Hate-honed swords and other battle gear
Everything a battle-scarred Swede could need: fine-forged mesh to protect him from other people's hate-honed swords, and a great-shafted spear...
Battle-tackle
Share this with you just for the sound and impact, like a machine gun rattle.
‘I never heard before of...
Fate goes as ever fate must
This translation by Seamus Heaney rings like a proverb on the immutability of fate. Elsewhere, he brings it up close and...
A voice to clear the head
Trying to imagine a 'head-clearing voice' - is it a singing, shouting or speaking voice? Or is it just...
Wide as the wind
Another pithy metaphor that deserves to enter daily use: 'as wide as the wind'. So, let me wish you this:...
Swingeing cuts
'Swingeing cuts' usually refer to sharp budget cuts - note the 'e' making it a soft 'g' (like a 'j'),...
Rock-piled roof
Another structure you would hope could keep the Grendel gremlins out, ideally providing a 'dry-stone vault' underneath.
Source: Seamus Heaney, Beowulf...
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