Little Coloured Bricks

The story of Beowulf is described in the manuscript to have taken place in the latter part of the 5^th century after Anglo-Saxons started their migration and settled in England.

This was a time where they were still in very close contact with their kinsmen of Germanic origins who lived in Northern Germany and  Scandinavia.

According to historians, the poem must have been transmitted by the Geats. Others believe however that the story was written in the 7^th century in East Anglia since it shows rather close connections with the Wuffings –the descendants of the great Geatish Wuffings.

Controversy

Recent excavations have shown that at Lejre in Denmark, there was a hall built for soldiers in the middle of the 6^th century –the time period of the epic hero. There were 3 halls that are 50 meters long each. This is not to say of course that the monsters were for real but majority of the characters in the epic poem were based on real people i.e. those who were known to the people of the land. King Hroogar is one great example. But what really is disturbing about the story is that many of the accounts confirm recent archeological evidence. One example is the burial place of Eadgils. This evidence supports the legend of Beowulf and all the other stories that followed.

Lego Beowulf

Although there is no official Lego collection that is based on the story of Beowulf, its popularity has not waned. The controversies surrounding it and of course, its fascinating plot has led many Lego enthusiasts to create their own Lego dioramas.

This goes to show that you can do lots of things with Lego because you can even depict life in the 5^th century or even go further back. Truly a great toy, Lego can do just about anything.