Beowulf: A New Telling: Chapters 11-16

by Robert Nye
This adaptation of an Old English epic describes the feats of the warrior Beowulf, who arrives in the great hall of Heorot to defeat a bloodthirsty monster.
Here is a link to our lists for John Gardner's Grendel, another modernization of the Beowulf story.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–10, Chapters 11–16
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. sever
    cut off from a whole
    Grendel's dead head was severed from the shoulders of his dead body.
  2. surly
    unfriendly and inclined toward anger or irritation
    Rain poured from a surly sky.
  3. disconsolately
    in grief-stricken loneliness
    Beowulf's men ringed the pool disconsolately.
  4. scald
    burn with a hot liquid or steam
    "No one could live in that. It's scalding hot."
  5. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    He threw back his head and laughed in the sun, then winced.
  6. sincerity
    the quality of being open and truthful
    So he took Beowulf's hands between his own and blessed and thanked him as the queen had, his voice trembling with sincerity, and gave him twelve jewels—burning stones, the most precious things he owned.
  7. venture
    an undertaking with an uncertain outcome
    In such a vessel, coming back so happy from such a venture, they soon reached home.
  8. tussle
    disorderly fighting
    And always mooning about, dreaming of adventures, when he's not tall enough to win a tussle with a goat. . . .
  9. ambitious
    having a strong desire for success or achievement
    Beowulf was not greedy or ambitious.
  10. retainer
    a person working in the service of another
    “You are my king," he said, “and I am your man. All that I won, I won as your retainer.
  11. tawny
    having the color of tanned leather
    Beowulf lived quietly, doing country things—he took to the keeping of bees, and most days would see him tending his tawny hives in the sun.
  12. venom
    toxin secreted by animals
    They were big bees, too, armed with the kind of venom that could kill, if one was unfortunate enough to be attacked by the whole swarm.
  13. sprawl
    sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
    Sometimes he would dust his cheeks with pollen and sprawl in the sun, and the bees used to come humming and crawl all over his face, so that anyone seeing him would swear he was wearing a mask of gold and black.
  14. fjord
    a long narrow inlet of the sea between steep cliffs
    They came in the night, their long ships creeping up the moonlit fjords.
  15. ambush
    the act of hiding and waiting to make a surprise attack
    But returning to his ship, he was trapped in an ambush.
  16. usurper
    one who wrongfully seizes and holds the place of another
    But Beowulf said: "No, I am no usurper. I do not want the crown while anyone lives who has a better right to wear it."
  17. sanctuary
    a shelter from danger or hardship
    But when King Onela heard that his rebellious nephews had obtained sanctuary in Hardred's land, he flew into a rage.
  18. reluctant
    not eager
    But King Onela was reluctant to meet Beowulf face to face in mortal combat, and anyway he had achieved what he had set out to do, so he withdrew while things were still going well for him.
  19. pyre
    wood heaped for burning a dead body as a funeral rite
    After the battle, before the smoke had died from Hardred's funeral pyre, the Geats sent again to Beowulf, asking him if he would be king.
  20. campaign
    related operations aimed at achieving a particular goal
    So he sent word to Eadgils in exile, and helped him with men and equipment, and plotted a campaign for him.
  21. clamber
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    He clambered up over storm-lashed rocks.
  22. strew
    spread by scattering
    Huge blocks of stone lay everywhere, piled against the mountainside, threatening to fall, strewn about as though hurled by giants in some dreadful battle.
  23. swivel
    turn on a pivot
    The slave felt panic flooding through his limbs as the lizard's eyes swiveled to look at him.
  24. thrash
    move or stir about violently
    It had gold eyes and a thrashing tail.
  25. scorch
    destroy completely by or as if by fire
    Flames came teeming from its mouth, and molten spit, and reeking, scorching smoke.
  26. fissure
    a long narrow opening
    Fortunately for the slave, the creature's swollen state prevented the Firedrake from following him through the fissure in the rock.
  27. hoard
    a secret store of valuables or money
    It was a long time since it had needed to leave the glittering hoard it gloated over.
  28. strife
    bitter conflict; heated or violent dissension
    It means the old days are back. War and strife and pestilence, that's what it means.
  29. flabbergasted
    as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
    The soldier was flabbergasted.
  30. deftly
    in an agile manner
    Once inside the narrow passageway, Wiglaf moved on tiptoe, deftly.
  31. agile
    moving quickly and lightly
    He was a small person, slim and agile, which was partly why Beowulf had chosen him for the job.
  32. havoc
    violent and needless disturbance
    As it happened, the Firedrake was asleep—worn out by its night's havoc—and did not see him hide himself amid the gold.
  33. elapse
    pass by
    When he judged that enough time had elapsed for Wiglaf to have performed the first part of the plan successfully, he crept into the crack himself.
  34. quench
    put out, as of fires, flames, or lights
    “Halloo," he cried. "Halloo, old fire-belcher! I am Beowulf, come to quench you!"
  35. foolhardy
    marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
    It could not believe that anyone would be so foolhardy as to shout at it inside the mountain.
  36. pounce
    move down on as if in an attack
    Wiglaf crouched, ready to pounce.
  37. thrust
    push forcefully
    Quick as lightning he thrust the big stake into the Firedrake's jaws, jamming them open even as the creature gaped wide to let loose the first foul gust of flame.
  38. scythe
    an edge tool for cutting grass
    For a terrible moment Wiglaf thought the glove had come out too—but, no, it was still there, caught on a tooth that looked like a scythe.
  39. exploit
    a notable achievement
    Tell them what you like, the ones out there, but remember the world will need to be a little older before it understands this last exploit of Beowulf.
  40. stumble
    encounter by chance
    And one day—who knows how far ahead?—if my name should live, someone will stumble on this story and put the pieces together again, and come up with the truth of it.
Created on Tue Jun 23 17:38:09 EDT 2015 (updated Mon Aug 06 15:33:02 EDT 2018)

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