Monthly Archives: May 2025

Early interpretations of Beowulf

Posted on May 6, 2025 by Ruth

The first early attempts to make sense of the poem that Thorkelin published were made by Thorkelin himself and an Englishman, Sharon Turner. At this time, very little was known of the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) language. These early interpretations were … Continue reading →

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Beowulf: the discovery, 1786

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Ruth

Copenhagen, Court of King Christian VII, 1786: The royal archivist Grim Johnson Thorkelin goes to London on a research expedition. Thorkelin is an Icelander whose native tongue is closer to the language of the Vikings than is Copenhagen’s “modern” Danish. … Continue reading →

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