Classics Summarized: Beowulf
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2015
- Beowulf! The tale of the baddest Geat to ever Geat.
Tolkien said that the Dragon in Beowulf is one of only two true dragons in all of literature - the other being Fafnir. The influence of both these dragons is very visible in a lot of our more modern fantasy: for instance, where Beowulf's Dragon inspired Smaug, o chiefest and greatest of calamities, Fafnir inspired C. S. Lewis to include that cursed bracelet thing that turned Eustace into a dragon in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. And I think we all know the badder of those two dragons, so I guess Tolkien - and, by extension, Beowulf - wins this round.
Where was I? Right. BEOWULFFFFF
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Types of Old English:
Shakespeare: Olde English
Chaucer: Auldde Anglish
Beowulf: Auhlderangledingledanglesch
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Sounds like German
@@archise3191 German + Latin + random assortment of other stuff = English
More exactly: Frisian-like German dialect+ Latin+ Norman French=English
@@A_Saucerful_of_Secrets And Breton as well :)
Fun fact: Tolkien wasn't just a Beowulf fan, he actually provided one of the first modern-English translations.
It was his life's work, no big deal lol
@@fullanalysis93 Don't you hate it when you're an academic professor and get famous for a bedtime story you created for your children set in a world you created just as a hobby to have an origin for the language you invented instead of what you poured your whole life into accomplishing?
well from what i heard he made a paper about stories like beowulf and how important they are
wish he didnt because beowulf is actually just a bad story and reading it hurt me
@@appleogold O.O
3:09 this is how you know Red cares about her viewers. She wrote a poem for a three second part of the video that probably no one noticed, and it's a masterpiece. I love this content and I'm so grateful to Red and Blue for giving up their time to make these awesome videos
also
"grinch complex the size of east texas had me cwl🤣
Honestly curious how the rest of it would go. And yeah, late to the party but loving Red’s content
Big mom steps on little mom
Thank You! I hadn't noticed that bit, Just assumed it was from the Grinch book.
4:55
Beowulf: "I was slightly slowed down by the 9 giants monsters I killed along the way!"
Wiglaf *whispers* : "Last time there were 3."
I really hate the inclusion of the implication that Beowulf is a fraud, it undermines everything
"But in my defense, I was slightly slowed down by the NINE SEA CREATURES I killed along the way!"
"Dammit, I made him more badass."
I just realized that at that part, there's music from How To Train Your Dragon playing. Ironic.
@@thancsthanos hi
also his opponent was riding a super fast dolphin
Funny, last time he told the story, it was 3 sea creatures...
"Roll for persuasion."
"Nat 20!"
Every weapon breaks.
OP protagonist.
“God, they go through swords like coffee filters around here!”
*shudders in Breath of the Wild*
If memory serves, that last sword breaks simply because Beowulf swings the thing so damn hard his own damn strength breaks it.
links actually loosely based on Beowulf so yeah makes sense
@@pericles9629 really?
@@dmen7280 yeah originally he was a player stand in but they set out to make him cooler in OoT so they took inspiration from a bunch of medieval european legends. His 3d look is also based off of Tom Cruises appearance in a 95 movie called Legend. If you look at ocarinas concept art next to a picture of the movie you can totally see the resemblance.
@@pericles9629 that's so cool
Man, now I want to see a full Dr. Seuss style retelling of Beowulf.
that would be hilarious
I recommend the play Beowulf and The Bard.
Important note that's probably already been mentioned: the magic sword in Grendel's mother's cave didn't just fall apart after it was used once. According to the story, Grendel's mother was so evil and monstrous that her blood was boiling-hot acid. When he killed her with the sword, the blood that got on the blade dissolved it instantly.
Grendel’s mother kinda seems like the Acheron Queen from Aliens. Monstrous, angry over the death of her offspring and having acid for blood? Odd coincidence.
@Ryan You mean the xenomorph queen?
@@xenobeatsxeno8719 yeah the Xenomorph Queen
Nope, it was Grendel’s blood from the decapitating, not his mothers.
Interesting. Since Tolkiens inspration from this story was obvious, at first I thought it inspired how morgul blade dissolves after one stab.
With that context, the acid blood probably inspired how Hurin's axe melted after slaying 70 trolls at nirnaed arnoediad
Beowulf's last request was literally "let me see what loot that boss dropped".
Ah I see a Warlock of culture
Well I’m a hunter
Gimme my exotic engram
how i want to go
“Did I... *cough cough*... get the rare drop?”
@ who hurt you?
As someone who went to university, I sympathise with Grendel.
Let's hope we never give you points for efficiency alone.
*ancient danish UNTZ-UNTZ-UNTZ intensifies*
Same
You might want to look at the game PARTY HARD. It's surprisingly cathartic.
@James Harding wow, that is badass ^^
FYI for anyone watching this six years later: the original text uses the same word to describe Beowulf as for Grendel’s mother. Modern translators interpreted the word as “hero” or “warrior” for Beowulf but “monster” or some female variant (hag or witch) for Grendel’s mother. The assumption was that because she fought Beowulf, and was female, she must have been monstrous.
However, it is quite likely that audiences at the time would have pictured her as a female supernatural warrior, that is, a Valkyrie. (Note that Valkyries were not “good guys” in Norse mythology, so this wouldn’t necessarily be out of character for a Valkyrie).
_aglæca/æglæca_ is the word in question. Used to describe Beowulf, Grendel’s mother AND Grendel.
It probably means something like _awesome, formidable, terrible, ferocious_
Thanks, this answered my question. Which was why Beowulf decided it was cool to use weapons on her but not her son. @@lakrids-pibe
So like the Valkyries bosses from God of War? For a lack of better comparison.
It’s also used, in a separate work of art, to describe sigemund, however sigemund is also referenced in Beowulf via his nephew/son (in the gross way not the lost in translation way) Fitela. In addition, when this word is used to refer to grendels mother, it specifically has the added “wif” to it, akin to the modern additive of “woman” ie “post woman, fire woman etc”, indicating that, if the word describes Beowulf as a warrior, it describes her specifically as a warrior woman
can i also mention in regards to grendels mother that when she enters the mead hall she squishes what I think is meant to be a huldr/huldra
Fun fact, Tolkien was not just a fan of the classics, he is the reason that Beowulf is considered an actually important text and that the anglo-saxons were not some sort of un-important culture.
You’re overstating this. Tolkien is an incredible author and historian but the anglo-saxons shaped modern Britain which led an Empire that influenced world politics and history massively.
England is named for the anglo-saxons after all.
Beowulf: *sees a bee*
Book Narration: ACCORDING TO ALL KNOWN LAWS OF AVIATION
OHGODSTOOOOP
drive by memeology
I WILL WEAR YOU LIKE A SLIPPER!!!
Beowulf says to the bee “Im Beowulf”
Katie Cat bees should not be able to fly
Can we stop for a moment to appreciate how Red gives, like, every norseman and norse god ever the most luxurious and long locks of hair?
Actually she gives almost EVERYONE the most luxurious and long locks of hair.
Beowulf is Anglo
@@cooperm4185 The story is but the character's a Geat or possibly a Gute.
*pause for affect*
And an excellent beard which as a Norseman, is a necessity.
I've always wanted to see parody novels or short stories where all the names present are directly translated
"Sir there's a giant constantly attacking our mead hall, what should we do?"
"Call in *dramatic pause* Bear..."
I would be impressed by a human man that people call The Bear
1:19 Bee Wolf = Bee Hunter
1:29 Scyld Scefing - King of Denmark
1:33 Beowulf, son of Scyld Scefing
1:40 Healfdene, son of Beowulf who sparked a long-standing feud between his family and the Heathobards by getting himself killed by Froda
1:57 Heorogar, Helga and Hrothgar (no relation).
2:10 huge mead hall - Heorot.
2:45 Grendel
2:55 Lake of Monsters
3:24 Grendel kills 30 of the Thanes
3:48 Hrothgar considers calling on their buddies, the Geats, for a little bit of help.
4:11 "Well you know, I've been thinking. Grendel's not really a warrior 'cause he doesn't use weapons right? Well, I think it's only fair if when we fight, I don't use any weapons either!"
4:37 Breka
5:11 Beowulf wins by ripping off Grendel's arm with his bare hands.
5:19 Beowulf gives Grendel's arm to Hrothgar to hang from the Heorot's rafters,
5:29 Unferth
5:32 Hrunting - heirloom sword
5:40 Grendel's mother storms into the hall
5:43 grabs Grendel's arm and vanishes into the night.
5:56 Aeschere's head
6:12 Grendel's mother ambushes him and drags him into her cave.
6:30 But luckily for beowulf Grendel's mother has a bit of a hoarding problem, and her cave is absolutely full of nifty Magical Weaponry. So he grabs a shiny looking sword that turns out to be super magical and manages to kill her with it.
6:59 sword dissolves
7:12 Then Beowulf and the Yates, having done all the monster slaying they felt obligated to do, sail back to their homeland where Beowulf presents their King Hygelac with a bunch of treasure and is lauded as a great hero.
7:26 damascened
7:47 Damascus steel is a legendarily tough metal who's forging process has been lost.
8:28 DRAGON
9:25 Naegling - sword Hygelac gave him
10:10 Beowulf's actually dying and he's like; "Wiglaf, come closer. I have one last request. Could you go drag the treasure out of the barrow so I can take one last look at the riches I just won?"
10:26 So Wiglaf, now King Wiglaf, exiles the 11 dudes who ran away from the dragon and the Yates retrieved the rest of the dragon's treasure and hold Beowulf's funeral.
"Now, Grendel has a Grinch complex the size of east Texas"
Omfg i died
Best reference to my home state I've ever heard. 😂
The fact that Texas is so big that she only references the eastern portion.
carol choneke I died too!
since Grendel came first one might say that the Grinch has a Grendel complex
@@snarkygal9221 It’s so big that even Grendel’s Grinch complex doesn’t quite compare.
Ah yes who could forget the ancient tribe of the YEETs
Glad I’m not the only one to hear that!
Is not yeets is Geats
@@luchisan6989 YEET
"Mine chalice is empty....YEETS!!"
"yes me-lord?"
"Fetch me another chalice!"
They live up to their name
Beowulf’s weapon durability seems on par with Link’s from Breath of the Wild.
_Your Hrunting broke!_
3:33 "A rampaging Hell Beast murdering their friends didn't kill the party atmosphere the first time"
We never let mass death stop a Covid party.
Me reading the book: *everything serious*
Overly Sarcastic Production summarizes the story: *Grendel is the Grinch, oh heck some murder can’t stop our dance party, look at the hobbit steal the cup, Skyrim quest completed!*
I just read it but i feel red in a sense told the story without unnecessary fluffy that was there making easier to understand
You see, to the nords, partying, drunk wrestling monsters, and having random quests is very serious business.
same tho
And DBZA references.
LOL! XD
“He rips off Grendel’s arm with his BEOWULF hands!”
Vegeta: "Looks like he's been *disarmed*!!"
Nappa: "I get it!!"
Vegeta: "Shut it, Nappa."
I *wanna* be mad, but I *don’t,* so *I won’t.*
For real though, very clever of you.
I see what you did there😂😂 oh god😂
2:22 anyone else find the “floof” hilarious and adorable? I want long floofy hair
Red doesn't have hair. She's got a freaking MANE!
Just for clarification, when Beowulf sliced the Dragon's neck open, he actually reached into it with one of his arms (the one on the side where he was bitten since it dislodged the arm and made his reach longer) and tore it's heart out and ate it in front of the dragon, which was actually how he got poisoned. Way late but that was a minor detail that needs to be added.
Dude forgot to have a chef prep it first, should have taken notes from Sidgur, dragon hearts are like fugu, poisonus in almost every way except that one very specific fashion which only few specially trained chefs (Dwarvs) know how to craft, then it grants magial powers and the abilities of a disney princess
So remember people, any time you see a disny princess talking to an animal, it means someone in their family line probably ate a dragon's heart
What I love is how quintessentially English this is when it's boiled right down. The monster starts shit, gets hurt, and then its ACTUAL MUM comes down to complain. Amazing.
Yep
Probably also worth noting here that Grendel turns out to be the accidental son of Hrothgar, who boned Grendel's Mom-monster that one time and then ran away and pretended it never happened.
The dragon also had a personal grudge against Hrothgar that he ended up taking out on Beowulf. (also, the dragon may be out of a completely different story and got hacked in by a bored theology student - no-one really knows!)
Ultimately, Hrothgar is an nebbish, and his wife is actually much more interesting and cool - Wealtheow is one of the major literary examples of the very real Peaceweavers & Shieldmaidens cultural thing in A-S civilisation. A well-documented historical version of the same is Aelfraedus Magnus' daughter Aethelflaed, a couple hundred years later.
She was the first Karan
Buddhabright, I recognize a fellow Pratchett fan! ;-D
@@alicewilloughby4318 GNU Sir Pterry.
"Why Grendel's mother left the one thing that could kill her in arm's reach is probably of much scholarly debate"
Yhorm: *sweats*
I mean, she left the one thing that could kill her at the bottom of the Lake of Monsters which takes a day to reach the bottom of. In the cave where the mother of the monster no mortal weapon could kill lived. In theory, you'd need the sword to even be able to get the sword.
But.....hero story.
Storm King in Demon's Souls has the same problem, and what adds insult to injury is that the arena is the only place that the Storm Ruler works
@@VivaLaDnDLogs I think it's more of a suicide escape plan due to the fact that she was immortal and immortality can become very empty and lonely. Or the sword was always going to be there regardless of Grendel's mother's actions due to the selfless courage and honor Beowulf displayed--jumping into danger for the sake of avenging a fallen comrade.
Don't forget Shadow Ganon!
If the episodes of Hoarders I've seen are any indication, Hoarding in general has the potential to kill the sufferer. Mama Grendel's case was just much more direct.
Tolkien wasn't just a "fan of the classics", he was actually a renowned Beowulf scholar.
I want someone to eventually become friends with the dragon by offering gold for friendship. The dragon accepts on the condition that the man bring more gold coins every time he visits. Eventually, the man is out of gold, but the dragon chases him down and tells him to come by anyways because he enjoys the company.
That's... Actually quite sweet...
There was once a child, Adrian is his name
Born weak, bound to bed, being ridiculed is his fame
One day he was thrown into a forest as he was buying bread
A forbidden forest people dread as whoever enters exits dead
Lost in the forest with scant few coins spared
Doth he meets a creature large and scaled
A dragon it is, with a glittering mound it had gathered
It announces its name with voice thundering, Darlihed
Scared to be lunch, Adrian asks to be spared
Change from the bread offered, life he does bet
Darlihed accepts and let the boy stay
The next day it sent him on his way
Protected by the dragon, he found his way back
With new fame as survivor he gave his bullies payback
One month later, Adrian went back to the forest
With him this time an offering Darlihed should like best
They spent the day together, sometimes with small meals
Then the next day Adrian would go back, at times carrying veals
Years passed, the boy is now a man
As all men do, he looks for the one
Yet for his hand in marriage, no one
Until a girl finally accepts, Marianne
Excited for this, Adrian prepared the wedding
However on the day it turns out to have been a scamming
Marianne and family gone with the dowry, laughing
Leaving Adrian with nothing left in his heart or coffers, sufferring
One month passes, Darlihed's visiting time
Only difference now, nothing to offer, not a dime
Adrian goes into the forest, passing path well he knows
His eyes empty, projecting none but his sorrows
"Darlihed I am here, nothing to offer but my flesh and bones!"
Adrian offers his own body, as he hope it keeps their bonds
Darlihed looks at him and sighs, "Truly what a fool."
"I shall accept, I hope you make my belly full."
Darlihed steps forward and explodes into mist
Which quickly clear and reveals a beautiful ms.
His friend had transformed, both in form and in function
Now Darlihed's his wife, her hoard's his by union
They all live for a while in a happily ever after
Except for Marianne and her family, meeting their maker
@@ZenoDLC that is amazing.
@@ZenoDLC thought Adrian would be eaten by the dragon but nope! love the ending!
@@ZenoDLC Holy shit is this an original story?
I love how Beowulf’s solution to seeing the treasure before he dies is “Bring the treasure to me,” instead of “bring me to the treasure.” Either he’s so jacked he thinks nobody can carry him, or he’s too proud to accept help doing something as trivial as walking.
I'd place my money on pride
Why not both???
Definitely both
*Bofa.*
"Look dude I know I'm dying of dragon venom or whatever, but NO YOU CANNOT HELP ME WALK. That's LAME."
So old writers are like anime writers.
im not okay with how true that statement is
@@SHAX516 I am, this is hilarious!
Yeah pretty much
watch that "Journey to the West" series and you know where anime got most of their ideas. Seriously.
A reminder that Norse legends, Arthurian mythology, Asian folktales (like Journey to the West), and even ancient Greek and Roman mythology were super anime with shonen earth-shattering power creep and harems everywhere. If people back then knew how to animate, they would have totally made anime even more batshit insane than even JoJo (albeit probably in a different art style).
I remember this being the first OSP video I ever watched five years ago. I recall sitting on the auditorium stairs, filtering through CZcams videos to use for a school project and finding this. I was so enthralled by it for the remaining class time and considered subscribing to the channel, which I did later that day. This video was never used in the project, though, since it was too long and I didn't know how to clip at the time. Still, I kept watching and waiting for more videos, and now OSP is quite literally my favorite CZcams channel of all time.
same for me, except it was instead shown to the class by a teacher at school and i immediately noted down the channel name because Goddamn What A Good Video
I had the same experience with her Shakespeare videos
Mine was the h p lovecraft
I remember one of my English teachers telling us the story of Beowulf. I can't speak to his sources, but the man knew how to tell a good story.
He told us how Hrothgar had called for many heroes before Beowulf. They would party in the Mead Hall in preparation, and when Grendel smashed the doors open, the heroes would fight. But none of them could hurt Grendel.
Then, one day comes Beowulf. Not the biggest man Hrothgar has seen, in fact, he's even a little on the short side. Furthermore, his eyes are puffy & squinted, a side effect from bee stings when he was a child (part of the origin of his name). Beowulf offers to help Hrothgar, but Hrothgar warns him of Grendel's track record with "heroes". The best have come, and they have been slain. Beowulf tells Hrothgar he is not the best, but he is someone who understands the darker side of the world.
He said something about this old cursed apple tree and he was eating one of said apples to kinda show he understood evil. That part is a bit fuzzy, it's been 17 years, sue me.
Hrothgar allows Beowulf to drink in the Mead Hall with the other, more promising/pure heroes he's hired to bring down Grendel. Night falls, the party is underway, and Grendel smashes the doors open. The heroes leap into action as Grendel begins murderizing them.
At which point Beowulf challenges Grendel. Eschewing both his weapons and his armor, he fights Grendel with nothing but himself. And he succeeds, ripping off Grendel's arm and driving him away.
I loved his version of Beowulf as the underdog & imperfect warrior. A person who can draw unexpected strength from the understanding of his own failings.
"The best have come, and they have been slain." What a line. Belongs in the opening crawl of so many fantasy movies.
Oh my gosh! That is a direct retelling of an abridged children's version of Beowulf, I think it's the one by Robert Nye! I read that as a kid, it was my first time reading a version of the full story. The bee symbolism is part replacement of the Christian element and part retelling. The witch's apple is also a cool add on. I'd encourage you to read a translation of the original, I think they have an audiobook somewhere on CZcams of one of the better ones, but it's so cool that you encountered that version too!
The Danes: did you die?
Beowul: sadly yes... BUT I LIVED!!
Pineapple?
@@samrevlej9331 Finland
Never had I felt so alive, that when I was so close... to death.
I am very happy to see such perfect Ice Age lines for this instance. 🤣
@@cosmokeith 100%.agreed 🤣🤣
*Grendel's Mom, Has Got It Goin On And I Don't Know How To Feel About That*
Both uncomfortable and delighted at once, I imagine.
GRENDEL CANT YOU SEE, YOU’RE JUST NOT THE GIANT FOR ME. I KNOW IT MIGHT BE WRONG BUT, I’M IN LOVE WITH GRENDEL’S MOM
There was another mainline comment about liking grendel's mom and I can't find it anywhere.
Ara ara
*Monster Milf*
1:23 Okay, that apparently befuddled expression on that bear is absolutely _adorable_
For those wondering, you may have heard the term damascus steel used for modern processes, but it is not the same thing. What people call damascus steel produced these days is actually known as forge welded or pattern welded steel. It's made by putting pieces of different kinds of steel together and forming them into a single piece of metal. This ends up looking kinda like real damascus steel (i.e., the wave patterns of dark and light grays), but it is not the same.
e: though apparently modern researchers have managed to produce steel with the same patterns as real damascus using experimental processes. Cool stuff.
Yeah, we definitely know how to make Damascus steel. We actually know how to make much better Damascus steel because of modern materials and tools. The "mystery" surrounding Damascus steel is more that we don't quite know how they managed to make it back then with the materials and tools they had. We aren't entirely clueless though, we have several possibilities, we just can't know 100% for sure which exact methods they used.
Same with Greek fire. We know it's basically napalm, and we now can make quite a few different and better varieties of the stuff, we just don't know specifically what they used, although we do have several plausible theories.
@@ryanm9566Yeah, it's one of those "fun but ultimately worthless fact" bits of history, where it would be neat if we had that information, but will never actually need it.
I actually heard the whole, carbonfiber thing was a misconception born out of mistaking graphite
Nothing is funnier than getting interutped by an ad when they actually introduce Beowulf
I mean, I was *audibly pissed* when it happened. Then again, it was an unskippable FDA ad, or in other words the definition of obnoxious.
@@xavis7617 adblocker for youtube
Same lol
"Stop seeing this Ad?"
THAT HAPPENED TO ME. Honestly, it was beautiful.
Having read Beowulf, I have come to the realization that Beowulf hates weapons because weapons aren't as STRONG AS HIS FISTS
Seriously, every time he has to use a sword, the sword breaks, and before he fights the dragon, he spends a few verses wishing that he could fight it unarmed like he would have done in his youth
God knows what a full strength punch from him in his prime could do to a human skull
Girlcop17, I foresee skull disintegration to anyone who pissed of Beowulf in his prime
Fun Fact: There’s actually a bullet caliber named after him; the .50 Beowulf, thing can absolutely tear through engine blocks. I know, kinda irrelevant, but I just wanted to add
Warlynx 56 fuck Beowulf himself could probably punch through an engine block
I read the same
So is that why the Gauntlets from DMC3 are called Beowulf?
As someone whose personally dug through as much information about Damascus as possible and felt the fury of a thousand smith's echo through my soul, I appreciate the acknowledgment.
In the version I had read, not only does Beowulf rip off Grendel's arm, he pins Grendel to the ground, and when he escapes he ends up ripping off his entire shoulder too! He then laments with the fact that he wishes he could've taken his head instead of his arm (which ends up getting to do anyway). Also, he decapitates Grendel's mom too.
“My god this is Skyrim” DEAD 😂
lol it wouldn't surprise me if someone made the story of beowulf as a skyrim mod
@@metroplexprime9901 it was already a thing in morrowind, specifically the blood moon DLC
@@2tired2p15 lol I still havent played through bloodmmoon. Hell, I just completed the main story line. (although, I do have some sweet gear).
lol what kind of build did you go with? I went with longswords and heavy armor.
Hello my fellow dovah I name you Qahnaarin real fans know what I just said 😉
"ghoulis, ghostlies and long-leggedy-beasties" is now my favorite new term to describe nighmare inducing monsters
Agreed. Now I just wanna know what that "long-leggedy beastie" she drew is supposed to be! It looks kinda creepy-cool!
or house guests!
It’s an old Scottish prayer:
From ghoulies and ghosties, long-leggedy beasties,
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord deliver us
She quoted 1408. It's a horror story and a awesome movie
You mean in-laws?
First time I heard of this channel was grade 8. This video specifically
I laughed hard at 8:12 for some reason with my friends
I am now back. In grade 11 learning about intermolecular forces and a picture of a carbon nanotube was on the sheet and before ANY theory came to my head (quite little since this is holiday topic prep homework) I just thought...
Beowulf... *Carbon Goddamn Nanotubes*
And that kids is how you know when something sticks with you
Visited:
- 2018
- 2021 (Will edit if I ever come back)
Minor detail I love is when grendals mother grabs him the metal gear solid noise is distorted like it's really underwater. It's the little touches that really bring it all together.
Love your show, but as a sword collector and amateur swordsmith, I need to point out that Damascus steel is not lost technology and we have reversed engineered almost all of the 14 variations on pattern forge-welded steel AKA "Damascus " steel. When someone wrote "the forging process has been lost" They mean that we do not know-how with the energy output and metal refining process they were able to produce it. Similar to the idea that we do not know the process used to assemble stone henge or the pyramids, but we sure as heck can make both those things and the same is true for "Damascus" steel (small point that name is more a marketing term as the city for the land around Damascus could not produce this metal, its called that because it was often sold in the massive market of Damascus). The point being, we can and I totally have made Damascus steel. I can even gift you with a bilit of it if you like.
on that point the sword at @8:11 is a modern reproduction, if my memory serves me this was a replica produced by Dr. Jim Hrisoulas PhD who has written books on the subject and has learned and taught many a swordsmith in metallurgical sciences of making this stuff.
Side note: Now what is crazy about the Nords model of producing this is that they would forge this metal, cut it up and forge weld it back together just to make it look better and stronger. We have examples of 4 bar composite weapons found in troves made this way. There is a lot of myth in this area with a huge amount of misinformation and fanboy theories, think the Ulfberht swords or the people who blindly believe the highlander movie about how "katanas were the worlds most perfect sword" (hint they were not, impressive yes, but flawed and the result of less than ideal metal quality... before someone tries to argue... _stop_. I have made these from tamahagane on up.)
Anyhow if you want to get a whole rundown on the history of this often history-making metal talk to Jim and read his 6+ books.
so, we know how to make this said metal, but we have no idea how they made it back at the time because they obviously didnt have the same tecnology we do and this a very complicated metal alloy? i mean, i saw some other people comenting on that, that we know how to reverse engineer it but we dont know how they did back in the day?
So glad that someone said this was rather confused and a little annoyed when she said that the process of making Damascus steel was lost. Thank you 😄
you my good sir are a legend
@@charlieworrall960 the statement that the process of making Damascus steel is lost is partially right. The _original_ process of making Damascus steel has been lost. We just reverse engineered the steel & invented new processes to make it
So I hoped there would be someone correcting this in the comments, but...
Damascus steel is not the same as pattern welded steel. We do indeed know what Damascus steel was, but it was crucible steel, not PWS. (aka wootz, aka bulat etc.)
I love how your version of Grendel's mother just stomped all over the film's version of Grendel's mother.
I personally liked the movie but I do still find it funny as well
I guess she was making a point that Grendel's mother is supposed to be a GIANT.
I LOVE the fact that she included that detail in her art stills for this video. That movie was equal parts NOT Beowulf and UTTER SHIT.
Mostly due to the fact that it was unconscionably inaccurate.
Oh so that's what that bit was about. I didn't know there was a movie
We don't talk about that version.
I am in a British Literature course right now reading this epic and I have to say this video made it SO much easier to understand. ALSO this was so fun to watch, the graphics were hilarious, your narrative style is so funny and engaging. LOVED this video
This is my first time watching this episode, as opposed to just listening to it as background noise while at work, and now that I’ve read the on-screen quips, “Talk to Proventus” genuinely had me laugh.
Also, Beowulf’s comment of “I’ve got you right were I want you!” reminded me of a quote from the Out of Context DnD Quotes tumblr that followed up that statement with the line “On top of, and attempting to eat me!”
“If you’re so great how did you lose that swimming race”
“I was distracted killing nine sea dragons with a knife and lost by a hair”
Beowulf: "I too am extraordinarily humble"
Your comedic timing and punchlines are GOLD. Had me giggling at work all day
So I had a test today on Beowulf, not that hard but I still forget small things. Anyways, I decided to listen to this right before the test and passed! I got a perfect 100 and I am ecstatic! Thank you for making wonderful content
I just keep hearing 'the yeets'... "Beowolf and the Yeets", "So the Yeets..." etc etc... It's very entertaining
the geats. an ancient tribe from denmark. others were the saxons and the angles.
@el CHAMBA *from southern sweden and northern denmark.
Best regards, friendly neighborhood geet.
The g is pronounced like a y.
YEET!
Beowulf yeeted those nine sea monsters
Beowulf: King of the Yeets
Grendal must've been one empty bitch
It's King of the Geats.
@@johanrunfeldt7174
The Joke->
Your head
@@johanrunfeldt7174 r/woooosh
Red: "Beowulf inspired all the coolest parts of J. R. R. Tolkien and Skyrim"
Me who is a huge fan of both J. R. R. Tolkien and Skyrim: Oh my wow me! This story must me awesome!
From what Red describes it as? It is.
Indeed. It was pretty nice that you mentioned that Beowulf inspired both, The Hobbit and Skyrim.
“Some dragon probably called dibs on the barrow”
*probably*
*goes to Denmark with a dragon costume and a pickaxe
It would actually be in Sweden. Not trying to sound smart just want you to go to the right place.
Oh thanks
@@heathertierney8862 This sounds like Scooby-Doo shenanigans. Go for it
@@kartoffelschloss6425 ya, yeets are from south Sweden
Aha, yeats = götar
How did I miss it?
"Couldn't bear to watch Beowulf be mildly inconvenienced..."
By HELLFIRE
There are 3 kinds of people
Those who can't bear to watch people being mildly inconvenient
Those that are okay with watching people get mildly inconvenient
And those that pull up a chair, grab popcorn, and watch as their friend yells for the healer, since they only have 1 HP left
I didn't think I could love this video more than the Grinch reference... until 6:30 with the magikarp reference "I believe the beast is weakening!" after melee-ing it's leg. You're brilliant. 🍺
fun fact, there are two types of Damascus steel, one of which is forgeable, but the variant that Red is talking about is the Woots steel, which has been lost to history, but there is a modern, forged varient
The translation I read of Beowulf mentioned that the lake he swam through to get to Grendel's Mother was literally boiling and that Grendel's Mother's blood was so hot that it melted the giant forged sword the moment Beowulf cut into her with it.
You know, in case Beowulf wasn't metal enough.
Beowulf invented "being metal"
Beowolf wasn't just metal, he was ADAMANTIUM!
im not surprized that the ideal of what metal is comes from the Scandinavian area, the Swedes and Norwegians love their metal, although i remember the dragon killing beowulf and seigfreid killed the dragon with his magic sword Gram. feel free to disprove me in a video im always down to hear about more nordic heroes with how metal that culture is
IcyPheonix3 mine said the lake was just a giant whirlpool because when grendel went into the lake to die, a portal to hell itself opened to take grendel. And beowulf just hopped right into that shit.
I read an interpretation that said that the blood of Grendel's Mother was actually acidic.
Legend says that beowulf beat Grendel with a folding chair
Spagandhi i get you
I AM THE BEST THERE EVER IS,WAS,AND EVER WILL BE
ah the good ol trusty FOLDING CHAIR OF DOOM. better than any sword!
BAH GOD BROKE HIM IN HALF
You gotta do what you gotta do to keep your title as a badass wrestler
WATCH OUT
WATCH OUT
WATCH OUT
😱😱😱
5:40 love the movie reference
(As up until this point in the movie it was faithful to the book)
4:43 , that scene is pure gold and I love it
I like how the runes on the sword hilt actually say something and aren't just random gibberish
what do they say though??
@@OriginalCreatorSama I learned how to read these ages ago (long story, don't ask) so bits of it are still intelligible. it's hard to make out, and the light effect doesn't help, so bear with me.
it starts with the phrase "this is a lot of filler text that I hope ?? be able to..."
then, below that: "?? legit norse runes although I don't have high ho(pes?) "
it becomes harder to read as you go down - the shape of the sword partially obscures the runes. knowing Red, she might have thrown in some song lyrics as an easter egg.
@@rodrikforrester6989 probably ''that i hope are understandable''
@@deadtempleknight.6332 mmno, I'm pretty confident in the "be able to" part
@@rodrikforrester6989 yeah, "be able to understand this"
7:24 "By God this IS Skyrim!"
Wait, I havent been watching a Quest guide all along?!?
Do you get to Heorot very often? Oh, what am I saying - of course you don't.
@@eln5343
*quicksave...*
@@matilde_5
Oh shit
2:35 "Ghoullies, ghosties, and long-leggedy beasties" are my spirit animals
7:30 all craftdwarfship is of the highest quality
Old English Story
Is Also Skyrim
*Plays How to Train Your Dragon Music*
I'm waiting for something to have JoJo references at this rate.
Seems legit.
And Shadow of the Colossus.
Oh, and How to Train Your Dragon’s language is actually simplified English. It combines a couple letters, but any English reader can easily follow along and read the text as it’s spoken aloud.
@@kabob0077 Me too, me too
"I heard a dragon had been spotted near Old King Beowulf's Barrow."
*Thump thump*
'Quest Objective. Visit King Beowulf's Tomb'
Skyrim intensifies
Oh and don't forget the big spider's along the way.
Fun fact: Damascus steel blacksmithing is not a lost art. It's very difficult and tedious to do, but skilled blacksmiths still make blades out of damascus steel.
It's basically just layering two dissimilar types of steel, usually a difference of carbon content, and forging them together.
My favorite part of old English is that King of the hills "Hwat?!" Is literally correct in that What in old English is spelled Hwat.
Love how you had Grendel's mom from the book just stomp on the Angelina Jolie version from the movie
thank god someone else noticed, we had to watch that movie in class and it was...interesting
Took me three times to realize the gold splatter was a person first and not just an impact mark from her stomping in
I tried to like this comment and watched the number go down. Apparently I already liked it last time I watched this video too
Is it wrong that Grendel's mom, the giantess version, actually seemed kind of hot?
@@johnnygyro2295 not particularly, red seems damn near incapable of drawing someone as unattractive. I say near because the innsmouth people in the HP Lovecraft video exist
"i get your hopes up by telling you this story is gonna be short"
Red, i think you misunderstand your fanbase. I could literally listen to you talk for hours XD
I've binged most of her videos in a matter of days
I get over excited when a video over 15 mins gets posted...
Yeah if someone were to just combine all of her videos into one long movie marathon playlist I'd just download it and play it all the time...
@@donanthebarbarian5177 right?
Could and have and currently am.
This confirms to me that Bob Zemkis and his team working on the Cgi movie that condensed the tale down made alot of good calls, love that movie! Awesome channel ! :)
As someone with mesaphonia who’s neighbors constantly play loud music while I’m trying to sleep, I understand the monstrous rage of wanting to murder people until they be quiet
And it starts with "hwaet" which could be translated as "yo listen up". That's what my english teacher said.
hwaet, here's the story, about a little guy that lives in a blue world. And all day and all night and everything he sees is just blue, Like him, inside and outside.
@@theshlauf
Hwaet, this is a story
all bout' how
Beowulf's life got
flipped, turned upside down
And I'd like to take a minute
just sit right there
I'll tell you how Beowulf became the King and
died for some flair.
@@theshlauf blue his house, with a blue little window and a blue corvette
yeah same lol
It’s also shouted very viciously by the bard who’s starting to tell the story. Picture it. “HWAT!!!” You’d drop whatever conversation and/or what you’re doing, then turn to see and hear whoever the fuck it was that shouted that shit, right? I would. 😂
Grendel’s mother probably kept the sword with her because she wanted to keep an eye on it and because she didn’t want it to fall into the hands of her enemies. And it’s not like she had any way of anticipating Beowulf suddenly coming to her house and using it to kill her, so we can’t really blame her there.
But we can blame her for bringing a brawler capable of harming her son into her home, which contains a weapon capable of harming her, rather than engaging him more safely almost anywhere else.
@@MASTERM016
Point taken, but like I said, she didn’t know he was coming. He had the element of surprise on his side.
Who expects ppl at the bottom of a lake? Like she lived there for a reason 😂
I like how in 5:39 it initially shows the animated version of Beowulf's mother before the more accurate depiction of her stomps it as she enters screen.
Thank you so much for this video!! I had to read this for my English class and, while I did make it through the full text, I found it rather difficult to read and comprehend at some points. This summarization really helped me understand the bits that I missed. This is a great video, thank you so much!!
The quests. The houses. The nords. The constant breaking of weapons. This is like Skyrim and Breath of the Wild had a child.
Lars Erik Volden Since Breath of the Wild is basically what happened when Skyrim and Legend of Zelda had a child, would that mean Beowulf is inbred?
Kevin Corey eh,that generation would be fine unless it keeps it in the family for another generation now that child would be.....problematic compared to a normal one
Or, y'know... a grandfather.
No, this is their father
Read: Oblivion
While I typically love OSP there's a massive sticking point in this video, specifically regarding Damascus Steel. Mechanically Damascus steel has been totally reverse engineered, you can buy Damascus steel kitchen utensils fairly cheaply. The parts we don't know are more or less nitpicking, we don't know what exactly they used as an acid to reveal the pattern ect. Carbon Nanotubes are a naturally occurring and fairly common molecule, the modern nanotechnology is making them longer than a few atoms, which ancient Damascus steel weapons don't do. Basically they fell into the trap that come from taking overhyped sources at face value due to knowledge gaps.
Another thing, vikings were really good at pattern welding going so far as to twisting metals to produce different patterns purely for the aesthetics.
There’s also that whole thing where pattern welding & true Damascus (aka wootz) are different things. In the modern day everyone calls pattern welded steel Damascus which is several pieces of metal forge welded together to create the pattern, whereas true wootz steel is all one piece. The CZcams channel Scholagladiatoria has some videos on it.
I think the point is "how they did that back then" more so than "what we know now about it".
THANK YOU. I was under the impression that we figure it out around 1998 (or 1999?) but I also know red tries to research as best possible, so I'm glad someone who knows more than me can tell me this stuff :D
Yeah, we've figured out how to make Damascus steel, we just don't know how they *originally* made it.
This is easily my favorite of your videos. Makes me laugh every time. Beowulf was such a badass character. Plus we have to thank this book for all the references that our favorite fantasy franchises have utilized.
Wow, that was OUTSTANDING!
My first OSP video, and I am very impressed. Very clever humor, terrific visuals. Kudos.
When I was a kid, my mum told me stories like Beowulf's as bedtime stories. In the version she told, Beowulf asked Wiglaf to dig him a grave, put his body in it, then fill it with the gold from the dragon's treasury. Not sure which would make more sense. It is Beowulf, after all
“Beowoulf-senpai” LOL
Not there senpai! B-Blease~ don't shove this damascus holy sword in my ~ back-sheath~ Beowulf-sama! uwu
That was the most weeb shit i have ever written
@@csharpcoffee Thank you
Java Coffee this is high quality writing that only the highest intellectuals can understand.
@@louisaniathemagnificent8246 yes, Louisania-sama, please enjoy your intellectually superior literature while tasting my embarrassing part uwu
5:03 And that, ladies and gentlemen is the basis behind Skullgirls' Beowulf. Especially for his Gigantic Arm super.
5:15 That TFS reference though
Pure gold 😂😂😂
Nords were probably the most metal people of all time, i mean cmon they had Ragnarok, f**king Ragnarok
Fighting and partying as often and much as they can so that they become worthy of heaven, where they get to fight and party for eternity until ragnarok - where they get the biggest fight and best party
dang straight!!!!!!!!!!!
,,,,wow, my ancestors would be really disappointed in me
Ah, Ragnarok, because the Gods didn't think a generic rain of fire and rivers turning into blood would be enough. No, there needs to be ice, fire, armies of zombies, trolls, Giants, a menagerie of Kaiju, as stated by Bill Murray in Ghostbusters, "Human sacrifices, cats and dogs living together in harmony, mass hysteria", all leading up to a battle of Gods of and monsters. Cause that way you KNOW it's the end. Subtle was not something my ancestors were known for.
@@katiecat6438 Eh, Odin has a spot for poets, scholars, and musicians.
@@sflaningam7680 if you're gonna go out, why not go out in style?
10:06
Wiglaf: “You’re bleeding man”
Beowulf: “I ain’t got time to bleed”
Wiglaf: *awkward laughter*
This is beautiful. Bless you for making this video.
I actually read this book in high school, there was even an assignment where we each wrote a eulogy for Beowulf, it was fun
HOW ARE YOU NOT SWARMED WITH MILLIONS OF SUBSCRIBERS
I KNOW!!!! SHE SHOULD BE REALLY FAMOUS!!!!
Hi thedragon SO TRUE!
Because most people could care less about myths and history
Very carefully...
Ineptlettuce 5545 sad but unfortunately true.
8:13
“Carbon goddamn nanotubes”
-best quotes of 2019
Plant fibres. Those come from plant fibres used to put carbon into to iron to make steel. The pattern of Damascus is made from twisting and folding the metal, similar bro the folded pattern on Japanese swords. We can make Damascus steel or even better, but it's just up to debate of how it was done in ancient times.
Evidence of time travel?
@@SwordTune we can make Damascus-like steel however without knowing the exact creation method it's not true Damascus steel for the same reason napalm isn't Greek fire even though it has similar qualities. We just don't know if there is a difference and the people would be able to tell us are kind of dead
@@aSipOfHemlocktea Mhm, yes. You have repeated me successfully.
@@SwordTune no I explained what you said because you were too busy being a snide know-it-all
My social studies teacher played this whole video and it helped me understand this so well and know I’m here and subbed
@8:00 shadiversity would like to have an hour long word with you and scishow about damascus steel.
my teacher showed your vid in class
he warned us you said crap
...
i remember watching an animated short in class once and at one point the teacher shouted "LOOK A LINE ON A PAGE" moments before a butt was on-screen for a couple seconds
@@Flowtail oof 100
what the heckin heck?
@@amyallen1361 ..what the snek kind of school expels somebody just for saying buck
@@Flowtail its a jjoke about my school's massive overreaction to swearing
My class had to pause the lesson of Beoewulf because, we were too busy wondering why Grendel still lives with his mom
Is an age ever specified for him? He might be essentially a toddler.
Also, by my understanding the only period of history in which multi-generational homes weren't common in european culture was the 20th century.
@@Isaac-hm6ih This is the historically accepted answer. The canonically accepted answer is Grendel’s mom has got it going on and he is descended from Oedipus.
@@QualityPen Dammit, now I've got it stuck in my head; and Grendel even follows the same syllable pattern as "Stacy's Mom"...
This was the best video I have ever seen! thank you
This is one of my favorite videos ever. I love you OSP