Introduction
From Beowulf line 702: 'Com on wanre niht scriðan sceadugenga'.
In the colourless (wan) night came gliding (or creeping) the shadow goer (or shadow walker).
This passage from Beowulf refers to the monster Grendel.
Sceadugengan
or "shadow-goer", (pronounced: shay-ah duh gen-ghan) (Singular: Sceadugenga), from
Old English sceaduwe (shadow) and gan (to go).
Other extracts from
Beowulf:
Line 159
…..but the retch was persecuting
The
dark death shade warriors old and young;
He
lay in wait and set snares, in the endless night he held
The
misty moors; men may say not
where
the haunts of these Hell-Runes be.
Thus
many offences that foe of mankind,
That
terrible lone traveler…
649
….and darkening night all over,
Shadow-helm’s shapes came slivering,
Black
beneath the skies.
710
He came from the moor, under hills of mist.
The Sceadugengan
Came
shadows through grey night striding,
Through
the dark wood forest gliding,
Formless
shapes their outline hiding,
Silent
Sceadugenga.
What
manor of beast alive or dead,
They
dwell in forests of dark dread,
On
brave shield maidens be they fed,
The
swift Sceadugenga.
On
shadow dark gloomy grey nights,
Without
a form these beastly wights,
Going
about their silent rites,
Elf
or Sceadugenga.
But
who hast seen them in the face,
Or
chasing prey at their fast pace,
Or
at their nest in their full grace,
The
Sceadugengan.
Only
brave men with charms showing,
On
their tunics pouches sowing,
Spells
and galdors to their knowing,
Risk
the Sceadugenga.
Distant
sounds of branches snapping,
Pitter
patter stealthily tapping,
Slowly
with thine spirit sapping,
Go
the sceadugengan.
Who
dares to go at dark of moon,
With
shadows shifting into doom,
Guarded
with that sacred rune,
The
spell casting genga.
Swiftly moving
gliding shadows,
Speeding
faster than thine arrows,
Seeking
the unguarded hallows,
Spector
Sceadudenga.
In
shadows spirits come and go,
Hel's
cold dark demons from below,
As
they do reap so shall they sow,
Come
sceadugengan.
At
deepest dark of night they meet,
Beware
that thee do not them greet,
or
thee may well become their meat,
Hungry
sceadugengan.
Copyright Andrew Rea July 2014
