Beowulf is one of Britain's oldest dragon books. Of course, it's not exactly a book. It's a saga or epic, a ceremonial poem of great importance to any who wish to learn of the harsh life and customs of the people in those ages, more than one thousand years ago. But more to the point, it has a very interesting dragon inside.

Beowulf was the son of Ecgtheow, nephew of Hygelac, king of the geats. He was a great and renowned hero, known for the great feats of swimming he performed, as well as the great sea monsters he vanquished.

Among the monsters Beowulf destroyed were Grendel and his mother, humanoid monsters that plagued Hrothguard, a northern king.

Eventually, Beowulf became king of the geats when their king Heardred was killed in the wars against the Swedes. Beowulf ruled for many peaceful years.

But then a terrible dragon started rampaging across the country. We learn the following facts about the dragon. It was a flying creature, it was nocturnal, and it exhaled fire from its mouth and smoke from its nostrils. Its hard scales were almost impervious to weapons and it was so fearsome none dared approach it.

We can learn something of the nature of the beast from the fact that this single monster terrorized the whole country. It stirred from its steam filled cave only because a golden cup was stolen from its treasure hoard.

King Beowulf decided to combat this monster and set out at the head of a host of warriors. Beowulf reached the dragon's lair and challenged it boldly.

The dragon exploded out of his cave, flames pouring out of its jaws. All of Beowulf's warriors ran except one young man whose name was Wiglaf. The dragon swooped towards Beowulf and almost crushed him with its serpentine coils. The dragon flew up and swooped down again. The hero's sword broke in contact with the dragon's iron like scales and its terrible fangs sank into Beowulf's neck. However, the dragon was now on the ground and dying Beowulf, aided by Wiglaf, killed the dragon.

It should come as no surprise that dragon books have strange and twisted plots, just like the monsters within their pages. Why would an old king set out to personally combat a dragon? Why would so powerful a dragon guard a treasure hoard? Why does the poem not say anything about the golden cup's thief?

Clearly, the mystery that surrounds Beowulf has only grown through the ages.

Dragon Over Washington at Amazon.com