the poem. New light from Tolkien's Beowulf translation Tolkien's own prose translation of Beowulf, published posthumously in 2014 as Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, has been linked to the essay. Shippey has argued that the translation throws light on "what Tolkien really thought in 1936". Tolkien stated, for instance, that Beowulf was not an actual picture of Scandinavia around 500 AD, but was a self-consistent picture with the marks of design and thought. This might leave the reader wondering, commented Shippey, what exactly Tolkien meant by that. Shippey argued that there was evidence from the chronology given in the 2014 book, supported by the work of scholars such as the archaeologist Martin Rundkvist, that there was serious trouble among the eastern Geats, with migration and the taking over of mead-halls by new leaders, at that time, just as portrayed in the poem. Editions See also Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary (Tolkien's translation of the poem, with extensive commentary, written before "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics", edited by Christopher Tolkien, 2014) "On Translating Beowulf" (Tolkien's essay of advice to any translator of the poem) Tolkien's monsters References Sources Essays by J. R. R. Tolkien 1936 essays Beowulf Works originally published in Proceedings of the British Academy Academic journal articles Literary criticism Reception of J. R. R. Tolkien