Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics of the hero by accepting Grendel and the dragon." In Tolkien's view, the poem is essentially about a "man at war with the hostile world, and his inevitable overthrow in Time". The underlying tragedy is man's brief mortal life. Grendel and the dragon are identified as enemies of a Christian God, unlike the monsters encountered by Odysseus on his travels. What had happened is that Northern courage, exultant, defiant in the face of inevitable defeat by "Chaos and Unreason" (Tolkien cites Ker's words), fuses with a Christian faith and outlook. The "Beowulf" poet uses both what he knew to be
Ynglinga saga Asagarth and would live there forever" (Section 9). Ynglinga saga Ynglinga saga is a legendary saga, originally written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson about 1225. It is the first section of his "Heimskringla". It was first translated into English and published in 1844 by Samuel Laing. Snorri Sturluson based his work on an earlier "Ynglingatal" which is attributed to the Norwegian 9th century skald Þjóðólfr of Hvinir, and which also appears in "Historia Norwegiae". It tells the most ancient part of the story of the House of Ynglings ("Scylfings" in "Beowulf"). Snorri described the