I think that this epic and variations on it extend through all the nordic or nordic-influenced cultures. :-) +3

the english race are a very nordic people angles are a heavily people made up of the same stock as danes and swedes. see dan and angul saxo grammaticus writes much about the origins of the danes who are brothers of the danes and both sons of the swedes

Well, that's actually kind of hard to say because the only real manuscript of it we have is in Anglo-Saxon (Ye Olde English) written down by a monk. I would be willing to bet that the story stemmed form an older, oral tale whose origins were probably somewhere in Scandinavia, that had merely been transcribed in Britain following its invasion by Germanic tribes. Also, it's worth noting that Beowulf itself was part of a much larger manuscript that supposedly described monsters and beasts from all over the world - so the tale's location in Denmark is probably indicative of its origins, but the manuscript itself is still regarded solely as a British text.

I was actuall talking about the history of "Denmark" not of beowulf. saxo grammaticus, the father of danish history wrote about the history of the danes. the king of sweden had sons two of whom were dan and angul. dan settled the danish islands, angul settled anglen(southwest baltic sea denmark /germany border) these people are the angles who most certainly settled England mostly north and east england in beginng but spread all over it. even modern geneologists who study y chromosomes and genes,etc. will tell you how similar the danish and english people really are genetically speaking.

"The events described in the poem take place in the late 5th century, after the Anglo-Saxons had begun migration and settlement in England, and before the beginning of the 7th century, a time when the Saxons were either newly arrived or in close contact with their fellow Germanic kinsmen in Scandinavia and Northern Germany. The poem could have been transmitted in England by people of Geatish origins. It has been suggested that Beowulf was first composed in the 7th century at Rendlesham in East Anglia, as Sutton Hoo also shows close connections with Scandinavia, and also that the East Anglian royal dynasty, the Wuffings, were descendants of the Geatish Wulfings. Others have associated this poem with the court of King Alfred, or with the court of King Canute. The poem deals with legends, i.e., it was composed for entertainment and does not separate between fictional elements and real historic events, such as the raid by King Hygelac into Frisia, ca. 516. Scholars generally agree that many of the personalities of Beowulf also appear in Scandinavian sources, but this does not only concern people (e.g., Healfdene, Hroðgar, Halga, Hroðulf, Eadgils and Ohthere), but also clans (e.g., Scyldings, Scylfings and Wulfings) and some of the events (e.g., the Battle on the Ice of Lake Vänern). The Scandinavian sources are notably Ynglinga saga, Gesta Danorum, Hrólfr Kraki's saga and the Latin summary of the lost Skjöldunga saga. As far as Sweden is concerned, the dating of the events in the poem has been confirmed by archaeological excavations of the barrows indicated by Snorri Sturluson and by Swedish tradition as the graves of Ohthere (dated to c. 530) and his son Eadgils (dated to c. 575) in Uppland, Sweden. In Denmark, recent archaeological excavations at Lejre, where Scandinavian tradition located the seat of the Scyldings, i.e., Heorot, have revealed that a hall was built in the mid-6th century, exactly the time period of Beowulf. Three halls, each about 50 metres long, were found during the excavation. The majority view appears to be that people such as King Hroðgar and the Scyldings in Beowulf are based on real people in 6th-century Scandinavia. Like the Finnsburg Fragment and several shorter surviving poems, Beowulf has consequently been used as a source of information about Scandinavian personalities such as Eadgils and Hygelac, and about continental Germanic personalities such as Offa, king of the continental Angles. 19th-century archeological evidence may confirm elements of the Beowulf story. Eadgils was buried at Uppsala, according to Snorri Sturluson. When Eadgils' mound (to the left in the photo) was excavated in 1874, the finds supported Beowulf and the sagas. They showed that a powerful man was buried in a large barrow, c 575, on a bear skin with two dogs and rich grave offerings. These remains include a Frankish sword adorned with gold and garnets and a tafl game with Roman pawns of ivory. He was dressed in a costly suit made of Frankish cloth with golden threads, and he wore a belt with a costly buckle. There were four cameos from the Middle East which were probably part of a casket. This would have been a burial fitting a king who was famous for his wealth in Old Norse sources. Ongenþeow's barrow (to the right in the photo) has not been excavated." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf#Historical_background