You should look at his translation of Beowulf. Not because it's an especially good translation (it isn't), but because it's really just a framework for a series of mini-essays on how much you can learn about the culture from that poem (and supporting material).
He examines the poem on a nearly word-by-word basis, and each one teaches something about how they thought about the world. That requires an absolutely encyclopedic grasp of every single fragment of knowledge we have: archeology, sagas, descendant languages, religion, etc.
You really read it for the footnotes rather than the (unremarkable) prose. Having read it gives you a much greater appreciation for other translations, and the way they translate the 6th century for today.
He examines the poem on a nearly word-by-word basis, and each one teaches something about how they thought about the world. That requires an absolutely encyclopedic grasp of every single fragment of knowledge we have: archeology, sagas, descendant languages, religion, etc.
You really read it for the footnotes rather than the (unremarkable) prose. Having read it gives you a much greater appreciation for other translations, and the way they translate the 6th century for today.