A Geatish hero slays the monster Grendel and its mother, then falls decades later battling a dragon.
Books that mention Beowulf (2)
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger: “because I had all that Beowulf and Lord Randal My Son stuff when I was at the Whooton School”
I Am a Cat by Natsume Sōseki: “Then, moving on to England, the word 'gallows' appears in Beowulf, so it seems certain that hanging was practiced as a punishment from that age. [auto-translated]”