Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-11458474-20130926235435/@comment-26060313-20150131052044

GarouxBloodline wrote: TheItalianMafia wrote: Sky Above,Voice Within wrote:

Jimeee wrote: Garoux is correct about this. Even in the Trivia? Even with the use of the may instead of is? It is a blatent refrence; And it shouldn't have to be confirmed by Bethesda. Says whom? You? Everyone that finds false meaning believes they are right. That's why it's called 'speculation. A source will be needed to add your information into our articles. ' While I sit here type, I fear I may start trouble. I just wish to say that I respect the policies, but that does not mean I agree with them. Referring to the "Says whom? You?": No, many, many other people do as well. I am actually currently writing a paper for English on how, not in just Skyrim, but as far back as Morrowind, has there been references to Beowulf.

If you want to read more on it, here is most of what I wrote:

To start, we should look at the setting. Beowulf is thought to take place in abouts 5th-6th century Scandinavia. Games 2-4 - Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim - all take place in the “countries” of the same names. The countries are in a place called Tamriel, which is on the planet Nirn. Nirn models Earth, and many people see Tamriel to be modeled after Europe. This would make the Oblivion-Skyrim area to be around abouts Scandinavia. Based on the games weaponry, armour, and “cultural aspects”, the games, in the real world, would have made it about 5th-6th century Scandinavia. Starting in Morrowind , there is an expansion pack called Bloodmoon . In bloodmoon, there is a quest called “Mead Hall Massacre”. In the quest, a troll named The Udyrfrykte, which in this comparison would be Grendel, has shown up one day and completely destroyed a mead hall, much like in Beowulf, and, as the main character of the game, you are asked to wait for it to show up again so you can kill it. Once killed, you can loot “Heart of the Udyrfrykte” and “Severed Nord Leg”, which he was using as a weapon, and I think could be a reference to the arm Beowulf rips off of Grendel and keeps as a trophy. In the next game, Oblivion , there is a quest where you must hunt down another monster, the Uderfrykte Matron, “matron” coming from the Latin matrona , and matr  meaning mother. This would make the Uderfrykte Matron, in the story, Grendel’s mother. When you find the monster, a notebook can be found nearby, which, if read, refers to what happened in the Mead Hall Massacre quest, implying that the monster is, indeed, the Udyrfrykte’s mother. There is also a hammer you get during this quest I believe that is the “hammer of giants” which could reference the sword of the giants in Beowulf, used to kill Grendel’s mother.



Now, we move on to the most recent, and my personal favorite, of the Elder Scrolls series: Skyrim <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">. In the beginning of the game, you are travelling to Skyrim as a prisoner. Just as you are about to be executed, a dragon, named <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Alduin <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">, swoops in and burns down the entire city. Instead of a Scyld Scefing like in Beowulf, you later find out that you are <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Dovahkiin <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">, or “Dragonborn”, in the dragon’s tongue. And how do you find this out? You, after some time in the game, are sent to kill a dragon. After you kill it, something happens, you later find out to be you absorbing its soul (this doesn’t relate to Beowulf yet, but bear with me). In The Elder Scrolls WIKIA, it says, “When [the Greybeards] even so much as whisper the word " <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Dovahkiin <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">," it rumbles through the world, and the mountains shake.” The Greybeards, when you kill the dragon, whisper the name, and you hear it, and are summoned to them, where they live at the top of a mountain which happens to be named “High Hrothgar”. Once you go, the Greybeards explain to you what is happening, and tell you that you are destined to slay the dragon that burned down the whole city, Alduin. Switching back to Beowulf again, recall this quote:

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:72pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">"The wise old warriors of Hrothgar,

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:72pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Like him staring into the monsters' lake,

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:72pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Saw the waves surging and blood spurting through.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:72pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">They spoke about Beowulf,

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:72pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">All the greybeards, whispered together

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:72pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">And said that hope was gone.” (Line 545).

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">This quote from Beowulf explains how this part of Skyrim relates back to Beowulf.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"> <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(255,255,255);white-space:pre-wrap;">There are also some other small things to note as well. One of which being that one of the most powerful Greybeards, shares his name with a man in Beowulf who is “renowned for his wisdom”, Wulfgar. Another point being that Beowulf has to go talk to Hrothgar, where he learns his destiny is to kill the dragon, like Dovahkiin.