Book · 2000 · Long Now Manual for Civilization
Beowulf
- mentions
- 10
- people
- 6
- podcasts
- 6
- episodes
- 7
- critical mentions
- 0
The 1500 year old poem is it worth reading oh yes.
What they say about it
- Discusses reading the poem“worth reading oh yes”4
- Mentions monsters in the text“all monster fights”3
The best things said about it
I'm reading Beowulf and everything and Beowulf was just like this poem or some shit like that and I remember I read it.
Bill Burr Monday Morning Podcast · Mar 2025 People will still pick up like the Seamus Heaney edition of Beowulf and read the first 30 which is all monster fights.
Zach Weinersmith EconTalk · Mar 2023 John Gardner did a take on Beowulf that was completely from the monsters perspective.
We also read Beowulf because that was another one I'd never read and thought that I should read.
Where and when it comes up
Most mentions, by podcast
6 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney is a modern poetic translation of the ancient Anglo-Saxon epic detailing the hero Beowulf's battles against monsters like Grendel and a treasure-guarding dragon. The poem and its translation were discussed across multiple podcasts. James Marriott mentioned the epic on Interesting Times to illustrate the attributes of ancient oral poetry. A host on Stuff You Should Know used its dragon narrative as a familiar archetype in Western literature. Bill Burr humorously recalled struggling to understand the poem when forced to read it in high school on the Monday Morning Podcast. John Williams mentioned John Gardner's monster-perspective retelling on The Book Review. Zach Weinersmith and Russ Roberts discussed the enduring popularity of Seamus Heaney's translation on EconTalk, noting how readers easily engage with the early monster fights while navigating the middle sections, and Roberts also reflected on the poem's stylistic alliteration and its place in academic education.
Every mention
Russ Roberts let's let's go back to what you mentioned quickly in passing you said a certain stylistic aspects of Beowul… 3
Discussed
“let's let's go back to what you mentioned quickly in passing you said a certain stylistic aspects of Beowulf uh there's alliteration”
Discussed
“let's talk about the original Beowulf the uh 1500 year old poem is it worth reading oh yes”
Discussed
“how does somebody you know um you know thinking deeply about the you know the the uh and an article in uh about beowulf you know intersect with you know a 19 year old”
Bill Burr Oh my god, I'm reading Beowulf and everything and Beowulf was just like this poem or some shit like that An… 1
Discussed
“Oh my god, I'm reading Beowulf and everything and Beowulf was just like this poem or some shit like that And I remember I read it. I just kept reading it. I was like I have no fucking idea what this is about And they go to clay anybody said you guys already Beowulf Yeah, and then people like raising”
James Marriott It's not like we're going to go back to oral poems and beaywolf and the Iliad and uh you know strumming our… 1
Discussed
“It's not like we're going to go back to oral poems and beaywolf and the Iliad and uh you know strumming our strumming our lies and singing our our epic songs and all those things that were such important features of of oral culture.”
John Williams John Gardner uh did a take on Beowolf that was completely from the monsters perspective 1
Discussed
“John Gardner uh did a take on Beowolf that was completely from the monsters perspective”
Lydia Davis we also read beowulf because that was another one i'd never read and thought that i should read 1
Discussed
“we also read beowulf because that was another one i'd never read and thought that i should read”
Zach Weinersmith people find Milton very difficult but people will still pick up like the Sheamus Haney edition of Beowulf a… 1
Discussed
“people find Milton very difficult but people will still pick up like the Sheamus Haney edition of Beowulf and read the first 30 which is all monster fights and kind of Mumble through the middle part”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker2
Discussed
“Like there's a dragon that lives out by itself near a village and it's a greedy vengeful dragon and we need to appease this dragon with sacrifice once a year or else it will come down and like rain fire upon everyone.”
Discussed
“and have them focus on beowulf and you know and and you know syntactical questions you know in beowulf”
Other mentions (6: passing, ad reads, own books)
Passing
“It's like when Beaolf at age 70 is asked to like slay the dragon one last time. Part of me wishes that I had that in me.”
Passing
“What I mean is more that um I felt wistful I guess is the right word which is like I was not crushed that someone else was doing better but I did feel a little bit like I once could do that work and part of me wonders if I could again right it's like when Beaolf at age 70”
Passing
“So we should probably talk about famous dragons at this point because we've thrown a couple out like the one from Beowulf who apparently doesn't even have a name.”
Passing
“he was last year in March of 2023 talking about his book Beowolf”
Passing
“this is different right and and that's why I didn't understand people's objections like I am somehow going into inner cities and and I'm ruining the the very love of reading Beowulf right have you read Beowulf”
Passing
“it is ridden up to 116th Street with Colum students reading ba wolf in its native Anglo-Saxon”