A Contemporary re-working of the epic poem: Beowulf
Beowulf had been summoned and so hastened across the seas.
The turbulence was severe and the aircraft was tossed and
Buffeted as wave upon wave of disturbed air sought to
Wreak havoc but the craft survived and although some of his
Fellow passengers suffered, all survived the fearful flight.
Because of his deserved reputation, our hero arrived
Incognito. Only a chosen few knew of his quest.
Having touched down, he quickly made his way to the Heorot
Hotel, Manhattan. There he was met by his contact and
Old friend. A complete darkness had fallen upon the land.
Beowulf was soon appraised of the plan but first he must be
Feasted and paraded before the gathered clan. Speeches
Espousing the bravery and courage of all concerned
And protestations of friendship were interwoven with
Further reports of the evil doings of the monster.
The greatest amongst the surviving plotters was Hrothgar.
Shunned and insulted in joint measure by the monster, he
Had managed so far to evade its deadly clutches and
Hid amongst the cavernous rooms of the hotel, though the
Monster had found others there. Bad news reached those
awaiting.
Sanning* and Arlighet* fell into the monster’s clutches.
Their fate was unknown, but that they had no future nor a
Past that could be spoken of was not in doubt. Sadness
reigned,
Bitter tears fell on arid soil. Beowulf was seen as
The only glimmer of hope for this desperate people.
The saviour from overseas; the illegal immigrant,
Now chose two warriors to accompany him: Heder*
And Beundran*. Both knew well the dangers they faced, but
each was
Prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to save their
Beloved homeland from the growing threat to their freedom.
Hrothgar first called together his followers and asked them
To name Beowulf: ‘Ledarskap’, for he was now their last
hope.
But their hero would not accept this new title, hailing
Hrothgar as the true leader of his peoples who would once
Again reign in this once great but now benighted waste land.
Beowulf would engage in battle, but knowing the
Strengths of his opponent, he would use subtle wiles
And deep subterfuge to bring about the monster’s
Downfall, so that everyone in the homeland would
Witness how they had been deluded and misled.
“We must wrench from him the one weapon he holds. His
Right arm must be taken from him, removing his
Ability to control what happens. Once we
Have disarmed him, we will succeed in weakening
His position and bring about his sure downfall.”
The gathered clan listened carefully to the words
Of Beowulf, but some doubted that he could achieve
His aims. But they vowed to protect him as best they
Could until either the monster was slain or it
Exerted its full revenge upon all involved.
And so the battle commenced. Beowulf knew that it
Would be an epic struggle, and only one would
Survive. He had the means to slay the monster, but
Knew also that he must act quickly before it
Could strike again for it was unpredictable.
Beowulf was confident that he possessed the powers
To bring down the monster, but he needed help. The
Weapons he requested were gathered together
And all was now set for the battle to begin.
Our hero knew better than to attack at once.
His strategy was to persuade the monster that
His powers were less than they actually were. He
Wished to lull his opponent into a false sense
Of security then would hit him hard with all he
Had to offer. His first assaults were thus parried.
Then following this fake thrust and parry the two
Opponents set to a full-scale battle. Beowulf,
Like his ancient namesake, who hacked off the arm of
Grendel, was a renowned hacker who took control
Of the monster’s communication accounts and
By spreading fake outbursts from the monster, led to
A frenzied counter attack. But our hero then
Redirected efforts towards the very heart
Of the monster’s empire: The Pentagon. Spreading
His angles of attack, the monster was exposed
And fragile. By turning his own weapons against
Him, Beowulf discovered the monster’s weakness, and
Although it still sought to destroy, in doing so,
It was self-destructing. It had survived on lies
And fake news, now it was a victim of the same.
The monster flew into a rage of frustration,
An infantile tantrum, destroying all before
It. Those previously in fawning attendance
Deserted. Left alone,
the monster with nothing
To feed upon, withered and died a lonely death.
Beowulf, drained by the encounter, was hurried from the
New world. His presence only ever known by a
Select few. With the monster gone, a new leader was
Appointed and she vowed to always tell the truth.
On hearing this, Beowulf prepared for his return.
Dave Urmston c 2018
Beowulf, was called to help Hrothgar to slay the monster
Grendel. In an epic struggle, he finally succeeded. Later he was forced also to
fight the monster’s mother. Hrothgar’s Hall was called Heorot.
The names with a * are Danish, translated in order as: Truth; Honesty; Honour and Respect.
