CHAPTER ONE THE LEGENDARY DRAGON A dreadful dragon threatened King Beowulf’s land Each night the dragon terrorized the countryside It breathed fire over houses farms and fields King Beowulf wondered why the dragon had come to his land Finally one of the king’s servants confessed He had stolen a jeweled cup from the dragon’s lair The dragon had begun its attacks the night after the cup was stolen The story of Beowulf and the dragon is one of the oldest written dragon legends 5
f Origins of Beowulf Beowulf is the oldest-known epic poem in the English language Most historians believe the poem was first written by an unknown poet around 700 CE It was written in Old English the language of England’s Anglo-Saxon settlers Although it has historical details the hero and his story are fictional Battling the Dragon King Beowulf was determined to save his kingdom He gathered a group of men But most of the men ran away in fear when they reached the dragon’s lair Only Beowulf’s loyal friend Wiglaf stayed to fight Beowulf bravely climbed into the cave’s opening He shouted a challenge to the monster The sleeping dragon awoke It shot a stream of fire from its jaws Then it raced toward Beowulf Beowulf held an iron shield to protect himself from the dragon’s fiery breath The king struck the dragon with his sword The sword bounced off the dragon’s tough scales The dragon came in for a second attack This time Wiglaf stepped forward 6
A 1,000-year-old page from a Beowulf manuscript can be found in the British Library in London England to help the king The dragon’s fire burned Wiglaf’s wooden shield Wiglaf huddled with Beowulf under the king’s iron shield Again Beowulf struck the dragon This time his sword shattered on the dragon’s skull The dragon attacked a third time It bit Beowulf’s neck with its sharp fangs Blood gushed from Beowulf’s wound Wiglaf rushed to save his king Scales did not protect the dragon’s belly Wiglaf drove a giant sword through the monster’s belly and into 7
