Hrothgar's Distress

Their mighty prince,
the storied leader, sat stricken and helpless,
humiliated by the loss of his guard,
bewildered and stunned, staring aghast
at the demons trail, in deep distress.
He was numb with grief

From Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf.

The morning after Grendel strikes at Heorot.  Really tried to get to grips with the composition of this piece while making use of stock photos and references. I'm much happier with the way the eye is held in this picture than I have been on some previous works, and I think I got the scale right.  Carving and tracery is difficult!

Massive thanks to and

Pencil, ink, whiteout, paint and digital. Comments welcome!