Zenaide Alexeievna Ragozin

Posts in The Copybook credited to ‘Zenaide Alexeievna Ragozin’

Zenaide Alexeievna Ragozin (1835-1924) was a Russian-American writer. Born in Russia, she saw to her own education and later began to travel widely in Europe, especially Italy. In 1874 she emigrated to the USA, and became a naturalised citizen, where she contributed to magazines at home and in Russia. As well as her Stories of the Nations series, which told the history of ancient Near Eastern civilisations, Ragozin retold a number of European epics concerning heroes such as Siegfried, Roland and Beowulf. Her honours included Membership of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, the Victoria institute and the Anglo-Russian Literary Society.

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Grendel’s Mother by Zenaide Alexeievna Ragozin

After driving the man-eating ogre Grendel from Hrothgar’s hall, Beowulf must now deal with Grendel’s anguished and vengeful mother.

Beowulf has driven Grendel, the man-eating ogre, from Hrothgar’s hall and mortally wounded him. Thinking his mission complete, Beowulf took his leave of Hrothgar, only for the creature’s anguished mother to steal into the king’s hall and snatch his bosom friend in revenge. Now she has vanished beneath the waters of a mire, but Beowulf is not to be put off. Commending his soul to God, Beowulf leaps after her.

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Death Grip by Zenaide Alexeievna Ragozin

The terrible monster Grendel, secure in the knowledge that no blade can bite him, bursts into Hrothgar’s hall expecting another meal of man-flesh.

The lordly Hall of Hrothgar, King of the Danes, has been plagued night after night by a grotesque creature named Grendel. Offspring of Cain through many wretched fathers, he dwelt in swamps, feeding off the flesh of men, and feared neither sword nor spear. But tonight, Beowulf and his Swedish warrior-band have answered Hrothgar’s call for aid; and lying on soft pelts and rugs, they wait in uneasy slumber.

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