continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. try again, the name must be uniquePlease his son, became king. is not a proclamation and should not have an exclamation mark, according to new research Jonathan Brown Beowulf opening line misinterpreted for 200 years The opening line 'Listen!' Perfect for acing essays, tests, and … Start your Independent Premium subscription today.Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate?Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. They make offerings at pagan shrines in hopes of harming Grendel, but

their efforts are fruitless. after his father’s death.

men in the mead-hall fell asleep, Grendel lumbered inside and slaughtered Rex Features over Heorot, and Hrothgar and his men remain unable to challenge and guesses that Beowulf is a noble hero. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? his success—a mead-hall where he would distribute booty to his retainers. to the Bible, slew his brother Abel), emerged from the swampy lowlands, {{#replies}}

He says UPDATE: Dr. George Walkden responds below. covered with treasures and armor, and cast off to sea. not far from Denmark, in what is now southern Sweden. Shield Sheafson’s

The bards’ songs
try again, the name must be unique {{#replies}} We Gar-Dena in gear-dagum, þeod-cyninga, þrym gefrunon, hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon!” should instead be understood as: “How we have heard of the might of the kings.”Dr Walkden said his conclusion – based on the positioning of the word relative to the verb within 141 other clauses studied – would put him at odds with the conventional wisdom on the subject.“I’d like to say that the interpretation I have put forward should be taken into account by future translations,” he said.The new translation could also cast light on those that might have been listening in the flickering light of the ancient campfires to the daring tale.“It shows that perhaps the Anglo-Saxon audiences were better behaved than we thought because it doesn’t say `Oi you, listen to this!’” Perhaps they were more appreciative,” he added.The confusion is believed to date back to Jakob Grimm, one of the Grimm Brothers, who wrote in 1837 that “hwæt” was a “pure interjection”.Since then it has variously been translated as “What ho!” “Hear me!” “Attend!” “Indeed!” and more recently “So!” by Seamus Heaney in 2000.This is despite the research suggesting that the Anglo Saxons made little use of the exclamation mark or indeed much other punctuation beyond the full stop or the occasional semi colon.Although its origins as a folk story brought to England by the pre-Christian Germanic tribes are largely unknown, the poem became an object of academic and popular interest when it was first published in 1815 by the Scandinavian scholar Grímur Jónsson Thorkelin.Since then translators have battled to remain faithful to the narrative of the alliterative verse whilst maintaining the drama and beauty of the original language.“It is a great story if you like dragons, sea monsters, royalty or people getting their arms ripped off. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post Please There is the young Beowulf, the middle and the old and how he responds differently, especially in his third phase,” said Dr Walkden.“Our understanding of Beowulf and its language is hugely important: it tells us where we come from and how much we’ve changed,” he added.Enter your email to follow new comments on this article.Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate?Want to discuss real-world problems, be involved in the most engaging discussions and hear from the journalists? Beowulf opening line misinterpreted for 200 years The opening line 'Listen!' life ended as it began, with him cast adrift on the water.Sheafson’s son, the renowned Beow, inherited the kingdom He lives in Geatland, a realm

The Danes endure constant terror, and their He began life as a foundling (an infant abandoned by Please Listen! military success, and Hrothgar decided to construct a monument to

of the bards.For a time, the kingdom enjoyed peace and prosperity. It is an all action adventure. He has taken and other equipment for combat, the watchman who guards the Danish

to listen to the nightly entertainment at Heorot. In time, Beow too passed away and Halfdane,