Hey, all, Just wanted to spread the word about a new Conan-centric discussion forum here: http://xoth.net/forums/index.php This forum contains discussion of all things Conan, including gaming in just about any system you could want, with forums dedicated to d20 and Classic D&D, as well as forums for play in other systems, and "system neutral" setting discussion.  It also has boards for discussing the literature, movies, etc. Good place to go for any fans of Conan or swords-and-sorcery fiction.

I am watching the cgi Beowulf on FX HD right now.  This is the third version of the flick I've seen (the other two being in the theater, and the blu-ray director's cut).  Every time I see it, I notice things about the story that simply grate on me as a student of religion and mythology. I can't help but think that the late Norsemen who originally wrote this poem must never have stopped rolling over in their graves since the flick came out. Actually, I think it was John Gardner who was the first grievous pisser on this legend, but that's a different blog altogether.  In this one I'll avoid ranting about what a shitty writer I think John Gardner is, and how awful his book Grendel was. But back to Zemeckis, Avery, and Gaiman's treatment.  Anyone who has read the original poem knows how awfully and drastically this film deviates from the epic. Beowulf is presented in the film as a flawed, lying, boastful man who nevertheless is possessed of amazing physical prow...