Michael Wood - In search of Beowulf 

If you need to write notes for this... 1. Beowulf is a poem that describes a hero (of the same name) who confronts a villain in his lair(0:50) 2. The Anglo-Saxon language is at the root of English literature (1:30) 3. Anglo-Saxons arrived on English shores in the 5th century A.D. (1:55) 4. Beowulf is the earliest work of Great British literature. (3:24) 5. Beowulf is set in Denmark, and a little bit in Sweden- not Britain. (3:27) 6. There are still live performances of Beowulf happening today. (4:40) 7. In attacking the Mead Hall, Grendel (the villain) was attacking society as a whole. (7:30) 8. Within the Mead Hall, rituals were enacted that bound the Anglo-Saxon community together. (7:31) 9. Beowulf took a company of men and sailed from Sweden to Denmark. Their mission was to expel Grendel from Hrothgar's hall. (8:20) 10. The poem originated as an oral tale. (8:35) 11. It survived as a single manuscript that is currently kept under high security at the British Library. (9:00) 12. It took its current form around the year 1000 A.D. (9:33) 13. In 1731, a fire damaged many of the Beowulf manuscripts. (11:00) 14. The first part of the poem ends when Beowulf severs Grendel's arm. (14:30) 15. We still don't know when and wear the original poem was formed. (15:10) 16. We also do not know where the successive oral retellings were shaped into the modern versions. (15:20) 17. There are clues to the story's origin however. They can be found in East Anglia. (15:30) 18. Edith Pritty was a women who owned much of the land surrounding East Anglia. She became convinced there was gold in her hills after hearing about legends describing it. (17:10) 19. In 1938, she approached archaeologist Battle Brown to help her investigate several strange looks mounds. (17:30) 20. In 1939, Brown uncovered a great ship buried beneath the hills. It's burial chamber was undisturbed. (18:13) 21. This relates to Beowulf for the following reason: In the opening of the poem, there is a royal ship burial, just like the burial found in the actual buried ship. (19:15) 22. There was also much gold found in the ship. Just like Beowulf described. (20:15) 23. The most magnificent find was a gold ceremonial helmet. It revealed more of a connection with the Beowulf poem. (21:15) 24. The helmet belongs to Redweld, one the first kings of the area. (22:17) 25. It is evidenced that Beowulf was aware of the royal line of England seeing as how the helmet was included in the story. (22:36) 26. The second installment of the poem shows Grendel's mother taking revenge. (27:30) 27. To the poet, Grendel's mother acts as a “perverse mirror to mankind.” (28:25) 28. Grendel and his mother are described as the seed of Cain. (28:50) 29. In East-Anglia, the name Grendel is still applied to marshes. (29:30) 30. The enemies in Anglo-Saxon literature are often described using Biblical terms in order to show how evil they are. (29:40)

Julian Glover doing a one man show of Beowulf--I would fly across the Atlantic to see that!

Absolutely fantastic. It really saddens me to know that this BBC which created fascinating documentaries and incredible dramas no longer exists. What on earth happened to them?

As much as I enjoy all of Mr. Wood's documentaries, this one about Beowulf is one of my favorites and I return to it many many times

"His fate hovered near, unknowable but certain." Gives me shivers all over.

I love the passion that these guys show in the documentary. You can see how their eyes shine whit excitement just by talking about Beowulf.

Michael Wood is such an engaging host. I haven't seen a documentary by him I haven't liked. :)

Gods, that reenactment was amazing. Id love to be in that hall

Hearing the tale of Beowulf as told by Julian Glover sounds amazing!

Wonderful. Nobody else does history programmes quite like Michael Wood and the Anglo Saxon period is his speciality.

I have no idea when the video hit 500k, but cheers to you all and thank you for keeping the comment section so civil :)

"And Heaven swallowed the smoke." Beautiful phrase.

It such a pleasure to see Michael Wood's passion - he hasn't changed much in 30 years

Gotta say, the storyteller around the fire was inspiring, me and kids were cheering..... what a wonderful way to tell a tale.

My brother suffered from severe test anxiety & fear of public speaking GROWING up. It was THRU A LESSON ON BEOWULF, that he overcame both

I'm a Canadian of Anglo-Scandinavian descent.....but my spiritual homeland is Anglo-Saxon England in those early years of the medieval era ( 400 AD to 1066). This documentary is a mini-masterpiece! From the presentation, locations and the scenes of Julian Glover reciting Beowulf. If this could be compared to anything, it's an never-ending well of lore, history and an age, though long gone...much beloved and presented here, almost real! I probably watch it 4 to 5 times a year, along with a reading or listening of the original (trans. By Seamus Heaney) Cheers! Fellow Wyrd Walkers!

Love everything Michael Wood presents!

This should come with a warning that you should watch it next to a roaring fire with strong drink or very good wine to hand!

Thanks for posting this great program. Really beats anything on American TV nowadays, and Michael Wood always does wonderful documentaries.

I’ve watched this many times. Mr. wood’s love of the poem shines through and captivates me.

Julian Glover’s performance of the poem is masterful

I love the passion of the historians, and the actor-storyteller. These stories deserve the respect that they still get.

Outstanding, thank you.

This is awesome, I could watch this all day.

The writers of Beowulf speaking across time...so moving.

I'd like to just watch a video of that guy performing and telling the story with the crowd reactions, that is as good as anything on HBO!

What I wouldn't give to attend a performance of Beowulf by Julian Glover

Thank you Michael and team - Divine Drama in word & deed. It was a pleasure to have participated in the recent 2019 Beowulf Festival in Woodbridge sharing the story of this poems Mythic Shipmate - The Ruba'iya't of Omar Khayya'm. Charles Mugleston Omar Khayya'm Theatre company

5:48 The beginning of the poem 12:46 Beowulf meets Grendel 17:23 Suttenhoo 1938 Basil brown investigates 19:329 the poem continues 24:47 the poem continues 27:17 Grendels mother 30:22 The legend of the Blythburgh Monestary

THE BBC make wonderful historical documentaries

5 years ago my feet bore me into that vault at the British Library where Beowulf awaited, amongst case after case of legends. Leonardo Da Vinci and the Lindisfarne Gospels were but two of this poem's stunning neighbors. Each glowed in a subtle light... Quite literally. If you go at the right time when the vault is open for viewing, each of those are just sitting there behind glass or plastic or whatever they use to protect such treasure. The room was nearly dark and each object so subtly lit that it required a moment to adjust one's eyes between items. A truly fascinating experience.

There's a tale just before the Dragon of Irneness. It's battle between Beowulf and the Geats vs. the Swedish invaders. A civil war within Sweden's royal family spills into Geatland, Beowulf's homeland. He returns to Geatland, takes command of their armies, then confronts the Swedes on Lake Vanirn, a frozen body of water, wins the battle and becomes king thanks to his Geat friends.

The cinematography, colours, composition, lighting and whole setup were fantastic in this! The fact you could see all the detail in the background while keeping Michael lit up well was great. If you look at earlier productions the sky is always blown out white.

I would give anything to take history classes with Michael Wood as my professor. He has such palpable passion for history. It’s infectious.

This was a very nice documentary with some beautiful landscape shots and Michael Wood is brilliant as always. Thank you for posting.

Thank you England for preserving our Scandinavian history.

This was wonderful. The last few minutes are solid gold.

Michael Wood is amazing as usual!

The man telling the story as a Schop does it magnificently, as the story progresses and Beowulf gets older, his demeanour changes to that of a more restful, and fatigued man.

Onoclus, I've viewed all the documentaries of Mr. Wood. By just luck, I've saved his best for last. Thank you for posting.

When someone asks, what is at the root of English culture? I will point them to this programme, to Beowulf, and in particular to Michael Wood. I don’t think I have ever admired any historian so highly, nor been so inspired by a single professor of the past, and I’ve spent half of my life swimming in the joyous balmy currents of history.

Knowledge, enthusiasm, presentation. Michael Wood has it all. Add to that, some of the best cinematography I have seen in a documentary of this type. Thanks !

The BBC Has the best history shows by far.

Without the Anglo Saxons we would not have the beautiful language and culture we Englishmen and Americans have in common. Honor their memory!

Dude's a modern day bard. A bringer of legends to life.

History as it should be; Brilliant.

Thank you for posting this fascinating documentary. Michael Wood has such deep knowledge and understanding of his subject, but presented in such a captivating and enthusiastic way. Brilliant :)

These stories and legends must be kept alive by storytelling. Wood is right. These stories and presenters and poets are priceless treasures who celebrate thousands of years of Anglo-Saxon history.

I seen The Shuk when I was a boy playing run-out one winter evening. It walked right past me while I hid under a bush. Eye's red as fire.

Really enjoyed this, particulary Julian Glover's bits. Thanks for uploading :)

If even the dog reacts to the story, now that is talent.

Oh! What I wouldn't give to go to a reenactment dinner like that and have Beowulf recited to me by someone of Julian Glover's caliber.

Thank you SO much for the upload! Needed some beauty to celebrate Valentine's Day, and definitely found it here. Plenty to love about Michael Wood and Beowulf! and your generosity, The Onoclus.

great photography in this doc,the english countryside scenes are beautiful

The old English is such a fascinating mix of English and Scandinavian language. When I relax and feel-listen it is so clear what they say. When I pause now they talked about sleik, as in “sleik their thirst”. In Swedish we say “sleika deras turst” (as spelled for english reader, släcka deras törst).

How many generations sat around blazing fires in smokey halls, listening to this story. A island of humanity, surrounded by the darkness of the unknown, as death howled in the winds of winter storms, attempting to find its way inside and among them. Beautiful and ancient, hearing this story is to share a moment with people long turned to dust, as they come to life once again, in words and our imagination.

I just saw a Swedish documentary about Beowulf. They think that the original was written in Scandinavia and that the Anglo Sachsen version is a copy of a much older story. Some of the details described in the book can only be done if you’re from Scandinavia, especially how they describe chainmail, the relationship to gold rings and bracelets and other details about the landscapes etc. They compared story content with Swedish Rune stones from the 6th century, gold artifacts, helmets and locations in the Scandinavian landscapes. Also where in Sweden Beowulf must have lived and so forth. It was very interesting.

Thanks to everyone involved. Such a treat.

How they haven't done a big budget live action movie for this legendary story is mind boggling! Especially with so many fantasy tales making huge money, even with popular video games having similar storylines. It would be an epic movie!

This is awesome!

Thank you so much for uploading! I love everything Michael Wood presents and teaches; always have. Was mesmerized by Beowulf as a child and I guess I've never lost my taste for all things Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Brit:-)

Thank you, Onoclus, for this upload. A gorgeous doc. - including the inspired reading of sections of Beowulf by Julian Glover.

Greatly enjoyed. Amazing how such a great work survived the ravages of history and Christian anarchy! Kind regards and many thanks.

Just finished reading the book, teared up at the end. Long live Beowulf.

100K views :D I am not happy because I can brag but because so many people are interested in this. Thank you :)

The pattern on the blade is magical.

Fun! As an American, we weren’t raised on this poem. In fact, my first experience with the story is the CGI Hollywood production Angelina Joli starred in. I’m excited to learn more about it. But eek! I so wish these guys were wearing gloves when touching that book, even if its just a copy. Wasnt Black Shook mentioned in The Hound of the Baskervilles? I had no idea that was a real folk story! Grr....I really need to touch up on English lore. What I think I appreciate the most is Britain has an ancient language only the historians can speak today and that is truly admirable.

A wonderful documentary narrated and presented by a master storyteller, Michael Wood, with beautiful footage of the East Anglian Fens where I used to live in my childhood. The storytelling in the Anglo-Saxon hall by Julian Glover was an unique experience, despite showing only snippets of the epic tale, but magic in its vivid presentation and atmosphere that even the dogs seemed fascinated. I could watch this kind of re-telling of ancient literature for hours on end, it is a privilege to watch.

Many thanks for sharing, I have great respect for Michael Woods, his treatment of this epic poem is beautiful, I have Séamus Heaneys' translation and I think it probably the truest rendering of this wonderful epic.

So much to love in this marvellous documentary....a passionate lover and scholar of history and a gifted actor to recall a beloved tale...a feast for history and poetry lovers....

This is one of my favorite documentaries made by Michael Wood, and I’ve watched it several times! From the comments I read, it seems that there are some ignorant folks who believe Wood has given in to “revisionist” history, in that he accepts the recent position changes regarding the so-called “Dark Ages” and the theory of the mass invasion and conquest of England by the Anglo Saxons. _People clearly don’t understand that our understanding of history is a fluid process that must change where evidence supports change,_ AND they don’t understand how this differs from so-called “revisionist history.” *”Revisionist history” (which is that unsupported by facts) is motivated by unscrupulous people who attempt to change history in order to support their biased, incorrect, unsupported view of events.* These people are apparently unaware that the theory of the “Dark Ages” was just that-a theory-which was disproved by the evidence unearthed by scholars, who then outlined and documented their findings in peer reviewed scholarly journals and books. It was all very aboveboard, but the old theory that, “the lights went out all over Europe,” was so entrenched by historians who had based their whole careers on it that there was a great deal of anger when they had to change their views to fit the facts. The so-called Anglo Saxon armed invasion and conquest of England and the life of King Arthur are other strongly held theories based only on old stories and a great deal of emotional investment, with zero evidence, and it’s very distressing to see people attack Michael Wood for following the evidence.

I loved this episode Big Time!! I love the way he mixes the original Anglo-Saxon language in the narration, and then translates it, so you know what it means. This is history and historical literature at its best!!

@3:00(approx)Oh wow! What a performance! One reads about how wandering story tellers have always been respected and welcome. It’s easy to see why. I am so glad to have found this; thank you immensely for the upload, it’s almost as good as being there.

Thank you for sharing and I will keep the story next to my heart and there will be a copy by the fireside .. It’s a bit of my Familia s history my momma was Swedish, and she told me too read all I can about any or all the story’s , folk lore , songs and I was a Viking at heart ,, fueled by the Templars, ,,!! Something is pulling me too learn ...more and. Radiate , and shine ,,,,,blessings friends & thank you ,,,

This is actually my favorite history documentary on youtube :)

This presenter is trully wonderful! I studied Beowulf at college in my early 20s and have remembered it ever since: "Behold! We have heard of the thrivings of the throne of Denmark, how the former kings flourished in former days..."

I like hearing their recitation in early English, it's very musical sounding, it sort of reminds me of Welsh, too.

This was visually so stunning ! Great program and I could listen to Seamus Heaney go on for a LOT longer, about Beowolf., but the color palette and the photography was amazing.

Absolutely amazing to just listen to this wonderful presentation, to hear the beautiful language of our ancestors! even though I'm American my ancestry is very strongly Anglo Saxon as we found a few years ago, it is incredibly moving to hear the emotion & excitement Michael Woods feels when sharing this incredible story with us, even I was compelled to cheer along with the audience & enjoy the flowing language describing the saga of our hero Beowulf! Again & again Michael Woods brings my ancestry closer to me with his programs about the Anglo Saxons that are part of my family line as well & are so wonderful to learn about- next up, Athelstan or Offa?

Love Wood's enthusiasm. I'd like to think he would have been a poet back then.

Great documentary! We need to treasure our heritage!

You can hear the origins of Shakespeare, Tolkien and George R.R Martin and yes even George Lucas in those first stirring words of that tale....

Thanks for this Doc.

Interesting documentary and a superb poem of which we should be proud. I do disagree with Michael Wood's opening statement that the Anglo-Saxons being"impoverished economic migrants" and having "little influence on our D.N.A." There is much evidence to the contrary, literary, archaeological, cultural and scientific.

This guy Michael Wood is terrific. Very authentic.

beautiful! thanks for sharing

Fantastic documentary xx completely engrossed all the way through xx

Brilliant doc. Thanks!

Today I finished reading The Name of the Rose for the umpteenth time. The descirption of the burning pieces of parchment fluttering in the wind like butterflies seems like taken from the end the TNOTR. :)

A Fascinating Story well Told, a link with the past, when nature was untamed and strange creatures lurked in the darkness beyond the comfort and shelter of the Mead Hall. Even the Arab version from the tenth century, the source of The 13th warrior, is based on Beowulf.

Thank you, Onoclus, for uploading this exquisite video! You're a prince among men, dude!

michael wood the best historian ever watched him for years love all his docs good looking guy too

Jolly good fellows that I could hang around with and talk Anglo Saxon all day.

Great documentary.

Many thanks for uploading this.

Thank you very much Michael

I remember watching this when I was a lot younger and it bored the fuck out of me. Watching as an adult I have no idea how I felt that way about such an interesting and well presented program

Right now I'm having mead and would love to sit in that mead hall and listen to the reciting.

Anyone here bc of school work??

What a treat this video is! I'll probably never have a chance to go to a re-creation of an AngloSaxon feast complete with costume attire and a talented storyteller recounting the ancient epic in real life, so I really enjoyed this. Thanks for posting!