But, hey, if they can extract leadership tips from a brute like Attila the Hun, why shouldn't the hero of the first English epic be fair game?

FORBES: Leadership Lessons from Beowulf

The epic idea of the Oxford English Dictionary--to find every word in the English language--was typical of the Victorian era, a time when dazzling inventions and seemingly impossible projects were pursued.

FORBES: May Stocks Grow Like Our Language

"Beowulf, " the original action-adventure yarn -- it's the oldest epic narrative verse written in the English language, dating back to the eighth century -- has been spiked with enough risque business and healthy splatterings of gore to make it unsuitable for kids (the rating is PG-13).

CNN: Review: Exciting 'Beowulf' jumps off the screen