Beowulf (8th-11th Century Poem; Missing Excerpts)

Beowulf is a very long epic poem and one of the oldest-surviving English-language stories. The manuscript has always been in fragile condition and has proven to be quite the challenge to keep preserved.

In the 1731, it became damaged in a fire and a portion of it has become missing. The missing excerpt begins and ends in the middle of the climactic fight with the dragon. It is still possible to follow the story even without the missing piece.

The missing portion has never surfaced, even in older translations of the work.