Beowulf by Neil Gaiman Page A

across his face. Cain’s thin shirt is in ribbons down the back and he has a bleeding welt across his face. He runs off, and Guthric goes into the Hall.
    122 INT. GUTHRIC’S HALL - NIGHT
    122
    A harpist is playing, and singing a ballad. The ballad he is singing is the “Saga of Beowulf”. Guthric is talking to LADY GUTHRIC. Lady Guthric is tending to the LITTLE GUTHRICS, a boy and a girl, who are sat on the rush-covered floor of the Hall, playing with dolls quietly.
    GUTHRIC
    The senile old fool. I could have run my sword through his doddering old head.
    LADY GUTHRIC
    Well, it’s a good thing you didn’t, dear.
    GUTHRIC
    Why? Why is it a good thing?
    LADY GUTHRIC
    He is King Beowulf. He killed Grendel. He killed Grendel’s mother--
    GUTHRIC
    Fucking Grendel and fucking Grendel’s fucking mother. Do you know how fucking sick I am of fucking hearing about fucking Grendel and fucking Grendel’s fucking mother?
    LADY GUTHRIC
    (points to the kids in a ’not in front of the children’ sort of way)
    I really don’t think--
    GUTHRIC
    It was a hundred years ago! It was in another country! What the hell was Grendel anyway? Some kind of giant dog, or something? And his mother? She doesn’t even have a name!
    LADY GUTHRIC
    That’s not the
    GUTHRIC
    And who was my Lord Beowulf’s mother, if it comes to that? I tell you, he does not have long to live, and
    But he is interrupted by WILFERTH, Cain’s sister, who runs in and says:
    WILFERTH
    My lord Guthric! It’s Cain! He’s not in the stables! I think he’s run away!
    CUT TO:
    123 EXT. THE GEAT MOORS - NIGHT
    123
    Guthric and some of his friends are riding around on horses, calling out to Cain. As we hear them call, we also see shots of the bleak and deserted moor. Night has not yet quite fallen, and rock shapes twist into shapes that remind us of monsters and demons.
    GUTHRIC
    Cain! Cain! Can you hear me! You don’t want to stay out on the moors! There are things out here that’ll eat your heart for breakfast! And you’ll starve to death out here, you’ll freeze! You’ll die out here! If you don’t come back, I’ll fucking kill you!
    Guthric’s VOICE travels across the moors to
    124 CAIN
    124
    who is cowering behind a rock, as the SOUNDS OF THE SEARCH begins to fade.
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    Cain is shivering and scared. The SOUNDS OF THE PURSUERS are fading away into the distance. And then, close to us, we hear the HOWL of a wolf-pack…
    Cain bolts for it, running through the moors, when suddenly the ground gives way beneath him and he is seemingly swallowed into the Earth.
    125 INT. THE BARROW - NIGHT
    125
    Cain is under the ground. It’s dark…but Cain realizes that we are somewhere that glimmers…. that glimmers golden.
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    Cain SWEARS to himself as he bumps into something…and then slowly his eyes begin to get used to the darkness and he sees…
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    GOLD!
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    It’s a treasure horde, unimaginable to these times: rings and bracelets, necklaces torques and plates, coins and statues and goblets, piled all around. Helmets and mail-shirts, swords, daggers and spears, shields and harps, statues of hawks and horses…the world glows in gold .
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    Cain moves through the gold like a dark shadow….
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    CLOSE ON: Cain’s feet as he walks past…
    126 A SLEEPING DRAGON
    126
    THE DRAGON is the color of the hoard, a glittering gold. In fact at first we think it is a statue. It’s half-human, half dragon, winged and tailed (the wings are folded, the tail is curled) but its face is part human, part reptilian. It is played by the same actor who played young Beowulf, but this should not be immediately obvious.
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    To repeat, this seems like a statue, and might indeed, for the first few shots, be a statue. Eyes closed…
    CAIN
    Such riches…
    And, as he says that, the Dragon’s eyes slowly begin to open, and a smile spreads across its