Saturday, March 14, 2009

Illustration Friday: Legendary
When Beowulf tore the arm of the marauding monster Grendel, he earned himself a place in Legend and Literature. The Scandinavians told the tale from the mid 500's AD, and a British writer in the Christian era (ca 1100 AD, though there is debate) made it the first piece of literature known to have been written in (old) English.
Beowulf Shrinklit
by Maurice Sagoff
Monster Grendel's tastes are plainish.
Breakfast? Just a couple Danish.
King of Danes is frantic, very.
Wait! Here comes the Malmo" ferry
Bring Beowulf, his neighbor,
Mighty swinger with a saber!
Hrothgar's warriors hail the Swede,
Knocking back a lot of mead;
Then, when night engulfs the Hall
And the Monster makes his call,
Beowulf, with body-slam
Wrenches off his arm, Shazam!
Monster's mother finds him slain,
Grabs and eats another Dane!
Down her lair our hero jumps,
Gives old Grendel's dam her lumps.
Later on, as king of Geats
He performed prodigious feats
Till he met a foe too tough
Non-Beodegradable stuff)
And that scaly-armored dragon
Scooped him up and fixed his wagon.
Sorrow-stricken, half the nation
Flocked to Beowulf's cremation;
Round his pyre, with drums a-muffle
Did a Nordic soft-shoe shuffle.

1 comment:

soulbrush said...

fabulous illo.