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He is the mythical
hero of the Norse world.
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Locked in an epic battle
of Man against Monster.
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Destined to confront not one,
but three terrifying beasts
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in a quest for undying glory.
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This is the legend of Beowulf.
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But could it be more than just legend?
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Prepare to experience the oldest
story in the English language
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in an entirely new way.
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This is the strange truth
behind the fiction...
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of Beowulf.
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The stench of death permeates
Denmark's royal hall.
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Headless bodies.
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Bloody entrails.
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A savage beast is on the rampage.

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He is Grendel.
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A monstrous outcast
banished from society
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whose rage has turned to violence.
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I always compare Grendel to Predator,
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you know, sort of hulking and dark
and threatening.
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Night after night, the monster's
vicious reign of terror continues.
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He's killing warriors.
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He's tearing them apart limb from limb.
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He's decapitating them.
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There are body parts
all over the place.
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Denmark desperately needs a hero,
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someone strong enough to
face off with the monster,
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someone who can take him down.
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That hero is Beowulf.
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Beowulf is the biggest
possible hero you could imagine.
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He can do anything.
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He's not afraid to lose his life.
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This is exactly what a hero
in his culture has to be like,
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willing to lay down his
life for honour, for glory.
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Beowulf is no ordinary human being.
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He really is a heroic figure.
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Like the heroes in Greek mythology,
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his powers definitely exceed
those of an ordinary man.
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In a dark age when terror was
everywhere and heroes were few,
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the myth of Beowulf resonated as the
ultimate clash between good and evil.
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Between a valiant warrior and
a myriad of monstrous enemies.
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The legend of Beowulf is a

fictional story inspired by fact.
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in the seventh or eighth century AD,
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making it the oldest story
in the English language.
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The action of the poem takes place
in the sixth century in Scandinavia,
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but the poem itself was
written in Anglo-Saxon England
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after the conversion of
the Anglo-Saxons in 665.
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Christianity had recently
taken root in England
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at the time of the writing of Beowulf.
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The poem reflects a society
that has a deep pagan background
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and that has stories that
come from its pagan past.
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What the poem does is, it recasts
these stories in a Christian mold
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so that its listeners would be
able to keep touch with their past.
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They would reinterpret
it in a Christian way.

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In the myth, Beowulf's first
nemesis, the monster Grendel,
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has an intriguing link
to the Christian Bible.
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The text says that he is
descended from the line of Cain.
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According to the Old Testament,
Cain, son of Adam,
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was mankind's first murderer.
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He slayed his brother
Abel out of jealousy
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and came to symbolize
the worst of human passions.
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Grendel inherits that vile legacy.
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Grendel resents and is
jealous of the humans
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who are feasting in the meet halls.
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All of the men in the great
hall are having a good time,
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and they're telling stories,
and they're all together and united,
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and he seems to envy that.

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He seems that he'll never be
part of that kind of thing,
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and his reaction to that
is to attack and destroy.
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In the ancient text, Grendel's physical
appearance is left to the imagination.
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The only clue is the phrase,
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"... a fiend out of hell".
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Grendel is described as
a demon of the dark, if you like.
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Wherever he moves,
darkness surrounds him.
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In the myth, the monster holds
Denmark under siege for 12 years.
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He kills 30 people at a time.
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You can't see him coming.
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He's bloodthirsty and
likes to crunch on bones.
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After he decimates the king's warriors,
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Grendel turns his rage

on innocent civilians.
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But there is one person he cannot harm,
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the Danish king Hrothgar.
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Like many real kings of the dark ages,
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he is thought to have
the power of god on his side.
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Strangely enough, Grendel
doesn't attack King Hrothgar.
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The King is seated on a throne
that's protected by god himself,
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and so Grendel has to keep his distance.
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All of Hrothgar's
warriors have failed him.
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But in the nearby kingdom of Geatland,
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there is one who will
stand above all others.
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Beowulf comes from Scandinavia.
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He is a warrior descended
from great warriors,
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and he is a man who has
a reputation for his strength,

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his courage, and his ambition.
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He wants to make
a great name for himself.
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At the outset of the poem,
Beowulf is a well-known warrior.
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He's a leader of what
seems to be a war band
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or a group of men who travel together.
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He's not really a mercenary, per se.
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It's not as if he is looking for pay.
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It's merely along the lines of
him looking for a good fight.
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Beowulf is primarily seeking glory,
what the old English called "lof".
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It's this kind of glory that
attends a person of high honour
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who's lived up to his obligations
under the honour code at the time.
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It's the kind of glory and
status that noblemen of his time
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aimed for that really

motivates Beowulf.
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Beowulf knows there is one way
to achieve everlasting distinction,
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to do what no man before him has done.
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He must slay Grendel.
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Night falls.
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The hall comes alive with
the sounds of celebration.
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But this time, it is a trick
designed by Beowulf
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to lure Grendel from his lair.
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He's not going to wait for an attack.
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He's going to make sure
that an attack will happen,
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and he uses, actually,
surprisingly, the scientific method.
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He recreates the circumstances
of the first attack,
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and there is singing,
and there is merriment,
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and Grendel, sure enough, hears this,

and he comes to get his meat.

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The beast is thirsty for blood.
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But Beowulf is ready.
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In the dead of night,
as the party dies down,
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the hero lies in wait.
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He will either kill or be killed.
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Finally, Grendel makes his move.
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Beowulf and his warriors
brace for attack.
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All the warriors pull out their swords,
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and they start to try and
hack and hew at Grendel.
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But Grendel is impervious.
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No sword can harm Grendel,
no metal weapon of any kind.
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Grendel has put a curse
on all such weapons,
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preventing them from affecting him.
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He grabs one of Beowulf's warriors,
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and he rips him in half,
drinks down his blood,
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throws the body down,
and then goes for Beowulf.
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This is the myth, but what
is the link to reality?
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90 miles north of London, England,
is a place called Sutton Hoo.
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This area was once ruled by
powerful Anglo-Saxon kings.
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In the 20th century, archaeologists
excavated the ancient burial mounds
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and made a startling discovery.
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Evidence of bodies mangled and
murdered in a very brutal way.
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The died violently...
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suddenly...
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almost as if killed by a monster.
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Many of them buried face down
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or with the heads

lopped off, necks broken,
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buried in all kinds of strange positions,
so they were buried in a shaming way.
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It is shocking evidence of violence
in a once-prosperous kingdom
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in the same era when the myth
is thought to have originated.
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Experts theorize that these
victims were Anglo-Saxon criminals
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sentenced to death for defying the king.
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These seem to be criminals who were
executed and buried in this place,
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which had apparently gone from being
a place of worship to a place of terror.
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And the connection to
Beowulf simply could be
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that these kinds of
violent public executions
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were a way that a king could
maintain order within his kingdom.
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Could these gruesome deaths
have inspired the story of carnage
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in the court of King Hrothgar?

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The hunt for clues
leads back to the myth.
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The monster Grendel is terrorizing
the blood-soaked hall of the King.
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No sword can pierce his skin,
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but Beowulf refuses to give in.
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He has one weapon left:
his bare hands.
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It is a classic struggle
between David and Goliath,
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monster versus man.
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The future of Denmark's
people hangs in the balance,
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and Beowulf is their
last line of defence.
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It's mayhem in the Danish
court of King Hrothgar.
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Beowulf and the monstrous giant
Grendel are locked in a death match.
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Suddenly, our hero gains the advantage.
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Beowulf grabs Grendel's arm,

and he twists it.

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Beowulf, the world's strongest warrior,
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pulls at the monster's
arm with all his might.
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Grendel howls, and, you know,
his shoulder is dislocated,
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and Beowulf twists it again and twists
it again and then pops it right off.
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And the bone splits from the sinew.
It springs apart.
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The muscle rips away.
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Agonized cries flood the hall.
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Grendel tears off into the night,
haemorrhaging blood.
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There was Grendel, armless,
the life draining out of his arm,
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heading back to his marshy home,
knowing he has very little time left.
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Deep in the woods, the wounded
monster stumbles to the ground...
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and draws his last breath.
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Beowulf has slain the beast.

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He holds high his prized trophy,
Grendel's bloody arm.
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News of Grendel's death
spreads fast across the land,
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and Beowulf is
celebrated as a superhero.
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He has achieved the glory
and honour he set out to find.
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But a grim reality soon sets in.
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There are scores of
slain warriors to bury.
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The Beowulf text describes how
the warriors were laid to rest.
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The description matches
what is now known
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about real funerals in
the ancient Norse world.
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In a ship burial, the person
who is going to be buried
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and his valuables, gold, silver,
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will be put in the ship,
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00:14:33,268 --> 00:14:37,628

and the ship will be sent out
to sea, and it will be burned.
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It was a wanton destruction
of valuable goods
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in a society that was
not awash in goods,
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but it's a sign just of
the seriousness of the loss
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00:14:47,548 --> 00:14:51,828
and the prestige and importance
of the person who's being buried.
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Amazingly, evidence
of these ritual burials
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the same ones described in Beowulf,
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can be found not
underwater but underground.
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Today there are hundreds of mysterious
mounds scattered across northern Europe.
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Many are still waiting to be excavated.
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At Sutton Hoo in England,
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00:15:16,228 --> 00:15:20,628
where archaeologists discovered
those mysterious mangled bodies,
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the burial mounds have
yielded more stunning evidence

211
00:15:24,068 --> 00:15:26,588
about the world of Beowulf.
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In 1939, excavations
turned up a buried ship
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dated to the time when the Beowulf myth
is believed to have been written.
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The wood had completely decayed away,
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but you could still see the shapes
of all the planks and the ribs
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running at right angles across it.
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It looked like a complete wooden ship.
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But closer examination revealed
it was more than just a ship.
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It was the tomb of an unknown ruler
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teeming with buried treasures.
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Sutton Hoo is the richest
grave from England and is, well,
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the richest grave from the
Dark Ages from Northern Europe.
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It's telling us about the
elite of Dark Age society.

224
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The actual artifacts that
were dug out of Sutton Hoo
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look like the things that
are described in Beowulf.
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There are helmets with
boar crests on them.
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There are swords with decorated,
twisted handles and so forth,
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and so there seems to be
some kind of connection
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between what's described in Beowulf
and what we've found in Sutton Hoo.
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The Sutton Hoo excavation
proved, for the first time,
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that the legend of Beowulf is more
than just a fictional thriller,
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00:16:40,668 --> 00:16:46,788
but it's not the only site yielding
evidence of the truth behind the myth.
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In the Danish countryside,
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00:16:55,508 --> 00:16:59,268
archaeologists have
made an unusual discovery:
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evidence of a real ancient hall.
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00:17:04,468 --> 00:17:07,948

The wooden superstructure

rotted away centuries ago,
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but, based on the
location of its post holes,
238
00:17:11,588 --> 00:17:14,948
it once stretched 150 feet long,
239
00:17:14,948 --> 00:17:19,108
making it one of the largest
halls of its kind ever found.
240
00:17:19,148 --> 00:17:23,828
Could this be the mythical
hall of King Hrothgar?
241
00:17:26,828 --> 00:17:31,828
In the story of Beowulf, the scene of
Grendel's attack is called "Heorot",
242
00:17:31,828 --> 00:17:34,668
which means "hall of the stag".
243
00:17:35,308 --> 00:17:38,108
It is both a throne
room and a banquet hall
244
00:17:38,108 --> 00:17:41,988
where the King's warriors
gather to celebrate victory.
245
00:17:42,508 --> 00:17:45,068
Heorot is described as this great hall
246
00:17:45,108 --> 00:17:48,068
which is comparable to
none other in the world.
247
00:17:48,068 --> 00:17:51,068
It's a sign of civilization,
a sign of sophistication,
248
00:17:51,068 --> 00:17:54,948
and becomes kind of a wonder
of the world of this culture.

249
00:17:54,948 --> 00:17:57,988
The hall recently uncovered in Denmark
250
00:17:58,028 --> 00:18:02,508
is in the same area its
ancient kings once called home.
251
00:18:02,948 --> 00:18:07,708
Radio carbon testing dates the
site to the sixth century AD,
252
00:18:08,908 --> 00:18:12,468
the same period when the myth
was said to have taken place,
253
00:18:13,628 --> 00:18:15,268
but there's more.
254
00:18:15,308 --> 00:18:18,068
Excavations in the area
around the ancient hall
255
00:18:18,108 --> 00:18:20,068
have yielded precious artifacts
256
00:18:20,108 --> 00:18:23,628
that could only have
belonged to a powerful king.
257
00:18:23,668 --> 00:18:28,348
Some are for daily life knives, needles, and so on 258
00:18:28,388 --> 00:18:33,188
but there are also rather beautiful
jewelry made of gold and silver,
259
00:18:33,188 --> 00:18:36,428
coins and so on that
give the impression
260
00:18:36,428 --> 00:18:39,788
that this is a site
of some importance.
261
00:18:40,108 --> 00:18:43,388
But who was the king behind this hall,

262
00:18:43,908 --> 00:18:46,828
and could he be connected to the myth?
263
00:18:54,108 --> 00:18:57,348
An intriguing clue can be
found in a series of stories
264
00:18:57,388 --> 00:19:00,868
collectively called the legendary sagas.
265
00:19:00,908 --> 00:19:04,908
They are fact-based accounts
about the Norse world
266
00:19:04,908 --> 00:19:09,348
that were written
between 1100 and 1400 AD.
267
00:19:09,348 --> 00:19:13,428
Many of the Norse sagas are
based on family histories,
268
00:19:13,428 --> 00:19:16,868
and we find this very
engaging combination
269
00:19:16,868 --> 00:19:20,908
of historical material and
mythological traditions.
270
00:19:23,588 --> 00:19:26,828
The sagas tell of a
Danish king named Hrothgar
271
00:19:26,868 --> 00:19:30,268
who lived around the
fifth or sixth century AD.
272
00:19:31,388 --> 00:19:36,828
If Hrothgar was a real king, could
Beowulf have been a real hero?
273
00:19:48,948 --> 00:19:53,468
Deep in the marshes, a mother
mourns the death of her son.
274

00:19:54,708 --> 00:19:57,188

Her son is Grendel.
275
00:19:59,308 --> 00:20:01,348
Her grief becomes rage.
276
00:20:03,548 --> 00:20:07,668
This is the second of Beowulf's
three monstrous enemies.
277
00:20:08,268 --> 00:20:09,908
He's defeated Grendel.
278
00:20:09,948 --> 00:20:13,348
Now he must take on Grendel's mother.
279
00:20:14,908 --> 00:20:19,228
She's quick, cunning,
and out for blood.
280
00:20:20,828 --> 00:20:24,948
Grendel's mother is a very, very
enigmatic figure in the text.
281
00:20:24,948 --> 00:20:28,388
She certainly seems more
bestial than Grendel.
282
00:20:28,428 --> 00:20:31,548
Her emotions are more beast-like.
283
00:20:31,548 --> 00:20:33,708
She's just bent on revenge.
284
00:20:35,588 --> 00:20:38,148
Revenge for the death of her son,
285
00:20:38,148 --> 00:20:43,628
whose severed arm has
become a trophy, a mockery.
286
00:20:47,068 --> 00:20:50,188
Grendel's mother feels a mother's pain
287
00:20:50,188 --> 00:20:53,388
when her son is killed by Beowulf.

288
00:20:55,108 --> 00:20:59,788
So she enters into a feuding
frenzy to attack Heorot,
289
00:20:59,828 --> 00:21:03,428
and she goes without much
regard for her own safety.
290
00:21:05,468 --> 00:21:07,828
As the warriors sleep,
291
00:21:07,828 --> 00:21:11,588
Grendel's mother enters the hall.
292
00:21:23,188 --> 00:21:28,308
She pounces, killing
with brutal efficiency.
293
00:21:30,748 --> 00:21:34,468
Terror grips the King's court again,
294
00:21:35,668 --> 00:21:38,428
but Beowulf is not there to save it.
295
00:21:39,428 --> 00:21:45,308
He is spending the night away from
Heorot, unaware of the unfolding terror.
296
00:21:47,868 --> 00:21:51,988
With her hands stained by the
blood of Denmark's warriors,
297
00:21:52,028 --> 00:21:55,988
Grendel's mother
vanishes into the night.
298
00:21:57,748 --> 00:22:01,308
Beowulf is enraged when
he learns of the carnage.
299
00:22:02,388 --> 00:22:07,468
Just days ago, he heroically saved
the warriors who now lay dead,
300
00:22:07,788 --> 00:22:10,348
but the King is alive.

301
00:22:10,948 --> 00:22:16,148
He sits protected on his
untouchable throne, despondent.
302
00:22:16,148 --> 00:22:22,428
Hrothgar is humiliated by
the fact that so many of his men
303
00:22:22,428 --> 00:22:25,708
have been killed by Grendel
and also now his mother,
304
00:22:25,708 --> 00:22:29,588
and he is not able to be a shield,
and Beowulf says to him,
305
00:22:29,628 --> 00:22:34,348
"It's better to act
than to sit in mourning. "
306
00:22:35,148 --> 00:22:40,468
Once again, Beowulf knows
he must look death in the eye.
307
00:22:40,508 --> 00:22:44,028
He has built his reputation
through heroic deeds.
308
00:22:44,028 --> 00:22:46,988
Now he must maintain it.
309
00:22:49,668 --> 00:22:52,468
With Hrothgar and his men by his side,
310
00:22:52,468 --> 00:22:55,948
Beowulf will hunt down
Grendel's mother.
311
00:22:57,748 --> 00:23:01,548
They follow the blood
trail along a winding path.
312
00:23:06,108 --> 00:23:10,868
Grendel's mother and Grendel live
at the bottom of the haunted mere.
313
00:23:13,828 --> 00:23:19,468

The mere is an icy lake swarming

with poisonous snakes and sea dragons.
314
00:23:23,388 --> 00:23:28,828
The only way to get to Grendel's
mother is to go through them first.
315
00:23:30,148 --> 00:23:33,388
To the early Christian
writers who recorded this myth,
316
00:23:33,428 --> 00:23:38,588
these serpents represented something
equally threatening in the real world:
317
00:23:39,628 --> 00:23:40,948
pagans.
318
00:23:48,228 --> 00:23:50,948
The hunt for Grendel's
mother has led Beowulf
319
00:23:50,988 --> 00:23:54,708
to an icy lake teeming
with venomous serpents.
320
00:23:54,748 --> 00:23:58,868
To get to her,
he'll have to go through them.
321
00:24:01,788 --> 00:24:05,708
This will be a decisive
battle in the fight for Denmark
322
00:24:05,748 --> 00:24:09,628
between a warrior hero
and a wicked mother
323
00:24:09,628 --> 00:24:14,948
who is descended from the Bible's
most infamous murderer, Cain.
324
00:24:15,028 --> 00:24:18,508
Grendel's mother is
never named in the poem.
325
00:24:18,548 --> 00:24:20,388
She just is Grendel's mother,

326
00:24:20,388 --> 00:24:24,748
but she is a very fearsome
creature in her own right,
327
00:24:24,748 --> 00:24:27,388
perhaps in some ways
even more dangerous,
328
00:24:27,428 --> 00:24:29,468
because now that her
son has been killed,
329
00:24:29,468 --> 00:24:33,068
she has the rage of a bereaved mother.
330
00:24:34,508 --> 00:24:37,508
Before Beowulf plunges
beneath the ice,
331
00:24:37,508 --> 00:24:40,468
his men give him a special sword.
332
00:24:43,508 --> 00:24:46,468
Its iron blade is tempered in blood
333
00:24:46,468 --> 00:24:49,828
and has never failed in battle before.
334
00:24:52,628 --> 00:24:56,428
Beowulf's comrades cannot
bring themselves to go further.
335
00:24:56,468 --> 00:25:00,308
The hero must brace for battle alone.
336
00:25:10,508 --> 00:25:14,508
Under the surface, deadly
serpents lie in wait.
337
00:25:15,828 --> 00:25:18,948
Beowulf tries to use
his sword against them.
338
00:25:20,868 --> 00:25:24,868
But no human weapon can harm
these supernatural beasts.

339
00:25:26,788 --> 00:25:28,308
He manages to break away
340
00:25:28,348 --> 00:25:31,908
and find the entrance to
the lair of Grendel's mother.
341
00:25:40,308 --> 00:25:45,348
For a second time,
man will confront monster.
342
00:25:54,508 --> 00:25:57,028
Grendel's mother comes in,
and she attacks him.
343
00:26:05,348 --> 00:26:08,828
He grabs her hair, grabs
her shoulder, throws her down,
344
00:26:09,948 --> 00:26:15,948
and she's up in a shot, and she
snags him with her filthy claws,
345
00:26:15,948 --> 00:26:17,828
and he tumbles back on the floor.
346
00:26:22,228 --> 00:26:24,708
Beowulf is in grave danger,
347
00:26:24,708 --> 00:26:28,348
and his sword again proves useless.
348
00:26:29,508 --> 00:26:32,748
It's supposed to be very
powerful and very strong,
349
00:26:32,748 --> 00:26:36,068
but it actually has no effect
on Grendel's mother at all.
350
00:26:36,108 --> 00:26:38,908
It can't penetrate her scaly hide.
351
00:26:40,908 --> 00:26:44,668
Suddenly, something
catches Beowulf's eye.

352
00:26:44,708 --> 00:26:50,308
He sees on the wall or nearby
an ancient sword forged by giants,
353
00:26:50,308 --> 00:26:52,108
which is not of mortal making.
354
00:26:52,108 --> 00:26:54,788
It's really a magic weapon.
355
00:26:57,868 --> 00:27:00,188
In one resolute arc,
356
00:27:00,188 --> 00:27:06,268
he strikes Grendel's
mother and severs her head.
357
00:27:12,148 --> 00:27:17,588
It is the death of a second evil,
dawn of a new hope.
358
00:27:17,668 --> 00:27:20,708
Beowulf has proven his bravery again,
359
00:27:20,708 --> 00:27:24,228
but this is more than
a mythical triumph.
360
00:27:24,268 --> 00:27:26,388
It is a reflection of the changing world
361
00:27:26,428 --> 00:27:29,268
in which the Norse
people framed the myth,
362
00:27:29,268 --> 00:27:34,828
a world where paganism
had eroded and Christ had risen.
363
00:27:34,868 --> 00:27:39,668
We might see the death of Grendel's
mother as a religious metaphor.
364
00:27:39,668 --> 00:27:42,508
Just as Grendel's mother dies,

365
00:27:42,508 --> 00:27:46,668
so paganism is dying
and Christianity is rising,
366
00:27:46,708 --> 00:27:51,108
and just as Beowulf
frees Hrothgar's kingdom
367
00:27:51,148 --> 00:27:53,508
from the threat of Grendel's mother,
368
00:27:53,508 --> 00:27:59,068
so Christianity is bringing light to
the world of paganism that preceded it.
369
00:28:04,108 --> 00:28:06,908
600 AD, The British Isles:
370
00:28:07,788 --> 00:28:10,708
A religious revolution is under way.
371
00:28:12,268 --> 00:28:16,588
Roman Christians have come north
to convert all nonbelievers.
372
00:28:18,548 --> 00:28:23,788
In the late sixth century, Pope Gregory
sent Augustine to England
373
00:28:23,828 --> 00:28:27,108
to convert these Anglo-Saxon pagans.
374
00:28:27,148 --> 00:28:28,868
Augustine was told by Gregory,
375
00:28:28,908 --> 00:28:32,468
"Go to the pagan temples that
the Anglo-Saxons already use
376
00:28:32,468 --> 00:28:35,628
"and convert them to Christian use. "
377
00:28:35,628 --> 00:28:41,868
Convert the kings so that the people
underneath the king will follow him.
378

00:28:45,388 --> 00:28:48,548

The Anglo-Saxons were
ultimately converted,
379
00:28:50,148 --> 00:28:54,628
but their pre-Christian legends lived
on in the stories they passed down,
380
00:28:54,668 --> 00:28:58,388
including the legend of Beowulf.
381
00:28:58,468 --> 00:29:03,668
Beowulf attempts to update and
bring into the Christian present
382
00:29:03,708 --> 00:29:07,588
some of the old-fashioned
heroic values
383
00:29:07,588 --> 00:29:10,508
of the early Norse era,
384
00:29:10,508 --> 00:29:15,708
people who are brave in adversity,
people who are loyal to comrades.
385
00:29:17,508 --> 00:29:19,308
When the Christians conquered,
386
00:29:19,308 --> 00:29:25,228
they recast the myth of Beowulf
as a metaphor of good versus evil.
387
00:29:31,948 --> 00:29:33,828
The story continues.
388
00:29:34,708 --> 00:29:37,908
At the haunted lake of serpents,
389
00:29:37,908 --> 00:29:40,948
Beowulf surfaces victorious.
390
00:29:43,868 --> 00:29:46,668
He heads for the hall of King Hrothgar.
391
00:29:52,428 --> 00:29:54,908
And arrives triumphant.

392
00:29:59,028 --> 00:30:02,148
Beowulf's return
shocks the King's court.
393
00:30:02,188 --> 00:30:05,108
He had been given up for dead.
394
00:30:05,148 --> 00:30:10,948
Hrothgar hails him as the ultimate
hero and stages a great celebration.
395
00:30:11,668 --> 00:30:16,548
Beowulf has achieved the glory and
honour he came to Denmark to find.
396
00:30:17,828 --> 00:30:23,748
Now he is eager to return to his
own kingdom to the north, Geatland.
397
00:30:25,188 --> 00:30:28,628
There more danger awaits.
398
00:30:35,348 --> 00:30:40,388
In the story of Beowulf,
the Geats were not a mythical tribe.
399
00:30:40,388 --> 00:30:44,268
They were real warriors from
the southern tip of Sweden
400
00:30:44,308 --> 00:30:47,588
well-known to the writers of the myth.
401
00:30:47,588 --> 00:30:51,468
The poem refers to the Geats,
and it refers to Swedes.
402
00:30:51,468 --> 00:30:54,468
What we are looking at are
two different dynasties.
403
00:30:54,468 --> 00:30:58,228
It is a deep-rooted split
that you see actually last
404
00:30:58,228 --> 00:31:01,268

all the way to the end

of the Viking age.
405
00:31:01,268 --> 00:31:04,908
This real-life rivalry between
the Geats and the Swedes
406
00:31:04,948 --> 00:31:09,028
comes to a head in the
next chapter of Beowulf,
407
00:31:09,068 --> 00:31:12,868
and it is up to Beowulf
to lead his people to victory
408
00:31:14,748 --> 00:31:19,908
in one epic battle
on a giant lake of ice.
409
00:31:24,268 --> 00:31:26,308
This is Lake Vanern.
410
00:31:27,028 --> 00:31:29,788
It is the largest body
of water in Sweden,
411
00:31:29,828 --> 00:31:33,468
covering some 2,200 square miles.
412
00:31:34,428 --> 00:31:36,788
In harsh winters, it freezes over,
413
00:31:36,788 --> 00:31:40,788
forming a land bridge between
two distant territories.
414
00:31:42,148 --> 00:31:44,668
Today it is peaceful,
415
00:31:45,428 --> 00:31:49,548
but 15 centuries ago,
according to the myth of Beowulf,
416
00:31:49,588 --> 00:31:52,268
it was the setting of a bloody battle,
417
00:31:54,508 --> 00:31:57,708

the Swedes against the Geats.

418
00:32:01,868 --> 00:32:05,388
On his return to Geatland,
Beowulf discovers
419
00:32:05,388 --> 00:32:09,948
that the Geats are embroiled
in the middle of a Swedish feud.
420
00:32:11,588 --> 00:32:14,828
A civil war between members
of the Swedish royal family
421
00:32:14,828 --> 00:32:17,748
has spilled over into
Beowulf's homeland.
422
00:32:19,908 --> 00:32:22,788
The hero must confront
death once again,
423
00:32:22,788 --> 00:32:28,668
but this time, not against
monsters but against his fellow man.
424
00:32:45,188 --> 00:32:49,148
Beowulf's forces prevail,
and in return for his heroism,
425
00:32:49,148 --> 00:32:52,148
he is granted the throne of Geatland.
426
00:32:52,668 --> 00:32:55,668
His quest for glory is now complete.
427
00:32:56,348 --> 00:32:58,828
It is a decisive moment in the myth,
428
00:32:59,868 --> 00:33:03,348
but could this epic battle
have really happened?
429
00:33:06,548 --> 00:33:11,028
According to old Norse sagas which are
thought to be based on real history,
430

00:33:11,028 --> 00:33:13,348

a violent battle did occur
431
00:33:13,348 --> 00:33:17,348
on a frozen lake
around the year 530 AD.
432
00:33:18,668 --> 00:33:22,988
The battle of Lake Vanern is the decisive
battle between the Geats and the Swedes,
433
00:33:22,988 --> 00:33:26,788
and it happens on the frozen water
of an enormous fresh water lake.
434
00:33:26,788 --> 00:33:30,388
It's one of the first known giant
cavalry battles in the north,
435
00:33:30,388 --> 00:33:34,548
and many, many warriors
are slain on both sides.
436
00:33:36,348 --> 00:33:40,348
This real battle was said to have
happened near Earnaness, Sweden.
437
00:33:41,148 --> 00:33:44,948
Modern scholars believe
Earnaness was a real settlement
438
00:33:44,988 --> 00:33:48,068
right on the shore of Lake Vanern.
439
00:33:50,548 --> 00:33:55,508
Once again, the historical
record seems to match the myth,
440
00:33:56,508 --> 00:33:59,948
a real battle in a real location.
441
00:34:01,748 --> 00:34:04,988
Could there also be
evidence of a real hero?
442
00:34:05,148 --> 00:34:09,028
The search for clues
leads back to the myth.

443
00:34:16,748 --> 00:34:18,508
After the ice battle,
444
00:34:18,548 --> 00:34:22,868
Beowulf rules Geatland
in peace for many decades.
445
00:34:22,868 --> 00:34:26,228
He's no longer that
young hero that he was
446
00:34:26,268 --> 00:34:29,228
when he was fighting Grendel
and then Grendel's mother.
447
00:34:29,268 --> 00:34:32,708
He's much older.
He's no longer in his prime,
448
00:34:32,708 --> 00:34:36,348
but still, he's exemplary.
449
00:34:36,748 --> 00:34:41,388
As a young man, Beowulf had
quenched his thirst for glory.
450
00:34:41,428 --> 00:34:45,788
As an aging king,
he has no desire for more,
451
00:34:48,388 --> 00:34:52,068
but 50 years after his
heroic conquests in Denmark,
452
00:34:52,108 --> 00:34:57,988
the old warrior must face one final
showdown with a terrifying monster,
453
00:35:00,788 --> 00:35:03,388
the Dragon of Earnaness.
454
00:35:04,708 --> 00:35:10,428
It stretches 50 feet long and
guards a gargantuan hoard of gold.
455
00:35:10,468 --> 00:35:14,588

Dragons represent
human greed but really,
456
00:35:14,628 --> 00:35:18,508
you know, amplified, because
this is this monstrous creature
457
00:35:18,548 --> 00:35:22,188
whose only interest is in
gathering gold and keeping it.
458
00:35:23,708 --> 00:35:27,948
The trouble begins after a young
slave escapes from his master
459
00:35:27,988 --> 00:35:30,388
and hides in a cave.
460
00:35:30,428 --> 00:35:35,068
He doesn't realize he's
entering the lair of the dragon.
461
00:35:38,908 --> 00:35:40,748
As the monster sleeps,
462
00:35:40,788 --> 00:35:45,508
the slave spots the hoard of
gold and succumbs to temptation.
463
00:35:47,668 --> 00:35:51,508
He steals the cup from
the dragon's treasure.
464
00:35:53,468 --> 00:35:56,788
Not knowing that this cup is, in fact,
465
00:35:56,788 --> 00:35:59,748
the favourite item of the dragon.
466
00:36:02,068 --> 00:36:05,988
The dragon stirs,
finds the golden cup missing,
467
00:36:06,028 --> 00:36:09,388
and sets off for revenge.
468
00:36:23,148 --> 00:36:27,428

So he starts setting
farms and fields on fire,
469
00:36:27,428 --> 00:36:31,148
creating much destruction
in a very short time.
470
00:36:31,148 --> 00:36:34,228
The dragon wreaks havoc
across the land.
471
00:36:34,268 --> 00:36:37,588
Then, the ultimate insult.
472
00:36:40,508 --> 00:36:43,228
Beowulf's own home is burned,
473
00:36:43,268 --> 00:36:46,148
and he prays for
restoration of his loss
474
00:36:46,188 --> 00:36:51,468
and seeks some kind of redress
and begins to think about revenge.
475
00:36:51,508 --> 00:36:57,148
Once more, the old warrior is
called to defend a nation's honour.
476
00:36:57,628 --> 00:37:01,388
It will be his last stand against evil.
477
00:37:02,748 --> 00:37:06,388
He's the kind of hero who's gonna
be willing to go out and face,
478
00:37:06,428 --> 00:37:08,588
at this point, certain death.
479
00:37:11,868 --> 00:37:14,668
Beowulf leads his men into battle
480
00:37:14,668 --> 00:37:19,028
with his kingdom and honour
hanging in the balance.
481
00:37:24,708 --> 00:37:28,028

This will either be

the hero's final triumph
482
00:37:28,988 --> 00:37:31,348
or his tragic end.
483
00:37:37,468 --> 00:37:42,228
A fire-breathing dragon is
devastating the kingdom of the Geats.
484
00:37:43,428 --> 00:37:48,948
Beowulf the aging hero-king,
dons his battle gear one more time,
485
00:37:48,988 --> 00:37:51,868
and the hunt for a third beast begins.
486
00:37:54,508 --> 00:37:58,028
The bravest soldiers
ride alongside Beowulf.
487
00:37:59,588 --> 00:38:03,308
Among them is the young
son of a fallen warrior.
488
00:38:03,348 --> 00:38:05,588
His name is Wiglaf.
489
00:38:06,668 --> 00:38:08,828
He's immature.
490
00:38:08,868 --> 00:38:11,068
He's inexperienced.
491
00:38:11,108 --> 00:38:12,988
He's the one that
you would probably say
492
00:38:12,988 --> 00:38:17,588
is gonna contribute the least to
the actual fight against a dragon.
493
00:38:18,548 --> 00:38:23,028
The men come upon the dragon's lair
in the middle of a dense forest.
494
00:38:25,308 --> 00:38:29,268

Beowulf steps cautiously inside...

495
00:38:30,668 --> 00:38:33,228
and finds the monster asleep.
496
00:38:36,028 --> 00:38:41,668
But before the hero can strike,
the dragon awakens and attacks.
497
00:38:48,628 --> 00:38:52,068
Beowulf yells to his
other warriors for help.
498
00:38:52,468 --> 00:38:56,268
All of Beowulf's other fellows
have run away to hide in the woods,
499
00:38:56,268 --> 00:38:58,548
'cause they're too
terrified of the dragon.
500
00:38:59,668 --> 00:39:04,468
All except for one, young Wiglaf.
501
00:39:06,468 --> 00:39:10,948
Once mocked for his youth,
he now stands out for his bravery,
502
00:39:10,988 --> 00:39:15,388
risking his life to fight
alongside the hero he idolizes
503
00:39:15,388 --> 00:39:18,388
as Beowulf confronts
his greatest enemy.
504
00:39:19,268 --> 00:39:23,828
So goes the myth, but what
is the connection to reality?
505
00:39:29,668 --> 00:39:33,308
The dragon is mythology's
ultimate monster.
506
00:39:34,988 --> 00:39:37,068
Within a sort of Christian tradition,
507

00:39:37,068 --> 00:39:40,668

dragons often represent
the super serpent,
508
00:39:40,668 --> 00:39:43,788
a gigantic manifestation of Satan.
509
00:39:43,828 --> 00:39:48,628
But if you go back before Christian
tradition, dragons seem to represent
510
00:39:48,628 --> 00:39:52,708
something like an ultimate embodiment
511
00:39:52,708 --> 00:39:56,668
of power and ferocity and mystery.
512
00:39:56,668 --> 00:40:00,068
But the great fear that
people have always had is that,
513
00:40:00,068 --> 00:40:04,788
despite all of the seemingly regular
patterns that you see in nature,
514
00:40:04,788 --> 00:40:08,948
there might also be fantastic,
chaotic unknowns,
515
00:40:08,948 --> 00:40:11,668
the monsters that
could suddenly leap out.
516
00:40:12,108 --> 00:40:15,868
Dragons play a central role
in myths throughout the world.
517
00:40:17,388 --> 00:40:21,908
And despite the thousands of miles and
thousands of years that separate them,
518
00:40:21,948 --> 00:40:27,028
the similarities between the stories
are more striking than the differences.
519
00:40:27,988 --> 00:40:30,108
Most of them have hard scales,

520
00:40:30,108 --> 00:40:33,508
have these long serpentine
bodies with long pointed tails,
521
00:40:33,548 --> 00:40:36,788
long necks ending in a horned head.
522
00:40:36,828 --> 00:40:40,148
Many breathe fire.
Many have wings.
523
00:40:40,988 --> 00:40:43,908
Are these shared traits coincidence,
524
00:40:43,948 --> 00:40:49,588
or did ancient storytellers have
some common real-world inspiration?
525
00:40:50,748 --> 00:40:54,068
Many wonder whether
there were actual dragons.
526
00:40:54,068 --> 00:40:57,868
Given how prevalent the stories
about them are in the world's myths,
527
00:40:57,908 --> 00:41:02,068
it would seem that they must
be based on something real.
528
00:41:02,068 --> 00:41:04,748
My own theory, which is
- other people have it too 529
00:41:04,788 --> 00:41:08,068
was that at some point, someone
was walking through the Gobi desert
530
00:41:08,108 --> 00:41:11,188
or parts of Central Asia where
dinosaur bones are exposed,
531
00:41:11,228 --> 00:41:14,268
and they saw a T-Rex-rex skeleton and said,
532
00:41:14,268 --> 00:41:17,908
"Wow, if those are the bones, can you

imagine what the thing looked like?"

533
00:41:17,908 --> 00:41:20,148
And from there, you could
imagine the creature.
534
00:41:20,188 --> 00:41:22,828
So they're large.
They're scary. They're fierce.
535
00:41:23,668 --> 00:41:26,508
Dinosaur fossils have been
discovered around the globe
536
00:41:26,508 --> 00:41:29,348
since mankind's earliest days.
537
00:41:30,868 --> 00:41:32,868
In a time before science,
538
00:41:32,908 --> 00:41:36,828
could they have inspired
mythology's ultimate monster?
539
00:41:45,268 --> 00:41:46,988
The myth concludes.
540
00:41:47,708 --> 00:41:50,788
Beowulf charges
the dragon with his sword.
541
00:41:52,668 --> 00:41:54,388
The dragon strikes back,
542
00:41:55,908 --> 00:41:57,628
wounding Beowulf
543
00:41:58,628 --> 00:42:01,628
but there is still one
more chance for victory.
544
00:42:02,828 --> 00:42:05,988
The belly is the beast's Achilles heel.
545
00:42:07,188 --> 00:42:12,628
As Wiglaf looks on, Beowulf manoeuvres
his way underneath the dragon

546
00:42:12,628 --> 00:42:15,748
and thrusts his sword into its stomach.
547
00:42:20,468 --> 00:42:22,508
The monster is defeated,
548
00:42:22,508 --> 00:42:27,828
but Beowulf has paid the ultimate
price for this final moment of glory.
549
00:42:27,868 --> 00:42:30,548
Beowulf is bitten in
the neck by the dragon,
550
00:42:30,548 --> 00:42:34,468
so even as he slays the beast,
he himself knows he's going to die
551
00:42:34,508 --> 00:42:37,508
because the wound begins
to swell and to burst.
552
00:42:42,748 --> 00:42:45,428
He says, "At least bring me
some of the dragon's treasure
553
00:42:45,428 --> 00:42:48,788
"so that I can see what
we fought for and what we've won
554
00:42:48,828 --> 00:42:52,628
"and look once more upon
the glorious treasure. "
555
00:42:54,308 --> 00:42:57,948
Beowulf 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,
557
00:43:01,268 --> 00:43:03,508
"so because you were brave, Wiglaf,
558
00:43:03,548 --> 00:43:08,348

"I'm giving you my famous chain

mail and my sword and my helmet. "
559
00:43:09,628 --> 00:43:13,828
An old hero dies,
and a new one is born.
560
00:43:21,148 --> 00:43:25,708
The final stanzas of the epic
describe Beowulf's funeral,
561
00:43:26,508 --> 00:43:29,228
his body placed on a pyre...
562
00:43:31,628 --> 00:43:33,188
and set alight.
563
00:43:39,468 --> 00:43:41,268
Beowulf's death at the end of the poem
564
00:43:41,308 --> 00:43:46,228
represents the idea that all men
and all their works shall die.
565
00:43:46,748 --> 00:43:50,828
A great hero, the icon
of northern warriors,
566
00:43:50,868 --> 00:43:55,588
is dead, but his legend
is just beginning.
567
00:43:59,868 --> 00:44:02,828
Today hundreds of
ancient burial mounds
568
00:44:02,828 --> 00:44:05,948
still dot the landscape
of Scandinavia.
569
00:44:05,988 --> 00:44:10,268
Some have yielded evidence
of truth behind the myth,
570
00:44:10,308 --> 00:44:13,268
but many are still unexcavated.
571

00:44:13,308 --> 00:44:16,708

Could one of them be
the gravesite of a real Beowulf?
572
00:44:16,748 --> 00:44:19,348
Is it possible that
Beowulf was a real person?
573
00:44:19,388 --> 00:44:20,748
Yes, of course it is.
574
00:44:20,748 --> 00:44:24,028
The history surrounding
him fits with history,
575
00:44:24,028 --> 00:44:25,668
and the reason why we tend to say
576
00:44:25,668 --> 00:44:28,108
yes, it's possible that
he was a real person,
577
00:44:28,148 --> 00:44:32,508
is the very simple fact that there
were legends that were kept orally,
578
00:44:32,508 --> 00:44:34,748
that were the basis for this poem,
579
00:44:34,748 --> 00:44:37,948
that tells us there
should be some truth to it.
580
00:44:40,188 --> 00:44:45,428
Whether real man or myth,
Beowulf is bravery personified.
581
00:44:46,868 --> 00:44:50,188
To the ancients, he embodied
the best in Man.
582
00:44:52,388 --> 00:44:54,228
A warrior's life...
583
00:44:56,268 --> 00:44:57,788
and a hero's death.