Thursday, September 26, 2013

How to build up a dramatic fight scene

How to build up a dramatic fight scene
1.      Set an epic location for the fight
2.      “Beowulf got ready, donned his war-gear. Indifferent to death; his mighty, hand forged, fine webbed mail would soon meet the menace under”
3.      Make the necessary preparation for weaponry
4.      “to guard his head he had a glittering helmet” … “and another item Unferth lent him… a Rare and ancient sword named Hrunting”
5.      Anticipate the death of the enemy
6.      “His days were numbered, the end of his life was coming over him,he knew it for certain.”
7.      Present your enemy in the worst way to make your defeat seem even more heroic.
8.      “Grendel’s mother, monstrous hell-bride, brooded on her wrongs. She had been forced down into fearful waters, the cold depths, after Cain had killed his father’s son, felled his own brother with a sword”
9.      Set up the hero to fail
10.  “But he soon found his blade-torch extinguished: the shining blade refused to bite. It spared her and failed this man in his need. “

Beowulf Top 10 Why You Should Date Beowulf


Beowulf Top 10 Why You Should Date Beowulf

1. He is deep.
You can’t get a really sensitive AND manly guy these days, but Beowulf does not disappoint. He really knows how to get to the heart of the matter.

“Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better
to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.
For every one of us, living in this world
means waiting for our end. Let whoever can
win glory before death. When a warrior is gone,
that will be his best and only bulwark." (1384-1389)

2. He is famous.
Not many people have a great reputation like Beowulf, and he is the talk of the seas. A guy with a great reputation has gotta mean he is the datable type.

“A crew of seamen who sailed for me once
with a gift-cargo across to Geatland
returned with marvellous tales about him:
a thane, they declared, with the strength of thirty
in the grip of each hand. Now Holy God
has, in His goodness, guided him here
to the West-Danes, to defend us from Grendel.
This is my hope; and for his heroism
I will recompense him with a rich treasure.” (377-385)

3. He is unbelievably strong.
This dude can freaking bench press a lot more than any of us. He has got weirdishly strong strength, but you ladies know what that means: big ol’ Beowulf has got a body. Yes, a body that only the gods could match. He brings the whole package.

“The captain of evil discovered himself
in a handgrip harder than anything
he had ever encountered in any man
on the face of the earth. Every bone in his body
quailed and recoiled, but he could not escape.
He was desperate to flee to his den and hide
with the devil's litter, for in all his days
he had never been clamped or cornered like this.” (749-756)

4. He is loyal.
In this day in age, a woman needs to be able to trust a man. Beowulf is fiercely loyal to his king and his people.

"Nor have I seen
a mightier man-at-arms on this earth
than the one standing here: unless I am mistaken,
he is truly noble. This is no mere
hanger-on in a hero's armour." (244-251)

5. He is brave.
This is pretty self explanatory. The dude fights Grendel, his mother, and a dragon.

“And now the youth
was to enter the line of battle with his lord,
his first time to be tested as a fighter.
His spirit did not break and the ancestral blade
would keep its edge, as the dragon discovered
as soon as they came together in the combat.” (2625-2630)

6. He is confident.
Guys, ladies want a confident woman. They don’t want a guy who has no self esteem and is constantly questioning themselves. They want a man who has pride and the confidence to live life.

“The man whose name was known for courage,
the Geat leader, resolute in his helmet,
answered in return: "We are retainers
from Hygelac's band. Beowulf is my name." (340-343)

7. He is successful.
Beowulf defeats Grendel when no one else could. He wins battles and he becomes a great king. Success is a huge turn on for the ladies, and also provides them with a comfortable life style. Beowulf can provide all of that.

8. He is kind.
Not only his Beowulf tough and brave, but he is also a nice guy. When he is crowned king, Beowulf is praised as a great king who is kind to his people. In short: Beowulf has a sensitive side to the people he cares about.

“They said that of all the kings upon the earth
he was the man most gracious and fair-minded,kindest to his people and keenest to win fame.” (lines 3180-82)

9. He does community service.
Beowulf does service for his community. He goes out of his way to sail to Daines land and ride them of evil.

“Your deeds are famous,so stay resolute, my lord, defend your life now
with the whole of your strength. I shall stand by you.” (lines 2666-68)
10. HE IS BEOWULF.
How cool would it be to date an epic hero











10 Ways To Be An Epic Hero

10 Ways To Become An Epic Hero

1.     “Behaviour that’s admired is the path to power among people everywhere”.
2.     “He knew what they had tholed, the long times and troubles they’d come through without a leader; so the Lord of Life, the glorious Almighty, made this man renowned, Sheild had fathered a famous son”
3.     “all knew of my awesome strength. They had seen me bolstered in the blood of my enemies raided a troll-nest and in the night-sea slaughtered sea-butes. Prepare yourself with training.  Being an Epic Hero takes a lot of work, and you can’t be a slob when fight giant masters.
4.     “I have suffered extremes and avenged the Geats (their enemies brought it upon themselves, I devastated them). Now I mean to be a match for Grendal, settle the outcome in single combat”
5.     “This formal boast by Beowulf the Beat pleased the lady well and she went to sit” “Then it was like old times in the echoing hall, proud talk and
people happy” You have to be able to impress people, importantly the opposite, or the same sex if you into that.  Being an epic hero requires the display charisma and intelligence in order.

6.     Stay of the right side of the law. Being a hero requires you to do good deeds.  If you do bad deeds, then you are a villain not a hero.

7.     Have a costume to be easy recognizable, so people can go to for help, without confusing someone else for you.

8.     Handle crimes correctly.  Unlike Beowulf, you can’t just kill someone as your first response. Different crimes require a various ways to solve them.

9.     Have a Goal. The goal defines the hero. Every hero should establish one and complete it.


10.   Have confidence in yourself.  You can accomplish anything if you believe in yourself.

10 Most BA Epithets and Kennings


  1. Terror-monger
  2. Hell-Brute
  3. Sky-winger
  4. Corpse-Maker
  5. Sea-brute
  6. Whale-Beast
  7. Shadow-stalker
  8. Hell-Bride
  9. Hoard-guardian
  10. Battle Dodger

Beowulf: Top 10 Manly Quotes!

Adam Seibert
September 26th, 2013

      1. “The captain of evil discovered himself
in a handgrip harder than anything
he had ever encountered in any man
on the face of the earth. Every bone in his body
quailed and recoiled, but he could not escape.
He was desperate to flee to his den and hide
with the devil's litter, for in all his days
he had never been clamped or cornered like this.” (749-756)
      
       2. “Inspired again
by the thought of glory, the war-king threw
his whole strength behind a sword-stroke
and connected with the skull. And Naegling snapped.
Beowulf's ancient iron-grey sword
let him down in the fight. It was never his fortune
to be helped in combat by the cutting edge
of weapons made in iron. When he wielded a sword,
no matter how blooded and hard-edged the blade
his hand was too strong, the stroke he dealt
(I have heard) would ruin it.” (2677-2687)
       
      3. “Whichever one death fells
must deem it a just judgement by God.” (440-441)

      4. “The man whose name was known for courage,
the Geat leader, resolute in his helmet,
answered in return: “We are retainers
from Hygelac’s band. Beowulf is my name.” (340-343)

      5. “Be acclaimed for strength, for kindly guidance
to these two boys, and your bounty will be sure.
You have won renown: you are known to all men
far and near, now and forever.” (1219-1221)

      6. “The monster wrenched and wrestled with him
but Beowulf was mindful of his mighty strength,
the wondrous gifts God had showered on him:
He relied for help on the Lord of All,
on His care and favour. So he overcame the foe,
brought down the hell-brute.” (1269-1274)

      7. “... a brutal plunder.Beowulf in his fury
now settled that score: he saw the monster
in his resting place, war-weary and wrecked,
a lifeless corpse, a casualty
of the battle in Heorot. The body gaped
at the stroke dealt to it after death:
Beowulf cut the corpse’s head off.” (1584-1590)

       8. “Thus Beowulf bore himself with valour;
           he was formidable in battle yet behaved with honour
           and took no advantage; never cut down a
           comrade who was drunk, kept his temper
           and, warrior that he was, watched and controlled
           his God-sent strength and his outstanding
           natural powers.” (2177-2183)

      9. “The monster’s whole
           body was in pain, a tremendous wound
           appeared on his shoulder. Sinews split
           and the bone-lappings burst. Beowulf was granted
           the glory of winning;” (815-817)

     10. “So, Beowulf drank his drink, at ease;
           it was hardly a shame to be showered with such gifts

           in front of the hall-troops…” (1024-1026)

Top 10 Alliteration Moments in Beowulf




1.) “He is hasped and hooped and hirpling with pain, limping and looped in it” (975-976).


2.) “They had seen me boltered in the blood of enemies when I battled and bound five beasts”( 419-420).


3.) “The ship rode the water, broad-beamed, bound by it hawser and anchored fast”(301-303).


4.) “Otherwise, he must endure woes and live with grief for as long as his hall stands at the horizon, on its high ground”(283-285).


5.) “They collected their spears in a seafarers’ stook, a stand of greyish tapering ash”(328-330).


6.) “Wulfgar replied, a Wendel chief renowned as a warrior, well known for his wisdom”(348-349).


7.) “Then in the hall, hard-honed swords were grabbed from the bench, many a broad shield lifted and braced”(1288-1290).


8.) “On its bank, the heather-stepper halts: the hart in flight from pursuing hounds”(1368-1369).


9.) “So the Shieldings’ hero, hard-pressed and enraged, took a firm hold on the hilt, toppling the doomed house of her flesh”(1563-1568).

10.) “He saw the monster in his resting place, war-weary and wrecked”(1585-1586).

Top 10 Boasts from Characters of Beowulf



  1. “In his day, my father was a famous man, a noble warrior-lord named Ecgtheow. He outlasted many a long winter and went on his way. All over the world men wise in counsel continue to remember him” (lns 262-266)
  2. “So every elder and experienced councilman among my people supported my resolve to come here to you, King Hrothgar, because all knew of my awesome strength. They had seen me boltered in the blood of enemies when I battled and bound five beasts, raided a troll-nest and in the night-sea slaughtered sea-brutes. I have suffered extremes and avenged the Geats (their enemies brought it upon themselves, I devastated them)” (lns 415-424).
  3. “So Breca made good his boast upon you and was proved right” (lns 523-524).
    1. disregarding Beowulf’s past boast about his triumphs, relays that Breca’s boast holds true
  4. “I was the strongest swimmer of all” (ln 534).
  5. “But Breca could never move farther or faster rom me than I could manage to move from him” (lns 541-543).
  6. “I had a fixed purpose when I put to sea. As I sat in the boat with my band of men, I meant to perform to the uttermost what your people wanted or perish in attempt, in the fiend’s clutches. And I shall fulfil that purpose, prove myself with a proud deed or meet my death here in the mead-hall” (lns 632-638).
    1. illustrating his loyalty to people, setting out on an extraordinary, heroic task on behalf of the community, for their safety
  7. “He had scant regard for the dragon as a threat, no dread at all of its courage or strength, for he had kept going often in the past, through perils and ordeals of every sort, after he had purged Hrothgar’s hall, triumphed in Heorot and beaten Grendel. He outgrappled the monster and his evil kin” (lns 2347-2354).
  8. “No king of any neighbouring clan would dare face me with troops, none had the power to intimidate me” (Lns 2733-2736).
  9. “There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes, a wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes” (lns 4-5).
  10. Introduction of Hrothgar as a good king

Why Beowulf Can Boast (Top 10)


1 – Coolest. Epic. Hero. Ever.

What did Harry Potter do? Shoot sparkles from a stick. What did Spider-Man do? Silly string across the city. What did Beowulf do? Kill a monster by ripping its entire arm off, then slaughter that monster’s mother in an underwater lair, then die while slaying a friggin dragon. Your move, Skywalker.

“The monster’s whole
body was in pain, a tremendous wound
appeared on his shoulder. Sinews split
and the bone-lappings burst.”
(Lines 814-817)

2 – If Aquaman could Actually Do Anything

So Beowulf has this huge fight with Grendel’s mom, where he slices her up with a huge sword that he found in her lair. That’d be cool enough, but to add to the coolness, he does it all WHILE UNDERWATER. That means he won what was probably at least a 8-minute fight holding his breath. Also, he has a whole narrative of swimming out at sea for days, just killing random sea monsters. Like, nine sea monsters in a night.

3 – Beowulf takes People’s Arms as Trophies

Kinda makes your 4th grade soccer trophy where they spelled your name wrong seem pretty dumb, right?


4– Permanent Bachelor

Let’s be honest, a fighter this good could have his pick of every queen or barwench in all of the North Germanic Tribes. Instead, he’s just polite to all the queens of his buddies and is too busy killing dragons to get married. And if there’s anything that’s super masculine, it’s being respectful to women.

5 – Comeback King

“You killed your own kith and kin,
so for all your cleverness and quick tongue,
you will suffer damnation in the depths of hell.
The fact is, Unferth, if you were truly
As keen or courageous as you claim to be
Grendel would never have got away with
such unchecked atrocity, attacks on your king,
havoc in Heorot and horrors everywhere.
but he knows he need never be in dread
of your blade making a mizzle of his blood
or of vengeance arriving arriving ever from this quarter”
(Lines 587-597)

OH SNAP SON.

6 – Transportation

For Beowulf, coming over to help out Hrothgar wasn’t just a 5 minute walk from home. He came over with 14 soldiers, on boat, after a day. Heck, he could’ve just swam over and murdered the Loch Ness Monster while he was at it. Beowulf can do that.

“When he heard about Grendel, Hygelac’s thane
was on home ground, over in Geatland.
There was no one else like him alive…
He ordered a boat
that would ply the waves. He announced his plan:
to sail the swan’s road and search out that king,
the famous prince who needed defenders.”
(Lines 194-201)

7 – He Neither Wants to or Accidentally Accomplishes Killing Any of his Relatives

Apparently, in this time, there were several gamily members who were either thinking of overthrowing his cousin for control of the Danish lands (Hrothulf) or accidentally killed his brother when shooting a bow and arrow (Haethcyn). Being an only child probably helped in that, but even so.

8 – Alliteration is Cool Now

“They have seen me bolstered in the blood of enemies
when I battled and bound five beasts,
raided a troll-nest and in the night-sea
slaughtered sea-brutes.”
(Lines 419-422)

What does the word “bolstered” mean? Did they really have trolls? What’s the difference between a day-sea and a night-sea? I don’t know, but I do know that it sounds pretty awesome.

9 – People just Write Songs about Beowulf

“Meanwhile, a thane
of the king’s household, a carrier of tales,
a traditional singer deeply schooled
in the lore of the past, linked a new theme
to a strict metre. The man started
to recite with skill, rehearsing Beowulf’s
triumphs and feats in well-fashioned lines,
entwining his words.”
(Lines 866-873)

$20 says it was to the tune of Carry On My Wayward Son and had doves on fire flying around him.

10 – His Name
Because out of all the names in this entire poem, Beowulf is both the least confusing and most pronounceable (see Hrunting, Herebeald, Heardred, Ecgtheow, and Hrethric for contrast points)