J.R.R. Tolkien translated Beowulf into modern English in a posthumous edition published in 2014. The book, titled Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, was edited by his son Christopher Tolkien.
Tolkien was a major Beowulf scholar and delivered his influential lecture “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics” in 1936. His translation was made much earlier, during the twentieth century, but he did not publish it during his lifetime. The 2014 volume paired the translation with Tolkien’s extensive commentary and a related story, “Sellic Spell.”
Beowulf is an Old English epic about the hero Beowulf, who fights Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon. Tolkien’s scholarship on the poem influenced his understanding of heroic literature and monsters. The 2014 publication should not be confused with his editions or translations of other medieval works such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.