 00:10:00,628and made a startling discovery.

14200:10:02,908 --> 00:10:08,108Evidence of bodies mangled andmurdered in a very brutal way.

14300:10:09,108 --> 00:10:10,748The died violently...

14400:10:10,788 --> 00:10:12,628suddenly...

14500:10:15,468 --> 00:10:19,428almost as if killed by a monster.

14600:10:19,828 --> 00:10:22,788Many of them buried face down

14700:10:22,788 --> 00:10:27,588


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or with the headslopped off, necks broken,

14800:10:27,588 --> 00:10:32,068buried in all kinds of strange positions,so they were buried in a shaming way.

14900:10:32,108 --> 00:10:36,788It is shocking evidence of violencein a once-prosperous kingdom

15000:10:36,828 --> 00:10:41,428in the same era when the mythis thought to have originated.

15100:10:41,468 --> 00:10:45,948Experts theorize that thesevictims were Anglo-Saxon criminals

152

00:10:45,988 --> 00:10:49,428sentenced to death for defying the king.

15300:10:49,428 --> 00:10:53,028These seem to be criminals who wereexecuted and buried in this place,

15400:10:53,068 --> 00:10:58,148which had apparently gone from beinga place of worship to a place of terror.

15500:10:58,188 --> 00:11:01,308And the connection toBeowulf simply could be

15600:11:01,348 --> 00:11:05,188that these kinds ofviolent public executions

15700:11:05,188 --> 00:11:09,268were a way that a king could

maintain order within his kingdom.

15800:11:09,588 --> 00:11:13,228Could these gruesome deathshave inspired the story of carnage

15900:11:13,268 --> 00:11:15,228in the court of King Hrothgar?


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16000:11:15,228 --> 00:11:18,988The hunt for cluesleads back to the myth.

16100:11:27,748 --> 00:11:32,308The monster Grendel is terrorizingthe blood-soaked hall of the King.

16200:11:32,348 --> 00:11:36,028No sword can pierce his skin,

16300:11:36,068 --> 00:11:38,868but Beowulf refuses to give in.

16400:11:38,908 --> 00:11:44,028He has one weapon left:his bare hands.

16500:11:44,468 --> 00:11:48,308It is a classic strugglebetween David and Goliath,

16600:11:48,308 --> 00:11:50,668monster versus man.

16700:11:50,708 --> 00:11:54,668The future of Denmark'speople hangs in the balance,

16800:11:54,708 --> 00:11:59,628and Beowulf is theirlast line of defence.

16900:12:06,908 --> 00:12:10,988It's mayhem in the Danishcourt of King Hrothgar.

17000:12:11,388 --> 00:12:16,948

Beowulf and the monstrous giantGrendel are locked in a death match.

17100:12:19,188 --> 00:12:22,708Suddenly, our hero gains the advantage.

17200:12:24,028 --> 00:12:27,868Beowulf grabs Grendel's arm,


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and he twists it.

17300:12:27,908 --> 00:12:31,428Beowulf, the world's strongest warrior,

17400:12:31,428 --> 00:12:34,548pulls at the monster'sarm with all his might.

17500:12:34,588 --> 00:12:40,388Grendel howls, and, you know,his shoulder is dislocated,

17600:12:40,428 --> 00:12:45,868and Beowulf twists it again and twistsit again and then pops it right off.

17700:12:45,908 --> 00:12:48,828And the bone splits from the sinew.

It springs apart.

17800:12:48,828 --> 00:12:51,148The muscle rips away.

17900:12:52,068 --> 00:12:55,228Agonized cries flood the hall.

18000:13:00,628 --> 00:13:05,148Grendel tears off into the night,

haemorrhaging blood.

18100:13:08,988 --> 00:13:12,548There was Grendel, armless,the life draining out of his arm,

18200:13:12,548 --> 00:13:17,668heading back to his marshy home,knowing he has very little time left.

183

00:13:17,708 --> 00:13:22,268Deep in the woods, the woundedmonster stumbles to the ground...

18400:13:23,428 --> 00:13:26,548and draws his last breath.

18500:13:30,948 --> 00:13:33,028


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00:14:33,268 --> 00:14:37,628and the ship will be sent outto sea, and it will be burned.

19900:14:37,668 --> 00:14:40,908It was a wanton destructionof valuable goods

20000:14:40,948 --> 00:14:43,588in a society that wasnot awash in goods,

20100:14:43,628 --> 00:14:47,548but it's a sign just ofthe seriousness of the loss

20200:14:47,548 --> 00:14:51,828and the prestige and importanceof the person who's being buried.

20300:14:51,868 --> 00:14:55,068Amazingly, evidenceof these ritual burials

20400:14:55,108 --> 00:14:57,788the same ones described in Beowulf,

20500:14:57,788 --> 00:15:02,348can be found notunderwater but underground.

20600:15:04,868 --> 00:15:10,028Today there are hundreds of mysteriousmounds scattered across northern Europe.

20700:15:10,068 --> 00:15:13,468Many are still waiting to be excavated.

20800:15:14,548 --> 00:15:16,188At Sutton Hoo in England,

20900:15:16,228 --> 00:15:20,628where archaeologists discoveredthose mysterious mangled bodies,

21000:15:20,668 --> 00:15:24,028the burial mounds haveyielded more stunning evidence


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21100:15:24,068 --> 00:15:26,588about the world of Beowulf.

21200:15:26,868 --> 00:15:31,428In 1939, excavationsturned up a buried ship

21300:15:31,468 --> 00:15:35,988dated to the time when the Beowulf mythis believed to have been written.

21400:15:36,028 --> 00:15:38,388The wood had completely decayed away,

21500:15:38,388 --> 00:15:43,108but you could still see the shapesof all the planks and the ribs

21600:15:43,148 --> 00:15:45,428running at right angles across it.

21700:15:45,468 --> 00:15:48,348It looked like a complete wooden ship.

21800:15:48,348 --> 00:15:53,148But closer examination revealedit was more than just a ship.

21900:15:53,668 --> 00:15:57,188It was the tomb of an unknown ruler

22000:15:57,188 --> 00:16:00,388teeming with buried treasures.

22100:16:00,428 --> 00:16:05,628Sutton Hoo is the richestgrave from England and is, well,

22200:16:05,668 --> 00:16:08,908the richest grave from theDark Ages from Northern Europe.

22300:16:08,908 --> 00:16:13,428It's telling us about theelite of Dark Age society.


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22400:16:13,468 --> 00:16:17,388The actual artifacts thatwere dug out of Sutton Hoo

22500:16:17,428 --> 00:16:19,908look like the things thatare described in Beowulf.

22600:16:19,948 --> 00:16:21,788There are helmets withboar crests on them.

22700:16:21,828 --> 00:16:25,908There are swords with decorated,twisted handles and so forth,

22800:16:25,948 --> 00:16:28,228and so there seems to besome kind of connection

22900:16:28,268 --> 00:16:32,388between what's described in Beowulfand what we've found in Sutton Hoo.

23000:16:32,428 --> 00:16:35,988The Sutton Hoo excavationproved, for the first time,

23100:16:35,988 --> 00:16:40,228

that the legend of Beowulf is morethan just a fictional thriller,

23200:16:40,668 --> 00:16:46,788but it's not the only site yieldingevidence of the truth behind the myth.

23300:16:53,428 --> 00:16:55,468In the Danish countryside,

234

00:16:55,508 --> 00:16:59,268archaeologists havemade an unusual discovery:

23500:17:00,548 --> 00:17:04,468evidence of a real ancient hall.

23600:17:04,468 --> 00:17:07,948


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The wooden superstructurerotted away centuries ago,

23700:17:08,388 --> 00:17:11,548but, based on thelocation of its post holes,

23800:17:11,588 --> 00:17:14,948it once stretched 150 feet long,

23900:17:14,948 --> 00:17:19,108making it one of the largesthalls of its kind ever found.

24000:17:19,148 --> 00:17:23,828Could this be the mythicalhall of King Hrothgar?

24100:17:26,828 --> 00:17:31,828

In the story of Beowulf, the scene ofGrendel's attack is called "Heorot",

24200:17:31,828 --> 00:17:34,668which means "hall of the stag".

24300:17:35,308 --> 00:17:38,108It is both a throneroom and a banquet hall

244

00:17:38,108 --> 00:17:41,988where the King's warriorsgather to celebrate victory.

24500:17:42,508 --> 00:17:45,068Heorot is described as this great hall

24600:17:45,108 --> 00:17:48,068which is comparable tonone other in the world.

24700:17:48,068 --> 00:17:51,068It's a sign of civilization,a sign of sophistication,

24800:17:51,068 --> 00:17:54,948and becomes kind of a wonderof the world of this culture.


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24900:17:54,948 --> 00:17:57,988The hall recently uncovered in Denmark

25000:17:58,028 --> 00:18:02,508is in the same area itsancient kings once called home.

25100:18:02,948 --> 00:18:07,708Radio carbon testing dates thesite to the sixth century AD,

25200:18:08,908 --> 00:18:12,468the same period when the mythwas said to have taken place,

25300:18:13,628 --> 00:18:15,268but there's more.

254

00:18:15,308 --> 00:18:18,068Excavations in the areaaround the ancient hall

25500:18:18,108 --> 00:18:20,068have yielded precious artifacts

25600:18:20,108 --> 00:18:23,628that could only havebelonged to a powerful king.

25700:18:23,668 --> 00:18:28,348Some are for daily life -knives, needles, and so on -

25800:18:28,388 --> 00:18:33,188but there are also rather beautifuljewelry made of gold and silver,

25900:18:33,188 --> 00:18:36,428coins and so on that

give the impression

26000:18:36,428 --> 00:18:39,788that this is a siteof some importance.

26100:18:40,108 --> 00:18:43,388But who was the king behind this hall,


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26200:18:43,908 --> 00:18:46,828and could he be connected to the myth?

26300:18:54,108 --> 00:18:57,348An intriguing clue can befound in a series of stories

26400:18:57,388 --> 00:19:00,868collectively called the legendary sagas.

26500:19:00,908 --> 00:19:04,908They are fact-based accountsabout the Norse world

26600:19:04,908 --> 00:19:09,348that were writtenbetween 1100 and 1400 AD.

26700:19:09,348 --> 00:19:13,428Many of the Norse sagas arebased on family histories,

26800:19:13,428 --> 00:19:16,868and we find this veryengaging combination

26900:19:16,868 --> 00:19:20,908of historical material and

mythological traditions.

27000:19:23,588 --> 00:19:26,828The sagas tell of aDanish king named Hrothgar

27100:19:26,868 --> 00:19:30,268who lived around thefifth or sixth century AD.

272

00:19:31,388 --> 00:19:36,828If Hrothgar was a real king, couldBeowulf have been a real hero?

27300:19:48,948 --> 00:19:53,468Deep in the marshes, a mothermourns the death of her son.

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00:19:54,708 --> 00:19:57,188Her son is Grendel.

27500:19:59,308 --> 00:20:01,348Her grief becomes rage.

27600:20:03,548 --> 00:20:07,668This is the second of Beowulf'sthree monstrous enemies.

27700:20:08,268 --> 00:20:09,908He's defeated Grendel.

27800:20:09,948 --> 00:20:13,348Now he must take on Grendel's mother.

27900:20:14,908 --> 00:20:19,228She's quick, cunning,and out for blood.

28000:20:20,828 --> 00:20:24,948Grendel's mother is a very, veryenigmatic figure in the text.

28100:20:24,948 --> 00:20:28,388She certainly seems morebestial than Grendel.

28200:20:28,428 --> 00:20:31,548

Her emotions are more beast-like.

28300:20:31,548 --> 00:20:33,708She's just bent on revenge.

28400:20:35,588 --> 00:20:38,148Revenge for the death of her son,

28500:20:38,148 --> 00:20:43,628whose severed arm has

become a trophy, a mockery.

28600:20:47,068 --> 00:20:50,188Grendel's mother feels a mother's pain

28700:20:50,188 --> 00:20:53,388when her son is killed by Beowulf.


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28800:20:55,108 --> 00:20:59,788So she enters into a feudingfrenzy to attack Heorot,

28900:20:59,828 --> 00:21:03,428and she goes without muchregard for her own safety.

29000:21:05,468 --> 00:21:07,828As the warriors sleep,

29100:21:07,828 --> 00:21:11,588Grendel's mother enters the hall.

29200:21:23,188 --> 00:21:28,308She pounces, killingwith brutal efficiency.

293

00:21:30,748 --> 00:21:34,468Terror grips the King's court again,

29400:21:35,668 --> 00:21:38,428but Beowulf is not there to save it.

29500:21:39,428 --> 00:21:45,308He is spending the night away fromHeorot, unaware of the unfolding terror.

296

00:21:47,868 --> 00:21:51,988With her hands stained by theblood of Denmark's warriors,

29700:21:52,028 --> 00:21:55,988Grendel's mothervanishes into the night.

29800:21:57,748 --> 00:22:01,308Beowulf is enraged whenhe learns of the carnage.

29900:22:02,388 --> 00:22:07,468Just days ago, he heroically savedthe warriors who now lay dead,

30000:22:07,788 --> 00:22:10,348but the King is alive.


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30100:22:10,948 --> 00:22:16,148He sits protected on hisuntouchable throne, despondent.

30200:22:16,148 --> 00:22:22,428Hrothgar is humiliated bythe fact that so many of his men

30300:22:22,428 --> 00:22:25,708have been killed by Grendeland also now his mother,

30400:22:25,708 --> 00:22:29,588and he is not able to be a shield,and Beowulf says to him,

30500:22:29,628 --> 00:22:34,348"It's better to actthan to sit in mourning. "

30600:22:35,148 --> 00:22:40,468Once again, Beowulf knowshe must look death in the eye.

30700:22:40,508 --> 00:22:44,028He has built his reputationthrough heroic deeds.

30800:22:44,028 --> 00:22:46,988

Now he must maintain it.

30900:22:49,668 --> 00:22:52,468With Hrothgar and his men by his side,

31000:22:52,468 --> 00:22:55,948Beowulf will hunt downGrendel's mother.

31100:22:57,748 --> 00:23:01,548

They follow the bloodtrail along a winding path.

31200:23:06,108 --> 00:23:10,868Grendel's mother and Grendel liveat the bottom of the haunted mere.

31300:23:13,828 --> 00:23:19,468


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The mere is an icy lake swarmingwith poisonous snakes and sea dragons.

31400:23:23,388 --> 00:23:28,828The only way to get to Grendel'smother is to go through them first.

31500:23:30,148 --> 00:23:33,388To the early Christianwriters who recorded this myth,

31600:23:33,428 --> 00:23:38,588these serpents represented somethingequally threatening in the real world:

31700:23:39,628 --> 00:23:40,948pagans.

31800:23:48,228 --> 00:23:50,948

The hunt for Grendel'smother has led Beowulf

31900:23:50,988 --> 00:23:54,708to an icy lake teemingwith venomous serpents.

32000:23:54,748 --> 00:23:58,868To get to her,he'll have to go through them.

32100:24:01,788 --> 00:24:05,708This will be a decisivebattle in the fight for Denmark

32200:24:05,748 --> 00:24:09,628between a warrior heroand a wicked mother

32300:24:09,628 --> 00:24:14,948who is descended from the Bible's

most infamous murderer, Cain.

32400:24:15,028 --> 00:24:18,508Grendel's mother isnever named in the poem.

32500:24:18,548 --> 00:24:20,388She just is Grendel's mother,


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32600:24:20,388 --> 00:24:24,748but she is a very fearsomecreature in her own right,

32700:24:24,748 --> 00:24:27,388perhaps in some wayseven more dangerous,

32800:24:27,428 --> 00:24:29,468because now that herson has been killed,

32900:24:29,468 --> 00:24:33,068she has the rage of a bereaved mother.

33000:24:34,508 --> 00:24:37,508Before Beowulf plungesbeneath the ice,

33100:24:37,508 --> 00:24:40,468his men give him a special sword.

33200:24:43,508 --> 00:24:46,468Its iron blade is tempered in blood

33300:24:46,468 --> 00:24:49,828and has never failed in battle before.

33400:24:52,628 --> 00:24:56,428Beowulf's comrades cannotbring themselves to go further.

33500:24:56,468 --> 00:25:00,308The hero must brace for battle alone.

33600:25:10,508 --> 00:25:14,508Under the surface, deadlyserpents lie in wait.

33700:25:15,828 --> 00:25:18,948Beowulf tries to usehis sword against them.

33800:25:20,868 --> 00:25:24,868But no human weapon can harmthese supernatural beasts.


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28/45


29/45


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00:28:45,388 --> 00:28:48,548The Anglo-Saxons wereultimately converted,

37900:28:50,148 --> 00:28:54,628but their pre-Christian legends livedon in the stories they passed down,

38000:28:54,668 --> 00:28:58,388including the legend of Beowulf.

38100:28:58,468 --> 00:29:03,668Beowulf attempts to update andbring into the Christian present

38200:29:03,708 --> 00:29:07,588some of the old-fashionedheroic values

383

00:29:07,588 --> 00:29:10,508of the early Norse era,

38400:29:10,508 --> 00:29:15,708people who are brave in adversity,people who are loyal to comrades.

38500:29:17,508 --> 00:29:19,308When the Christians conquered,

386

00:29:19,308 --> 00:29:25,228they recast the myth of Beowulfas a metaphor of good versus evil.

38700:29:31,948 --> 00:29:33,828The story continues.

38800:29:34,708 --> 00:29:37,908At the haunted lake of serpents,

389

00:29:37,908 --> 00:29:40,948Beowulf surfaces victorious.

39000:29:43,868 --> 00:29:46,668He heads for the hall of King Hrothgar.

39100:29:52,428 --> 00:29:54,908And arrives triumphant.


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39200:29:59,028 --> 00:30:02,148Beowulf's returnshocks the King's court.

39300:30:02,188 --> 00:30:05,108He had been given up for dead.

39400:30:05,148 --> 00:30:10,948Hrothgar hails him as the ultimatehero and stages a great celebration.

39500:30:11,668 --> 00:30:16,548Beowulf has achieved the glory andhonour he came to Denmark to find.

39600:30:17,828 --> 00:30:23,748Now he is eager to return to hisown kingdom to the north, Geatland.

39700:30:25,188 --> 00:30:28,628There more danger awaits.

39800:30:35,348 --> 00:30:40,388In the story of Beowulf,the Geats were not a mythical tribe.

39900:30:40,388 --> 00:30:44,268They were real warriors from

the southern tip of Sweden

40000:30:44,308 --> 00:30:47,588well-known to the writers of the myth.

40100:30:47,588 --> 00:30:51,468The poem refers to the Geats,and it refers to Swedes.

40200:30:51,468 --> 00:30:54,468

What we are looking at aretwo different dynasties.

40300:30:54,468 --> 00:30:58,228It is a deep-rooted splitthat you see actually last

40400:30:58,228 --> 00:31:01,268


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all the way to the endof the Viking age.

40500:31:01,268 --> 00:31:04,908This real-life rivalry betweenthe Geats and the Swedes

40600:31:04,948 --> 00:31:09,028comes to a head in thenext chapter of Beowulf,

40700:31:09,068 --> 00:31:12,868and it is up to Beowulfto lead his people to victory

40800:31:14,748 --> 00:31:19,908in one epic battleon a giant lake of ice.

409

00:31:24,268 --> 00:31:26,308This is Lake Vanern.

41000:31:27,028 --> 00:31:29,788It is the largest bodyof water in Sweden,

41100:31:29,828 --> 00:31:33,468covering some 2,200 square miles.

412

00:31:34,428 --> 00:31:36,788In harsh winters, it freezes over,

41300:31:36,788 --> 00:31:40,788forming a land bridge betweentwo distant territories.

41400:31:42,148 --> 00:31:44,668Today it is peaceful,

415

00:31:45,428 --> 00:31:49,548but 15 centuries ago,according to the myth of Beowulf,

41600:31:49,588 --> 00:31:52,268it was the setting of a bloody battle,

41700:31:54,508 --> 00:31:57,708


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the Swedes against the Geats.

41800:32:01,868 --> 00:32:05,388On his return to Geatland,Beowulf discovers

41900:32:05,388 --> 00:32:09,948that the Geats are embroiledin the middle of a Swedish feud.

42000:32:11,588 --> 00:32:14,828A civil war between membersof the Swedish royal family

42100:32:14,828 --> 00:32:17,748has spilled over intoBeowulf's homeland.

42200:32:19,908 --> 00:32:22,788

The hero must confrontdeath once again,

42300:32:22,788 --> 00:32:28,668but this time, not againstmonsters but against his fellow man.

42400:32:45,188 --> 00:32:49,148Beowulf's forces prevail,and in return for his heroism,

42500:32:49,148 --> 00:32:52,148he is granted the throne of Geatland.

42600:32:52,668 --> 00:32:55,668His quest for glory is now complete.

42700:32:56,348 --> 00:32:58,828It is a decisive moment in the myth,

428

00:32:59,868 --> 00:33:03,348but could this epic battlehave really happened?

42900:33:06,548 --> 00:33:11,028According to old Norse sagas which arethought to be based on real history,

430


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00:33:11,028 --> 00:33:13,348a violent battle did occur

43100:33:13,348 --> 00:33:17,348on a frozen lakearound the year 530 AD.

43200:33:18,668 --> 00:33:22,988The battle of Lake Vanern is the decisivebattle between the Geats and the Swedes,

43300:33:22,988 --> 00:33:26,788and it happens on the frozen waterof an enormous fresh water lake.

43400:33:26,788 --> 00:33:30,388It's one of the first known giantcavalry battles in the north,

435

00:33:30,388 --> 00:33:34,548and many, many warriorsare slain on both sides.

43600:33:36,348 --> 00:33:40,348This real battle was said to havehappened near Earnaness, Sweden.

43700:33:41,148 --> 00:33:44,948Modern scholars believeEarnaness was a real settlement

43800:33:44,988 --> 00:33:48,068right on the shore of Lake Vanern.

43900:33:50,548 --> 00:33:55,508Once again, the historicalrecord seems to match the myth,

44000:33:56,508 --> 00:33:59,948a real battle in a real location.

44100:34:01,748 --> 00:34:04,988Could there also beevidence of a real hero?

44200:34:05,148 --> 00:34:09,028The search for cluesleads back to the myth.


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44300:34:16,748 --> 00:34:18,508After the ice battle,

44400:34:18,548 --> 00:34:22,868Beowulf rules Geatlandin peace for many decades.

44500:34:22,868 --> 00:34:26,228He's no longer thatyoung hero that he was

44600:34:26,268 --> 00:34:29,228when he was fighting Grendeland then Grendel's mother.

44700:34:29,268 --> 00:34:32,708He's much older.He's no longer in his prime,

44800:34:32,708 --> 00:34:36,348but still, he's exemplary.

44900:34:36,748 --> 00:34:41,388As a young man, Beowulf hadquenched his thirst for glory.

45000:34:41,428 --> 00:34:45,788As an aging king,

he has no desire for more,

45100:34:48,388 --> 00:34:52,068but 50 years after hisheroic conquests in Denmark,

45200:34:52,108 --> 00:34:57,988the old warrior must face one finalshowdown with a terrifying monster,

453

00:35:00,788 --> 00:35:03,388the Dragon of Earnaness.

45400:35:04,708 --> 00:35:10,428It stretches 50 feet long andguards a gargantuan hoard of gold.

45500:35:10,468 --> 00:35:14,588


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Dragons representhuman greed but really,

45600:35:14,628 --> 00:35:18,508you know, amplified, becausethis is this monstrous creature

45700:35:18,548 --> 00:35:22,188whose only interest is ingathering gold and keeping it.

45800:35:23,708 --> 00:35:27,948The trouble begins after a youngslave escapes from his master

45900:35:27,988 --> 00:35:30,388and hides in a cave.

46000:35:30,428 --> 00:35:35,068

He doesn't realize he'sentering the lair of the dragon.

46100:35:38,908 --> 00:35:40,748As the monster sleeps,

46200:35:40,788 --> 00:35:45,508the slave spots the hoard ofgold and succumbs to temptation.

463

00:35:47,668 --> 00:35:51,508He steals the cup fromthe dragon's treasure.

46400:35:53,468 --> 00:35:56,788Not knowing that this cup is, in fact,

46500:35:56,788 --> 00:35:59,748the favourite item of the dragon.

466

00:36:02,068 --> 00:36:05,988The dragon stirs,finds the golden cup missing,

46700:36:06,028 --> 00:36:09,388and sets off for revenge.

46800:36:23,148 --> 00:36:27,428


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So he starts settingfarms and fields on fire,

46900:36:27,428 --> 00:36:31,148creating much destructionin a very short time.

47000:36:31,148 --> 00:36:34,228The dragon wreaks havocacross the land.

47100:36:34,268 --> 00:36:37,588Then, the ultimate insult.

47200:36:40,508 --> 00:36:43,228Beowulf's own home is burned,

47300:36:43,268 --> 00:36:46,148and he prays for

restoration of his loss

47400:36:46,188 --> 00:36:51,468and seeks some kind of redressand begins to think about revenge.

47500:36:51,508 --> 00:36:57,148Once more, the old warrior iscalled to defend a nation's honour.

476

00:36:57,628 --> 00:37:01,388It will be his last stand against evil.

47700:37:02,748 --> 00:37:06,388He's the kind of hero who's gonnabe willing to go out and face,

47800:37:06,428 --> 00:37:08,588at this point, certain death.

479

00:37:11,868 --> 00:37:14,668Beowulf leads his men into battle

48000:37:14,668 --> 00:37:19,028with his kingdom and honourhanging in the balance.

48100:37:24,708 --> 00:37:28,028


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This will either bethe hero's final triumph

48200:37:28,988 --> 00:37:31,348or his tragic end.

48300:37:37,468 --> 00:37:42,228A fire-breathing dragon isdevastating the kingdom of the Geats.

48400:37:43,428 --> 00:37:48,948Beowulf the aging hero-king,dons his battle gear one more time,

48500:37:48,988 --> 00:37:51,868and the hunt for a third beast begins.

48600:37:54,508 --> 00:37:58,028The bravest soldiers

ride alongside Beowulf.

48700:37:59,588 --> 00:38:03,308Among them is the youngson of a fallen warrior.

48800:38:03,348 --> 00:38:05,588His name is Wiglaf.

48900:38:06,668 --> 00:38:08,828

He's immature.

49000:38:08,868 --> 00:38:11,068He's inexperienced.

49100:38:11,108 --> 00:38:12,988He's the one thatyou would probably say

49200:38:12,988 --> 00:38:17,588

is gonna contribute the least tothe actual fight against a dragon.

49300:38:18,548 --> 00:38:23,028The men come upon the dragon's lairin the middle of a dense forest.

49400:38:25,308 --> 00:38:29,268


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Beowulf steps cautiously inside...

49500:38:30,668 --> 00:38:33,228and finds the monster asleep.

49600:38:36,028 --> 00:38:41,668But before the hero can strike,the dragon awakens and attacks.

49700:38:48,628 --> 00:38:52,068Beowulf yells to hisother warriors for help.

49800:38:52,468 --> 00:38:56,268All of Beowulf's other fellowshave run away to hide in the woods,

49900:38:56,268 --> 00:38:58,548'cause they're too

terrified of the dragon.

50000:38:59,668 --> 00:39:04,468All except for one, young Wiglaf.

50100:39:06,468 --> 00:39:10,948Once mocked for his youth,he now stands out for his bravery,

50200:39:10,988 --> 00:39:15,388

risking his life to fightalongside the hero he idolizes

50300:39:15,388 --> 00:39:18,388as Beowulf confrontshis greatest enemy.

50400:39:19,268 --> 00:39:23,828So goes the myth, but whatis the connection to reality?

50500:39:29,668 --> 00:39:33,308The dragon is mythology'sultimate monster.

50600:39:34,988 --> 00:39:37,068Within a sort of Christian tradition,

507


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00:39:37,068 --> 00:39:40,668dragons often representthe super serpent,

50800:39:40,668 --> 00:39:43,788a gigantic manifestation of Satan.

50900:39:43,828 --> 00:39:48,628But if you go back before Christiantradition, dragons seem to represent

51000:39:48,628 --> 00:39:52,708something like an ultimate embodiment

51100:39:52,708 --> 00:39:56,668of power and ferocity and mystery.

51200:39:56,668 --> 00:40:00,068But the great fear that

people have always had is that,

51300:40:00,068 --> 00:40:04,788despite all of the seemingly regularpatterns that you see in nature,

51400:40:04,788 --> 00:40:08,948there might also be fantastic,chaotic unknowns,

515

00:40:08,948 --> 00:40:11,668the monsters thatcould suddenly leap out.

51600:40:12,108 --> 00:40:15,868Dragons play a central rolein myths throughout the world.

51700:40:17,388 --> 00:40:21,908And despite the thousands of miles andthousands of years that separate them,

51800:40:21,948 --> 00:40:27,028the similarities between the storiesare more striking than the differences.

51900:40:27,988 --> 00:40:30,108Most of them have hard scales,


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52000:40:30,108 --> 00:40:33,508have these long serpentinebodies with long pointed tails,

52100:40:33,548 --> 00:40:36,788long necks ending in a horned head.

52200:40:36,828 --> 00:40:40,148Many breathe fire.Many have wings.

52300:40:40,988 --> 00:40:43,908Are these shared traits coincidence,

52400:40:43,948 --> 00:40:49,588or did ancient storytellers havesome common real-world inspiration?

525

00:40:50,748 --> 00:40:54,068Many wonder whetherthere were actual dragons.

52600:40:54,068 --> 00:40:57,868Given how prevalent the storiesabout them are in the world's myths,

52700:40:57,908 --> 00:41:02,068it would seem that they mustbe based on something real.

52800:41:02,068 --> 00:41:04,748My own theory, which is- other people have it too -

52900:41:04,788 --> 00:41:08,068was that at some point, someonewas walking through the Gobi desert

53000:41:08,108 --> 00:41:11,188

or parts of Central Asia wheredinosaur bones are exposed,

53100:41:11,228 --> 00:41:14,268and they saw a T-Rex-rex skeleton and said,

53200:41:14,268 --> 00:41:17,908"Wow, if those are the bones, can you


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imagine what the thing looked like?"

53300:41:17,908 --> 00:41:20,148And from there, you couldimagine the creature.

53400:41:20,188 --> 00:41:22,828So they're large.They're scary. They're fierce.

53500:41:23,668 --> 00:41:26,508Dinosaur fossils have beendiscovered around the globe

53600:41:26,508 --> 00:41:29,348since mankind's earliest days.

53700:41:30,868 --> 00:41:32,868In a time before science,

53800:41:32,908 --> 00:41:36,828could they have inspiredmythology's ultimate monster?

53900:41:45,268 --> 00:41:46,988The myth concludes.

54000:41:47,708 --> 00:41:50,788Beowulf charges

the dragon with his sword.

54100:41:52,668 --> 00:41:54,388The dragon strikes back,

54200:41:55,908 --> 00:41:57,628wounding Beowulf

54300:41:58,628 --> 00:42:01,628but there is still one

more chance for victory.

54400:42:02,828 --> 00:42:05,988The belly is the beast's Achilles heel.

54500:42:07,188 --> 00:42:12,628As Wiglaf looks on, Beowulf manoeuvreshis way underneath the dragon


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54600:42:12,628 --> 00:42:15,748and thrusts his sword into its stomach.

54700:42:20,468 --> 00:42:22,508The monster is defeated,

54800:42:22,508 --> 00:42:27,828but Beowulf has paid the ultimateprice for this final moment of glory.

54900:42:27,868 --> 00:42:30,548Beowulf is bitten inthe neck by the dragon,

55000:42:30,548 --> 00:42:34,468so even as he slays the beast,he himself knows he's going to die

55100:42:34,508 --> 00:42:37,508because the wound beginsto swell and to burst.

55200:42:42,748 --> 00:42:45,428He says, "At least bring mesome of the dragon's treasure

55300:42:45,428 --> 00:42:48,788"so that I can see what

we fought for and what we've won

55400:42:48,828 --> 00:42:52,628"and look once more uponthe glorious treasure. "

55500:42:54,308 --> 00:42:57,948Beowulf says,"I am the last of my line.

556

00:42:57,948 --> 00:43:01,228"I have no heir.My fathers before me are all dead,

55700:43:01,268 --> 00:43:03,508"so because you were brave, Wiglaf,

55800:43:03,548 --> 00:43:08,348


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"I'm giving you my famous chainmail and my sword and my helmet. "

55900:43:09,628 --> 00:43:13,828An old hero dies,and a new one is born.

56000:43:21,148 --> 00:43:25,708The final stanzas of the epicdescribe Beowulf's funeral,

56100:43:26,508 --> 00:43:29,228his body placed on a pyre...

56200:43:31,628 --> 00:43:33,188and set alight.

56300:43:39,468 --> 00:43:41,268Beowulf's death at the end of the poem

56400:43:41,308 --> 00:43:46,228represents the idea that all menand all their works shall die.

56500:43:46,748 --> 00:43:50,828A great hero, the iconof northern warriors,

56600:43:50,868 --> 00:43:55,588

is dead, but his legendis just beginning.

56700:43:59,868 --> 00:44:02,828Today hundreds ofancient burial mounds

56800:44:02,828 --> 00:44:05,948still dot the landscapeof Scandinavia.

56900:44:05,988 --> 00:44:10,268Some have yielded evidenceof truth behind the myth,

57000:44:10,308 --> 00:44:13,268but many are still unexcavated.

571


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00:44:13,308 --> 00:44:16,708Could one of them bethe gravesite of a real Beowulf?

57200:44:16,748 --> 00:44:19,348Is it possible thatBeowulf was a real person?

57300:44:19,388 --> 00:44:20,748Yes, of course it is.

57400:44:20,748 --> 00:44:24,028The history surroundinghim fits with history,

57500:44:24,028 --> 00:44:25,668and the reason why we tend to say

57600:44:25,668 --> 00:44:28,108

yes, it's possible thathe was a real person,

57700:44:28,148 --> 00:44:32,508is the very simple fact that therewere legends that were kept orally,

57800:44:32,508 --> 00:44:34,748that were the basis for this poem,

579

00:44:34,748 --> 00:44:37,948that tells us thereshould be some truth to it.

58000:44:40,188 --> 00:44:45,428Whether real man or myth,Beowulf is bravery personified.

58100:44:46,868 --> 00:44:50,188To the ancients, he embodiedthe best in Man.

58200:44:52,388 --> 00:44:54,228A warrior's life...

58300:44:56,268 --> 00:44:57,788

Sub Bewulf Episode 8

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Transcript of Sub Bewulf Episode 8