The epic Nordic legend of the monster slayer

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Iseult Gillespie |

TED-Ed

• April 2025

An epic written in Old English, “Beowulf” is known for its haunting monsters, dream-like language, and paranoid perspective, where violent threats are always waiting on the fringes of society. The action follows Beowulf, a prince of Geats, who travels to aid a kingdom in freeing itself from a monster’s reign of terror. Why is this poem considered a classic? Iseult Gillespie traces the hero’s tale. [Directed by Raghav Arumugam, Jagriti Khirwar, narrated by Susan Zimmerman, music by Salil Bhayani, cAMP Studio].