Beowulf

by Neil Gaiman

OLD WIGLAF

  It doesn’t seem fair. I wish that Unferth’d had a son, who could sail across the ocean and kill our monster. Or Hrothgar -- I wish he’d had a son.

  KING BEOWULF

  Hrothgar had a son. We sailed across the ocean, and we killed him.

  OLD WIGLAF

  (the penny sort of drops)

  Grendel?

  KING BEOWULF

  His mother…she was very beautiful, Wiglaf.

  OLD WIGLAF

  (uncomfortable with what he is being told, changing the subject)

  My lord -- your majesty -- Beowulf -- we are old men. Our eyes are dimmed, we are slow, our strength is gone…look at us. We cannot kill dragons.

  In answer, King Beowulf draws his bow -- the mighty bow we saw earlier that no one could bend -- and with one flowing, easy movement, from horseback, he raises it, fits an arrow to the string, bends it, and -- barely -- sights it and he looses his arrow.

  CUT TO:

  143 EXT. THE SKY ABOVE THEM - DAY

  143

  Far above them, a bird flies, until, hit by an arrow, it tumbles from the sky.

  CUT TO:

  144 EXT. THE GEAT MOORS - DAY

  144

  The bird falls to the ground with an arrow through it. Old Wiglaf gapes at it. King Beowulf does not even turn around to look at it. He knows that he is still stronger and faster than any man alive. And he repeats to himself…

  KING BEOWULF

  We shall be our own heroes.

  CUT TO:

  145 EXT. THE GEAT MOORS - THE BARROW - DAY

  145

  We stand on the clifftop. Cain is pointing.

  CAIN

  I fell in through here. But the main entrance is down there.

  KING BEOWULF

  It will not wake until sunset.

  CUT TO:

  146 INT. THE GEAT MOORS - THE BARROW - DAY

  146

  We see the Dragon’s face, now, in the darkness. This is the Dragon in Reptile form -- the nightmare face of an elegant, golden dragon, half-way between a T. Rex and a Komodo Dragon. It flexes its claws. Its eyes are open. It is listening. These things have very sensitive hearing.

  KING BEOWULF (O.S.)

  When it wakes it will come out of its cave. And then we shall kill it.

  CUT TO:

  147 EXT. THE GEAT MOORS - THE BARROW - DAY

  147

  King Beowulf is standing, with his bear-wolf cloak on, over his armor. He is holding his shield -- a rectangular metal full-body shield -- and a sword, and he is practising lunging and parrying and moving, practising his swordcraft against the air. He is getting winded and he is sweating and breathing heavily.

  Old Wiglaf is sitting nearby, watching him work out. Wiglaf is toying with the giant hilt of the broken sword. He watches Beowulf and then, when Beowulf is winded, he says:

  OLD WIGLAF

  You are not a hero, Beowulf. Not any more. You’re an old man.

  King Beowulf grunts but says nothing.

  OLD WIGLAF

  It’s a dragon. It breathes fire. It destroys whole towns. You’re an old man.

  King Beowulf says nothing in reply.

  OLD WIGLAF

  But you’ve never run away from anything, have you?

  KING BEOWULF

  (pauses)

  Only one thing. And she must be dead by now.

  CUT TO:

  148 EXT. THE SEA - SUNSET

  148

  We see the sea, CRASHING onto the rocks. It is almost night.

  CUT TO:

  149 EXT. THE GEAT MOORS - THE BARROW - NIGHT

  149

  There is a golden glow coming from below them. Suddenly we see, for the first time, THE DRAGON. It rises into the air, a huge, golden creature, wings flapping, long tail curling, and it hovers in the air fifty or a hundred feet above Beowulf & co.

  We are utterly convinced by it: this is where our budget is going. This is the dragon. Smoke drifts from its open mouth, smoke and flame.

  THE DRAGON’S POV: Beowulf and his men are below us, being buffeted by the wind from our wings…

  DRAGON

  Beowulf Grendel-slayer. Greetings.

  KING BEOWULF

  (shouting to be heard)

  Prepare to die, foul beast!

  DRAGON

  Ooh. Scary. Now, you just hold that thought, and I shall be right back. Something I have to do. Don’t go anywhere.

  And with a beat of its enormous wings it rises into the sky.

  King Beowulf stares at the beast, as it flies away.

  BEOWULF

  No!

  Froda and the rest of his men (not Old Wiglaf) begin to laugh and cheer.

  FRODA

  You’ve scared it away! It’s scared of you!

  BONSTAN

  Hurrah! The dragon is gone!

  KING BEOWULF

  Did you not hear what it said?

  FRODA

  (a little baffled)

  It said n-nothing, Lord. You shouted ’prepare to die’, and it flew away.

  KING BEOWULF

  It spoke to me. It said there was something that it had to do, before we fought. Something it had to do…but what?

  Beowulf watches the Dragon vanish into the distance.

  CUT TO:

  150 EXT. KING BEOWULF’S CASTLE - NIGHT

  150

  CLOSE ON: Ursula is standing at the top walkway that circumnavigates the castle. Her eyes are trained on something in the horizon…something that is approaching. Something golden that glistens in the light of the full moon.

  The various COURTIERS and THANES at the castle suddenly call to arms. There is a flurry of activity as people flee and prepare themselves to fight.

  But not Ursula. She knows that the Dragon is undefeatable by them. She has been perhaps awaiting it, or some other monster, her whole life. She inhales, with no fear, almost accepting the inevitable.

  And the inevitable happens.

  The Dragon exhales and the castle is enveloped in fire.

  CUT TO:

  151 EXT. THE GEAT MOORS - THE BARROW - NIGHT

  151

  King Beowulf and his Thanes are where last left them.

  Bonstan suddenly points to the horizon.

  BONSTAN

  Look!

  There is a golden glow coming from ten miles down the shoreline…the castle is ablaze.

  KING BEOWULF

  My hall.

  And the dragon is coming towards us now through the sky, ROARING and breathing fire. It is the scariest thing we have ever seen. Scarier than anything in “Jurassic Park”.

  Beowulf’s men scatter for whatever cover they can find. Only King Beowulf holds his position.

  The Dragon descends and curls its body, preparing to breathe flame.

  The flame hits his shield and is deflected by it. King Beowulf is not burnt, but he is thrown to his knees by the force of the flame.

  Bushes and scrub trees in a rough circle around King Beowulf ignite. Burning, they will illuminate all of the following scenes.

  The Dragon lands in the empty space and faces King Beowulf.

  KING BEOWULF

  You burned my home.

  DRAGON

  Yes.

  KING BEOWULF

  Ursula.

  DRAGON

  The pretty girl? Friend of yours? I am so pleased…

  Goaded, King Beowulf springs at the dragon, and begins to hack at it with his sword. It swats him away with one huge blow of its clawed paw.

  DRAGON

  Oh. This is not even going to be any sport. And I’ve been waiting for this day for so long…let’s even up the odds, shall we?

  And with one mighty beat of the Dragon’s wings it TRANSFORMS ITSELF INTO A GOLDEN MAN, in golden armor, but still with its great, golden Dragon wings and long, spiked Dragon’s tail.

  Beowulf’s mouth drops open, agape at what he sees, for the face on the golden Dragon is familiar to him…it’s his face when
he was a young man.

  KING BEOWULF

  No! It’s not possible! Demon!

  Beowulf strikes at the Dragon with his sword, but it’s to no avail as the golden man easily dodges him.

  DRAGON

  Not wholly a demon. But perhaps a half-demon. Born of hate. Born of lust.

  KING BEOWULF

  And I’ll kill you by the same!

  Beowulf, swinging wildly, is perhaps too old to kill this monster. His rage has unbalanced him.

  The Dragon-man lands like a devil touching down onto Earth, wings extended and his fingers touching the ground for balance.

  DRAGON

  Such a brittle and old man you are. Not what I had expected. Not at all.

  Beowulf is breathing heavily, unbalanced. He approaches the dragon.

  KING BEOWULF

  I’m sorry I have disappointed you. What did you expect?

  DRAGON

  I expected a man worth my hatred. I expected the worthy slayer of my half-brother, Grendel.

  KING BEOWULF

  Grendel -- was your brother?

  DRAGON

  We monsters are all born of the same mother, born of the same sin.

  Beowulf hacks at the monster, who ducks and LAUGHS.

  DRAGON

  Do you know how long I have hated you? I have hated you so long…

  KING BEOWULF

  And I hate all monsters.

  Beowulf swings again. The dragon catches the sword-blade with the palms of its hands, brings it close, and looks up mischievously.

  DRAGON

  Do you? Do you hate them all? Did you hate my mother?

  The Dragon kisses the blade of the sword.

  Beowulf pulls his sword out of the Dragon’s grasp and swings it again, this time striking the monster in the nape of his neck. But instead of the blade digging deep into the Dragon’s shoulder, it shatters into a thousand shards.

  There is a brief moment where the words “oh shit” could be extrapolated out of Beowulf’s eyes.

  The Dragon grabs Beowulf by the neck with both hands and suddenly lifts him high into the air. With each strong beat of the Dragon’s wings they lift higher into the sky. Beowulf

  grasps at the Dragon’s strong grasp, choking and turning blue.

  DRAGON

  When I was young, in the early years of my life, I would dream of this moment. I could hear in the minds of men as they sung the song of the “great” Beowulf. But I know the truth. Mother made sure of it. I know you are a coward and a lout. I know that you are a liar. I know you are not of the humankind, that your father, Edgethow, lay with demons. And that history is a lie. I know what you are--

  He releases Beowulf’s neck and says the word that King Beowulf has, deep down, known would be coming:

  DRAGON

  (continuing)

  --father.

  Beowulf falls.

  He tumbles backwards and STRIKES the ground with great force.

  Beowulf rolls over, the wind knocked out of him, his ribs broken.

  KING BEOWULF

  I am -- wounded. Where are my Thanes? Who will help me!

  152 OLD WIGLAF

  152

  and the other thanes are lying on the ground beyond the fire-circle.

  OLD WIGLAF

  We have to go to him.

  THANE

  Against that? You’re mad, old man.

  The Dragon-man, directly above Beowulf, TRANSFORMS back into full Dragon form.

  Beowulf tries to crawl away, but cannot. He does, however, reach back and find the bow he used against the Franks and his quiver of arrows.

  The Dragon begins to dive, going in for the kill. It soars downwards, picking up speed.

  Beowulf pulls the bowstring and aims the arrow.

  KING BEOWULF

  (to himself)

  Forgive me.

  He fires the arrow and sends it quick and straight upwards into the soft spot Hrothgar spoke of under the chin of the Dragon.

  With a great SCREECH the Dragon recoils and pauses its descent…then, after a moments recognition of the wound, free-falls on top of Beowulf.

  153 WIGLAF

  153

  watches as the Dragon lands on top of his King, not too unlike watching a bus fall on top of your best friend.

  He runs toward the massive creature, and his lord.

  154 THE DRAGON

  154

  lifts its head and looks at Beowulf.

  DRAGON

  You have wounded me, father. But did you really think that a mortal weapon could send me to the hereafter? No weapon made by man can destroy me.

  KING BEOWULF

  No…what about a weapon forged by the Gods?

  And Wiglaf lunges the broken blade giant’s sword into the base of the Dragon’s neck.

  The Dragon SCREAMS AND ROARS a Devil’s scream, a screech that can be heard in all of Geatland, a screech that could be heard throughout the world. The scream of a Dragon dying.

  The Dragon slumps to the side, dead. Its eyes glass over, and in the milky emptiness of them, Beowulf can see himself reflected back.

  Wiglaf gets to his feet in the light of the burning bushes.

  OLD WIGLAF

  (to himself)

  I told you we were too old to be heroes.

  Wiglaf looks back at the death scene. The Dragon has once more become a winged human, golden and glittering, and dead: a symphony in crimson and gold.

  Then, Beowulf does something Wiglaf would not have expected. He cradles the Dragon’s head, and strokes it, and cries.

  KING BEOWULF

  My…son…

  Wiglaf hears this and it sends a chill down his spine. Wiglaf then sees that Beowulf has been mortally wounded by the Dragon. He is a bloodied mess.

  OLD WIGLAF

  My lord, you’re wounded.

  KING BEOWULF

  Yes…

  OLD WIGLAF

  We must get you to a healer.

  He struggles over to Beowulf and tries to help him, but Beowulf resists.

  KING BEOWULF

  No.

  OLD WIGLAF

  My lord, I must insist--

  KING BEOWULF

  No!

  (he winces in horrific pain)

  It is a mortal wound. The same wound is killing us both. Leave me to my death, dear friend. It will relieve my pain.

  (then, he seems to be hallucinating)

  Do you hear it?

  OLD WIGLAF

  What, lord?

  KING BEOWULF

  The song. It’s Grendel’s Mother--

  OLD WIGLAF

  (crying as he watches his lord slip into death)

  No, lord. Don’t say such things. You killed Grendel’s mother. She exists no

  (more)

  OLD WIGLAF

  more. You are a great hero…a killer of monsters--

  KING BEOWULF

  I am a monster myself, dear Wiglaf, I am a monster myself--

  And Beowulf is dead.

  Wiglaf begins to SOB.

  FADE TO BLACK:

  155 INT. THE BARROW - DAWN

  155

  We see, from the inside, the thanes pulling open the barrow from outside, to allow them in. The grey-purple pre-dawn light shines in on them. Some of them hold torches. Wiglaf enters, holding a burning torch.

  OLD WIGLAF

  All of it.

  Warriors begin to seize shields, statues and gold, and to haul it out of the barrow.

  CUT TO:

  156 EXT. THE GEAT MOORS - THE BARROW - DAWN

  156

  it’s getting light, although the sun will not rise for an hour or so yet. We see a creaking wagon, being pulled by huge Shire horses, moving through the moors, away from the barrow. The warriors, thanes, Old Wiglaf, all walk along beside it, for it moves at a walking pace. It is piled high with gold. We move in closer, and see that on the top of the wagon lie King Beowulf’s body, and beside it, the Dragon’s body.

 
CUT TO:

  157 EXT. THE GEAT CLIFFTOP - DAWN

  157

  They reach the clifftop. It’s a fall straight into the sea from the clifftop. The CREAKING wagon stops.

  Two Warriors -- Froda and another, on top of the wagon, toss the Dragon’s body down, roughly, to the ground from the wagon, shouting first

  FRODA

  Watch out below!

  The dragon’s body falls to the ground like so much meat. Froda leaps athletically down from the wagon, beside the dragon, and meets Old Wiglaf, who has walked over to it. The dragon’s body is face down. Froda reaches down with his foot and tips the body over, so it stares out, face up.

  FRODA

  So that was the dragon, eh? I thought he’d be bigger.

  OLD WIGLAF

  They are always bigger, in life. Grendel was…

  (then -- realizing that the days of telling that tale has finished, for him)

  Never mind…

  FRODA

  Does he remind you of someone?

  Froda is genuinely puzzled. He never knew Beowulf as a young man, but Old Wiglaf did -- just as we did -- and he knows, just like we do…and he says:

  OLD WIGLAF

  Nobody at all. Let’s get rid of it before the crowd get here.

  And he and Froda roll the Dragon along to the cliff-edge.

  PULL BACK TO REVEAL: The Dragon falls from the cliff into the waves, it’s body pounded by, and then lost into, the surf.