Of course, this is not the first time I’ve read this classic. This time I was stuck by how similar the description of the wyrm (dragon) and its actions parallel Tolkien’s Smaug. Tolkien was a scholar of Beowulf, so it isn’t that surprising that he would base his dragon on the oldest extent Anglo-Saxon text. Still, interesting that even the greatest master lifts from admired texts.

[Finished 3 February 1993]