Poetic Licence
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Beowulf's Return to The Estuary
A Kentish archaeologist says that the epic Anglo-Saxon poem `Beowulf' was not set in southern Scandinavia, as previously thought, but that it preserves a memory of 5th-century Germanic raids on south-east England, whose main action was centred near the Thames Estuary.
Thus spoke Beowulf son of Edgetheow:
So the Hwyfe and I and our three scyldren
took the hring hroad. Hwich was a mistk
Bumper-to-bumper through the Dartfeord Tunnel
Fynally eonding up near Grays. An healfing nightmaer!
The scyldren at each otheres hthroats and the Hwyfe
bewailing the loss of her Hrattner's gold signum,
given to her by Hrothgar, eofter the Great Feast
hwen he hyospitalised her brothere Hwayne.
On the hway back to Gyllinghjam, we stopped in
at a Harvestyr - hwich was packed and then
into a Mead Hall, eofter I dropped off Hwyfe and scyldren.
Three flasks in and a mighty battle started. This was
because of some warriors just off a longship at Chatham.
One of these hwas well eout-of-ordur, adorned with gold,
tattooed around the hneck and sheouting the odds.
I mean, there hwas only me, Hygelac The Bald and Welnaf.
Welnaf, fearsome in his Scyell-suit is a bit naughty in a hruc
and says to this doughnut: "Oi gzer! Are you calling me
a Cnut?" That hwas it. The hwole thinng went pear-scyaped.
Then came this Grendel. Took a Styanley Knife to Hygelac
and gleassed Welnaf in the fyace. In absence of a shootyr,
I took a poolcyu to the beorstard and he hwent down.
Back at Hrothgar's hall, Hrothgar said: "That won't be the
eond of it, you mark my hwords." Scyure enuf, two
days later, I'm leaveing the Mead Hall when Drren says:
"Oi Beowulf, there is a grt fyre in the Carpeork.
I looked and The Grendel had torched my Feord Escyort.
Eofter that I leoft it. Since Welnaf's brother put the hword
eout that He hwill deal with the Grendel. But quietly.
And the Hwyfe doesn't hwant my two hyears suspended
being brought up agn. So that hwas that.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments