Composed toward the end of the first millennium, emBeowulfem is the elegiac narrative of the Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the seemingly invincible monster Grendel and, later, from Grendel's mother. Drawn to what he has called the four-squareness of the utterance in emBeowulfem and its immense emotional credibility Seamus Heaney gives the great epic convincing reality pBut how to visualize the poet's story has always been a challenge for modern-day readers. In emBeowulf An Illustrated Editionem, John D. Niles, a specialist in Old English literature, provides visual counterparts to Heaney's remarkable translation. More than one hundred full-page illustrations--Viking warships, chain mail, lyres, spearheads, even a reconstruction of the Great Hall--make visible Beowulf's world and the elemental themes of his story death, divine power, horror, heroism, disgrace, devotion, and fame. This mysterious world is now transformed into one of material splendor as readers view its eleg