For further clarification I was talkin about your favorite books so I could browse around and see if I should get some. I put out my "favorite" books and was hoping that all who responded would post theirs as well.
In regards to the author of beowulf:
I believe he was a 11th century christian monk composing this poem based on the oral viking tradition at the time and since monasteries were the prime targets of viking due to their concentration of wealth, I was just picturing the priest being tied up and forced to write this as the vikings stood over him to give "encouragement"
. Just a vivid imagination going to work there.