What did mighty Beowulf eat?

Many were those who fell.
All the more round the laden table of Valhalla.
A song of mourning I give to them.
Those who went to the embrace of shield maidens.

Reminiscence and tears to those who went hence.
Who now gaze by the gates of Asagard.
Memories and songs will soon be sung.
By the fire in times of feasting.

We who sit here raise our drinking horns.
To those who sit at the table of the Father of All.
Together we drink to victory.
And to One-Eye wise.

Here in the halls of the king.
We drink to yield and peace.
Grief we carry no more.
We indulge in joy and intoxication.

First of all, you may wonder why I have chosen this particular work. Although it is not as well-known as King Arthur's Round Table or the story of Robin Hood, it is one of the most important works of the age preceding the Norman Conquest of 1066. The work itself is a peculiar mix of Christian and Pagan values telling us the story of Beowulf, the hero. A summary of Beowulf's story can be read here . 

As a child I was often reminded to eat well a.k.a eat my vegetables if I wanted to be a super hero (spinach leading to the super strength of Popeye the Sailor Man). As I was preparing my blog, I started to wonder whether there is an actual hero in English literature and how could I depict him/her.

In fact, I looked up "What did ..... eat?" questions and found one inquiring about "What did Beowulf eat?"  The answer given was "coco pops and wine and ginger ale". Highly dubious, indeed.

However, before I give you my version of Beowulf's food, it is important to look at the style. This long epic poem is written in alliterative verse , a style that contemporary scops were quite skilled at. An example for this is: 

A feir feld full of folk || fond I þer bitwene,
Of alle maner of men, || þe mene and þe riche,
Worchinge and wandringe || as þe world askeþ.

Naturally, I will not try to write my blog in Old English, I will only try to imitate this style (the 7-syllable alliteration before the mid-line caesura, the two strong syllables following the caesura and the rhyme of the first two lines followed by a third non-rhyming in one stanza) in Modern English, while keeping the content as gloom-y, snow-y and Old English-y as possible. That is why many say that the French invasion was the best thing that could happen to Old English literature, the writings suddenly started to include hope, various weathers and featured items never seen before.

 My interpretation of Young Beowulf's food:

The long winter was wet, it always snowed,

Older brother, Beowulf in the garden his horse rode,

his parents prepared their food and his mother called:

- Beowulf, come quick, closer, your dinner's ready

 you will never nurture, your body will be thready,

come quickly and wash thy hands, we soon start dinner.

 He, hearing this, came closer, and looked at his mother,

 saw his father fidgeting and finally at his younger brother,

and the told his mom mourning, not without deep anger:

- Mom, I won't ever exceed my father's fame,

should I spend spare time eating and not practicing horse-tame,

how will I have a buff body, eating only vegetables?

- I doubt I'll defeat demons or kill a monster,

else I cannot keep our fame, I will only err,

and thus my famous father will be forever ashamed.

His mother then gave him hugs, and told him lovingly

that there would be chicken, too, while stirring the soup squarely

never a second stopping, she was responsible for cooking.

They ate delicious dinner and continued with the desserts,

and by hoarding heaps of nuts, his mother usually great effort exerts,

these made Beowulf become the unforgettable hero of his age.

Should you attempt to cook a traditional Beowulf-style meal, it will look like this: 

My sources:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101114105030AATW79R

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100927131611AAithHp

http://amerrierworld.com/2011/02/22/beowulfs-feast-the-broth-the-bread-and-the-spit-roasted-chicken/

http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~cpercy/courses/1001Duncan.htm

http://www.llamagraphics.com/Meadow/Books/bookBeowulf.html