The Old English saga Beowulf was studied in translation with the help of the Dictionary of Affect in Language which quantifies the emotional connotations of words. Statistically significant differences in Pleasantness and Activation were evident across segments of the poem. A model was developed to represent the wave-like flow of Pleasantness and Activation through the Beowulf saga. Analyses identified a meta-structure whose climax was the second adventure (the killing of Grendel's mother). Data from three different translations and data representing the meter and orthography of the original poem provided convergent construct validity for the model.