Beowulf - Seamus Heaney: Part 1 of 2

Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney's new translation of Beowulf comes to life in this gripping audio. Heaney's performance reminds us that Beowulf, written near the turn of another millennium, was intended to be heard not read.
Composed toward the end of the first millennium of our era, Beowulf is the elegiac narrative of the adventures of Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the seemingly invincible monster Grendel and, later, from Grendel's mother. He then returns to his own country and lives to old age before dying in a vivid fight against a dragon. - HighBridge Audio

[@laurenceratte]

Useful bookmarks : The Hero comes to Heorot : 11:21 The Fight with Grendel : 28:38 Celebration at Heorot : 38:32 Skip from 873 to 916 Skip from 956 to 1019 Another Attack : 54:05 Beowulf fights Grendel's Mother : 1:00:55 Final line of this part 1 - 1491 Welcome!

[@starhunter9085]

*Thanks*

[@itsadeer7008]

You're a god

[@mark270five]

You are beautiful! Thank you so much!

[@bashkillszombies]

When you're such an ignorant and lazy person you can't listen to an hour of audio rather than reading the text. Shameful. Life will pay you back for that attitude though, it tends to be brutal to lazy cheaters. ;)

[@Sydney-sc8sb]

bashpr0mpt orrrr the person has already listened to it and needs those bookmarks for a specific reason, such as they only want to listen to that part, or they’re writing a paper on that specific section? Life is not kind to those who are not kind back to it :)

[@stella6869]

places where parts are skipped: 40:36 he jumps from line 873 to "The light of day..." on line 916 42:53 jumps from line 955 to line 1019 51:52 jumps from line 1196 to line 1216 55:06 jumps from line 1267 to line 1276

[@johnathanb2114]

Thx.

[@sarahmagnusen289]

Thank you

[@Quenche]

He also skips a bit around lines 350-400. Also lines 418-426. Threw me off, was getting into a good visual reading xD

[@ashsteepingtea]

^^^ 20:28 line 350-490

[@flamewolf2936]

Thank god I only hav to listen to 33 or 34 minutes of this for my lessom

[@minydoom]

This actually saved my life when I procrastinated on my college reading. Thank you, so so much dear youtuber.

[@anxietea5171]

Kai W. Yo it’s abridged so be aware that ur missing some stuff

[@ziggyskinner6001]

Lol I have to read it in 9th grade😂😄😊😶😥

[@riversvera]

College? Bruh I’m reading this in High School

[@bm239]

Lmao same.

[@lukemills5179]

You're doing this for college? I'm a sophomore in highschool

[@kelpk0re]

As a dyslexic AP Brit Lit student, I applaud you my good sir.

[@yeemawheaver1387]

I'm on the same boat as you. It's hard enough for me to read normal English now I'm reading this

[@musicstewart9744]

A man with ADD here who can absorb and enjoy much better by hearing than reading.

[@emmajoy5068]

im in the same boat. this is so hard to read for me lol

[@jrb4935]

Why can dyslexic people always spell 'dyslexic'?

[@emmajoy5068]

the skyrim backgrounds really makes this

[@LuciThomasHardylover-qx6ts]

It's lazy and irrelevant. Nothing like it would have been. There are plenty enough reconstructed dwellings to use a picture of.

[@blastforth]

I wish I had this in high school. Better late then never. I compared this to a text from the Harvard Classics. What an awesome translation this is. Another example how rich and varied is the English language.

[@lillix4158]

with all do respect if you could see the assignments that go along with it and pit it against summer plans as a teenager you'd probably reconsider lol

[@davidjm61]

A wonderful epic of storytelling from a time when the wind howled outside the great hall and wolves replied from the wood. Sit around the fire and drink deep of the mead cup and let the warm voice of the poet carry you into the long lost times.

[@czntrm]

Indeed! Got my other tablet with fireplace, wind and rain ambience as I listen to this and work on my knitting. Got coffee instead of mead. 😆

[@glishev]

The Skyrim house is a most fitting place for listening to Beowulf... exactly like hearing a poem on Olaf One-eye in a Regia Anglorum mead-hall :)

[@LuciThomasHardylover-qx6ts]

No. It isn't. It's nothing like an authentic period hall would be.

[@glishev]

@@LuciThomasHardylover-qx6ts it's not... and it is :)

[@gjf984]

Thank you. It's marvelous. A gem from the all but forgotten past. Thank God for ancient texts saved, for the songs of the scops ... Thanks for Seamus.

[@maleahteusink3563]

Here are some checkpoints of where sections are: 5:31-Heorot is Attacked 11:12-The Hero comes to Heorot 25:12-Feast at Heorot 38:32-Celebration at Heorot 54:03-Another Attack 1:00:55-Beowulf fights Grendel's Mother line 1491-Part 1 ends I definitely recommend speeding up the video to 1.25 or even 1.5 if you are in a hurry (who isn't haha) it doesn't hinder the experience or comprehension in my opinion. This is definitely an abridged version also, so I recommend following along with your text and pausing to read the sections that are cut out (there are quite a few).

[@toria123]

You have probably moved on.. finished college but you have left this helpful knowledge for wee little students like me

[@FadedSilkandGhosts]

Finally a good narrator, thanks so much for sharing this.

[@ThePaulHealy]

this has given me so much pleasure over the years. a master at work.

[@star_blazer]

Thank you so much for this! A truly beautiful translation.

[@Viacetham22]

Thank the Lord for this, I’ve gotta read half the book by tomorrow for my sophomore class 🥲 this helped!

[@vilee600]

Same!

[@redcrow6739]

My favorite story ever ❤️I could listen one thousand times ❤️

[@stevenwalle4380]

What an awesome reading! Thank you so much.

[@1Directioner1992]

This is exactly what I have been looking for! Thank you so much! :)

[@seanod7157]

Deeply touching. Heaney's translation brings the story to life and a tear to my eyes.

[@purplesky99876]

Thanks for putting this up. :D This was on so many lists of books/poems to read before you enter college. RIP to the narrator.

[@SusannaDuffy]

You just can't beat Seamus Heaney. Brilliant translator and a poet himself

[@drewlovett5979]

This is amazing!! Listening while reading 🙌🏾

[@ComedyWriting2014]

beautiful, exquisite, sublime thank you, poets!

[@amandab4487]

Perfect! Thank you so much!

[@daniela.harris9052]

Superior translation, fabulous reading!

[@hyfrfuego4816]

Like if you're taking British Literature XD

[@houseoflaqua3175]

i'm late but i don't think this is the one i need HELP ME lmao

[@danielveres4351]

So am I. Please tell me you found a better one. :D

[@snakemilthescienceeel2565]

I see you fam

[@houseoflaqua3175]

Dániel Veres I just had to buy it on audiobooks 😂😂

[@truebluedah5198]

Yeah me.. oof

[@kennethchen5180]

If anyone gets lost around line 495, it jumps to line 607

[@jilliangrey9869]

yeah. i noticed that. it's really annoying because it skips a really funny scene between unferth and beowulf

[@Surtur99]

@@jilliangrey9869 Does he skip anything else or just that?

[@katietillman9634]

@@Surtur99 Also skips 873 to 916

[@Surtur99]

@@katietillman9634 damn thx

[@davinci3478]

It’s abridged

[@adambarett8629]

after line 495 im lost for like 3 minutes

[@KAI-uy3lp]

Where did u go to?

[@anjanettebriggman2000]

Thank goodness I found this version

[@PoetryETrain]

Thank you, much much appreciated, and added to a playlist...

[@U-K-R]

The lines 352-355 357-359 373-375 388-390 419-420 422-435 459-476 480-488 499-606 616-621 874-916 956-1018 1070-1077 1108-1113 1142-1144 1147-1150 1161-1167 1179-1187 1197-1215 1267-1276 1282-1287 1341-1344 1462-1472 are omitted from this reading Also, for some reason words are either replaced, removed, or added throughout the text This part of the reading ends at 1491 lines

[@tonibauer8051]

thank you so much!!!! I was going to do the same thing. very helpful and much appreciated

[@Evelyn-hu7gz]

You're a life saver! :) When it comes to youtube and audiobooks you can almost always count on someone!

[@jonathaneffemey944]

Thanks so much for posting

[@drseuss5407]

A warriors speech is praise and honor This was read by a king Some tales were pounded out in mead halls Some spoken gently

[@sdshues515]

Thank God for this!!!!

[@Mrdavid839]

R.I.P. Seamus Heaney

[@johnathanb2114]

Yea.. indeed true gift and my gratitude is abounding , like grendel's lose arm once ripped from its torso. Ha ha True gift God bless his famliy with bounty and joy and courage too in Jesus holy name.

[@phlaryx7145]

Thank you so much for this! I’ve got to read this for my English 211 class and this makes it so much easier.

[@tymaximum922]

Thank you I couldn’t have read Beowulf without you.

[@alexanderSydneyOz]

really? it isn't exactly difficult. Heaney's translation is in straight forward English.

[@tymaximum922]

@@alexanderSydneyOz I just struggle to focus so I like having an audiobook while listening to the book

[@marilynliota9732]

A wonderful listening experience.

[@awesomedeedee]

The Fight with Grendel 28:37 (Bookmark purposes)

[@J0hnC0ltrane]

Ty for posting Beowolf.

[@kinggork]

THANK YOU!!!

[@StefTheHan]

I like the use of the still image of Breezehome, the house you can buy in whiterun in Skyrim.

[@LuciThomasHardylover-qx6ts]

Yes. And not at all like an Anglo Saxon hall.

[@katzepeach14]

Breezehome!

[@alexalston7428]

Superb! I've always struggled with the old English version. This is Heaney ablaze!

[@bethj7106]

So helpful for my British Lit class!

[@juneblake3651]

Thank you !

[@PortmanRd]

Awesome reading. 👍

[@Will-qg6dy]

I’ve been reading this magnificent translation for 20 years and never knew this existed. This is utterly glorious.

[@JoachimderZweite]

WOW - I love this and the language is incredible. I speak German, Swedish and Dutch so I can't help wondering if I could parse enough of the original to understand it.

[@tammymurphy8660]

Rest in peace! Seamus Heaney certainly earned honor.

[@leornendeealdenglisc]

The name Beowulf is a combination of Bee and hunter. Beo is bee in Old English, and Wulf can be Wolf but it can also mean hunter. Thus Bee-hunter, and what animal hunts after bees? A bear.

[@NitroNinja324]

That......that just makes him even cooler.

[@Soundwave._]

OSP reference! Nice.

[@hankhabermann2783]

sigh. tone-deaf modernism. beo is a deeper root than "bee"... bright, flashy, full, flush. beo + ending for flighty thing and you get a contraction to bee, meaning a little flighty thing full of life. beo+ wulf (ending for the ones watching and watched by the dead, to the edge of martial madness), and you get something different... the image it conjures for me is the dead hovering right under the skin of the earth, soaking in the sunlight, and equally soaking in the magnificence and fierce courage of this hero, with the hero honoring them, strong in the knowledge he's being watched. read it in context and I think you'll agree it's a better fit and less tortured.

[@ciscomartinez6092]

Hank Habermann dork

[@SvanhildrG]

@@ciscomartinez6092 don't be jealous that you aren't so deep.. you show your true colors with your petty attempt at criticism

[@cwarren165]

[@kettlebellheaven6756]

Yes, recognized the Skyrim graphic right away. Lol Great story though. During the Battle of Hastings 1066, one of the officers was found to have a copy of the story on him.

[@pete8299]

This may be one of the greatest works of literature.

[@alexanderSydneyOz]

It's interesting culturally, but let's not too carried away here. Ranking it among "the greats", however defined, seems unwarranted.

[@slahserTV]

Missing lines start at 352-355, and then occurs often, fx again at 357-359. Pretty silly they excluded so many lines, which are often not neglible, like 387-388: "Say, moreover, when you speak to them, they are welcome to Denmark".

[@Panic_Pickle]

Seamus' full translation doesn't omit these lines.

[@tai-yomaruno3680]

Thanks

[@MaKoch10]

THANK YOU!! AWESOME!

[@ArisLaws]

Finally one that starts in the actual poem.

[@glishev]

Even for a non-scholarly listener, it's a pleasure ☺

[@rickgurung330]

I love Beowulf.

[@BelfastYid]

Loved this

[@snapperxv]

thank you

[@sspirits8]

Thank you! :)

[@MikeTaylorLives]

Rest in peace, Seamus.

[@wasimraja7913]

thanx 4 sharing this

[@maximasforrester8689]

Wow what an awesome story

[@AWildBard]

That's my house! Breezehome

[@avaronchetti4223]

8th Grade English got me here. Thanks, Mrs. R...

[@MelyssaHawes]

THE SKYRIM BACKGROUNDS

[@LuciThomasHardylover-qx6ts]

Are crap! Nothing to do with Anglo Saxon building.

[@stoneoffarel]

Amazing! 😍

[@loonatic7]

I believe that is exactly what it is.

[@CarmlApples]

Yes! Onto part 2!

[@amyisaway7800]

pro-tip: 1.5x speed

[@srirachasteve3511]

(reading along with 8th edition Norton Anthology) - The Fight with Grendel-page 44- 28:39 Celebration at Heorot-page 48- 38:32 (873-915 is skipped?) continued-page 49 line 916- 40:37 (next skip goes to line 1019- 42:55) Another Attack-pg 58- 54:04 Beowulf Fights Grendel's Mother-pg 61- 1:00:54

[@tonibauer8051]

yep, me too and am marking all of the skipping to go back and reread on my own later. I know a lot of people are already mentioning many places but I think I may add a new comment with them all listed when I am done with part 1 and do the same for part 2.

[@user-fu3wi1gu8u]

I have to read this for my class and i am in 7th grade

[@Fawn1023]

RIP Seamus!

[@vive335]

so this dude called beowilf was born, and then this other demon was called grandel that terrified and killed people. So beowolf took an army of men, went across the ocean. then the king approves of them fighting and allows beowolf and his gang to join in for a feast. Another drunk dude was like "Beowolf you wont even last one night fighting grandel." The dude was called Breca, who was Beowolfs friend that competed against him in a swimming match. Then Beowolf roasts this other dude who questioned his boastknf and he was like "how come you couldn't defeat grandel like you allegedly could? " then at night, only beowolf stayed awake and was on the look out for grendel, wanting a bare fist fight because Beowolf is amazing.

[@krissypoo5632]

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOO the fact that this was the realest comment

[@johnk.lindgren5940]

Kiitos

[@mialiu836]

I like his voice

[@brookemoores7676]

Love the Skyrim background

[@Len11999]

47:00 Bookmark, between lines 1080-1090. 54:04 just after line 1250.

[@SolarisFallen]

Beowulf in the land of known as Sky-rim ♫♪

[@taylorswanson985]

I love his voice and how he reads it but it’s getting absolutely annoying having to stop after he skips and moves on to other lines to go back and read the lines to catch up where he is and then find where he skipped to again. And they are the most important parts of the book... Wish this was the full version

[@SeekNDestroy-sh1in]

17:24 personal bookmark

[@katiemcgrath959]

just to preface: this isn't a complete version. there are many stanzas that are skipped over (idk what for) so i would recommend doing a visual read so you can pause and go through the parts that are skipped on your own

[@alexanderSydneyOz]

good info, and surprising. I wonder why any of it was left out.

[@Bagel_Bruh]

This story is crazy! My favorite part is when Beowulf defeated the dragon attacking the guard tower and he found out he was the dragonborn.

[@karebushmarebu233]

Booooooo

[@icespike7091]

Love Breezehome

[@ydur31password97]

I laughed my ass off when the picture of breeze home from Skyrim appeared.

[@nanabees7587]

17:25 for those doing online English on edgenuity!!!!!!!

[@scryfish6775]

THERE ARE SO MANY LINES MISSING!!! O.o

[@DCLightning]

Leaving this for myself 11:26

[@EpicAdrian3D]

line 1251 (Another Attack) 54:04

[@theamericanyoutuber]

Well, hello Breezehome.

[@marioriospinot]

Nice.

[@shadow_games5162]

does anyone know what music is used for the intro its a nice tune to listen in the background

[@stephaniedicamillo6401]

BEWARE! If you are following along with the Seamus Heaney text, you will find some lines missing and others with slightly different wording!

[@secunda_35]

SKYRIM! lol. Love it.

[@frothymcmead]

fair thee well noble poet, you will be missed. I raise up a bullhorn of mead in your name.

[@JulieDowlingArtist]

RIP Seamus

[@lavvender]

25:12 line 490