Welcome back to the Reading Journal! I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving, enjoying good food with friends and family and celebrating God’s blessings. In between my own preparations and festivities this week, I’ve started two new books: Beowulf, and The Green Ember, by S. D. Smith. These are both new books for me, except for a couple of excerpts I read of Beowulf for a class in college, so I was excited to get into them. So, let’s dive in!
Beowulf
To my shame, I’d only read excerpts of this work before so reading this has allowed me to check a book off of my “I should’ve read this by now but haven’t yet” list. I finished Seamus Heaney’s translation of this work earlier this week and have started Douglas Wilson’s translation in verse. For those of you who may not be familiar, Beowulf is an Old English work of literature about a Scandinavian hero who defeats several monsters. Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, builds a great hall to act as his throne room and a meeting hall for his men. The hall is quickly attacked by a monster named Grendel. It’s unclear exactly what Grendel is but it’s mentioned several times that he is some sort of descendant of Cain and, therefore, cursed by God. Beowulf, a hero from another kingdom across the sea, comes to free Hrothgar’s people from Grendel’s terror.
One of the things I wasn’t expecting about this work is that it mentions the Lord of Heaven and Almighty God multiple times. The framework for everything that happens is what God wills to happen, will happen. It’s even mentioned when Grendel is first attacking Hrothgar’s people that some of them turned back to Druidism, which it seemed to say was like putting their faith in hell to save them from a demon. The worldview is much closer to a biblical one than in a lot of the literature I’ve read.
There are two main takeaways I have from my first reading of it. One, Beowulf is truly a great man; he’s a hero in the story. Later in the story, he exhibits his greatness by ruling his people well and, even in his old age, going to fight a dragon that has begun attacking them. This encounter, although he slays the dragon, costs him his life. His people are clear that he always ruled with the best for them in mind. He was kind, fierce, and noble and died in the service of the people God had given him. Two, I’ve heard before that Beowulf’s fight with Grendel, then Grendel’s mother, and, finally, the dragon, seems like a good type of our fight with sin. Of course, I couldn’t evaluate that idea before I’d read the book, but, after this first reading, it seems to fit. Sin lurks in the dark, striking when you think you’ve won, and devouring, not only you but those around you. In the end, we all die, and Lord willing we die still killing our sin. I could also see a smaller type of a Christ figure in Beowulf. We need Christ to come and save us from sin. He descends to the depths and defeats the enemy terrorizing us and our people, granting us peace and victory. These types aren’t spot-on, I’m sure, and I need to read through this again thinking on them some more before I’m ready to commit fully to that interpretation, but that’s what jumps out at me after a first reading.
The Green Ember
At this point, I’m about seven chapters into this book and it’s been interesting. As I mentioned last week, I knew nothing about these books prior to starting this one. It’s moved quickly but I think this is due to it primarily being intended for a younger audience. I’ve enjoyed it so far and the tension is building as I hear more snippets about this world’s past. Some of the dialogue has felt a little forced, like the reason a character said something was simply to get the plot forward, not really because that’s what that character would say. Some of the scenes have felt a little cheesy, too, but, again, I think this could be that it’s just straightforward because it’s meant for a younger audience.
So far, the story has primarily focused on two rabbits, a brother and sister named Picket and Heather, respectively. You realize quickly their father has some kind of past but it’s not clear yet what kind. Their family lives near the edge of the Eastern Wood, which Heather and Picket are forbidden by their father to enter. Early on, he tells them a story about a historical, grand king who ruled over a forest well and managed to bring peace among different animals in the wood. The implication is that he was betrayed but their father was interrupted in his telling by his own grief and hasn’t finished the story yet. Also, I’m very much appreciating the biblical roles of the father and mother so far in this story. The father is masculine; he’s strong and clearly competent but tenderhearted toward his family. The mother is kind and supportive, while also exhibiting strength in how she cares for her husband and children. While there haven’t been a lot of scenes with the parents, it’s clear that Heather and Picket live in a safe and healthy home.
The world these rabbits inhabit does have me intrigued. I’m very curious to know more about the history and what this family of rabbits he starts you out following has to do with the broader events in the land. Smith has hinted at a good deal of history in this world, promising some exciting revelations about a complex world and its history, and I’m hopeful that he delivers on that promise.
Well, that wraps it up for this week! I should be finished with Douglas Wilson’s translation of Beowulf by next week’s entry. I haven’t decided yet what to read next, so feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments! As always, feel free to share this with anyone you think might enjoy it or benefit from it. And, finally, thank you for reading the Reading Journal!
In Him and For His Glory