"Bear Hugs and Bloody Waters" explores how the epic poem Beowulf is deeply influenced by the ancient "Bear's Son" folktale, explaining puzzling narrative elements through this shared heritage. By comparing Beowulf's story to this folkloric motif, the article reveals that seemingly incongruous details…..

This article explores the intriguing theory that the Beowulf epic's Grendel and dragon narratives may have originally been attributed to an earlier, semi-divine figure named Beow, not the Geatish hero Beowulf. Evidence, though thin, includes historical place-names like "Grendel's Mere" near "Beow's home," suggesting a localised….