Bill Mather's BeoWulf ConceptArt. From http://www.matherart.com/digimather/htmls.Concept/beowulf.concepts1.html
Bill Mather's BeoWulf ConceptArt. From http://www.matherart.com/digimather/htmls.Concept/beowulf.concepts1.html
From http://www.matherart.com/digimather/concept/meadhallOpen.jpg
To Hrothgar was given such glory of war,
such honor of combat, that all his kin
obeyed him gladly till great grew his band
of youthful comrades. It came in his mind
to bid his henchmen a hall uprear,
a master mead-house, mightier far
than ever was seen by the sons of earth,
and within it, then, to old and young
he would all allot that the Lord had sent him,
save only the land and the lives of his men.
Wide, I heard, was the work commanded,
for many a tribe this mid-earth round,
to fashion the folkstead. It fell, as he ordered,
in rapid achievement that ready it stood there,
of halls the noblest: Heorot he named it
whose message had might in many a land.
Not reckless of promise, the rings he dealt,
treasure at banquet: there towered the hall,
high, gabled wide, the hot surge waiting
of furious flame. Nor far was that day
when father and son-in-law stood in feud
for warfare and hatred that woke again.
From Beowulf. Author anonymous. This translation is by Gummere.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/981/981-h/981-h.htm
such honor of combat, that all his kin
obeyed him gladly till great grew his band
of youthful comrades. It came in his mind
to bid his henchmen a hall uprear,
a master mead-house, mightier far
than ever was seen by the sons of earth,
and within it, then, to old and young
he would all allot that the Lord had sent him,
save only the land and the lives of his men.
Wide, I heard, was the work commanded,
for many a tribe this mid-earth round,
to fashion the folkstead. It fell, as he ordered,
in rapid achievement that ready it stood there,
of halls the noblest: Heorot he named it
whose message had might in many a land.
Not reckless of promise, the rings he dealt,
treasure at banquet: there towered the hall,
high, gabled wide, the hot surge waiting
of furious flame. Nor far was that day
when father and son-in-law stood in feud
for warfare and hatred that woke again.
From Beowulf. Author anonymous. This translation is by Gummere.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/981/981-h/981-h.htm
Reconstruction of ca. 1000 Viking hall at Trelleborg, Denmark. From
Image from http://goatrope.blogspot.com/
Mead hall from the movie Beowulf and Grendel. From http://www.coldfusionvideo.com/archives/beowulf-grendel-2005/
In ancient Scandinavia and Germanic Europe a mead hall or feasting hall was initially simply a large building with a single room. From the fifth century to early medieval times such a building was the residence of a lord and his retainers. The mead hall was generally the great hall of the king. As such, it was likely to be the safest place in the kingdom.
Mead, also called honey wine, is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water.It may also be produced by fermenting a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained after fermentation.
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