Virtual Reality — Real World Experiences
Imagine walking through the storied halls of Heorot, the great mead hall from the epic Beowulf, where the legendary battle between the hero and the monstrous Grendel unfolded.
“Now the hall bellowed. It was a wonder that the building withstood the great battlers, that the beautiful wine-hall did not crumble to the surface of the earth. It was steadfast inside and out, braced with iron bands skillfully forged by the smith’s hands. I have heard there were many gold-trimmed hall benches torn loose from the floor where the menacing fight occurred. Until then, the Scylding elders did not think that the hall, magnificent and ivory-adorned, could be destroyed by man’s scheming unless embraced by flames, swallowed by fire.” —&Բ;
For centuries, this setting existed only in the minds of readers. Now, it has been brought back to life, thanks to a groundbreaking virtual reality (VR) project headed by Tim Arner, professor, and David Neville, digital liberal arts specialist, working through the (GCIEL).
“Virtual reality is a way to make lost or inaccessible places available to people,” says Arner. “‘Beowulf’ takes place in a very specific type of space for which there isn’t really a modern analogue. This project allows modern readers to experience the poem in a way that ‘Beowulf’s’ first audiences would have.”
Arner, Neville, and their students working collaboratively across multiple disciplines through GCIEL have . Slipping into the hall via immersion VR glasses, the king’s throne, inscriptions on the walls, a smoldering fire, artifacts from the era, and building construction all created with a focus on historical accuracy come to life. Guided by Arner and David Neville, students have contributed to every stage of the project, from historical research and archaeological analysis to 3D modeling and interactive programming.
Collaborative Teaching; Interdisciplinary Learning
The Heorot project began as a response to a teaching challenge. “It’s hard for students to imagine the spaces where the events of Beowulf take place,” explains Arner. “Even I struggled with picturing the mead hall accurately until we began this project.”
Neville proposed using VR to address this gap. “When I joined 鶹ý, I was looking for ways to use virtual reality to enhance teaching,” he says. “Recreating the mead hall was a natural fit — it’s a central space in Beowulf and critical to understanding its themes of power, community, and conflict.”
The mead hall project began in 2018, and Arner accompanied students on field research trips to Iceland that year and to Denmark in 2019, where they analyzed archaeological findings and visited reconstructed Viking sites to gain historically accurate information to inform the design of the mead hall.
In a parallel project, funded with a National Endowment for the Humanities’ Digital Humanities grant, Arner, Neville, and their students, along with colleagues at Carleton College, embarked on a multi-year that began in 2023. Neville developed a 3D model based on analysis of archaeological records of the and Carleton students finished texturing the ship and developing interactive content after conducting field research in Germany. Students at 鶹ý contributed to the development of other 3D assets such as swords, shields, and spears, and and see information about its components.
“Ideally, I would like to bring these projects together to create a larger experience that allows users to sail a Viking ship, trade goods, pull into port, explore the port village, and then arrive in the mead hall,” says Neville. “This would, I think, allow users to understand this lost culture somewhat more authentically for the first time and help them appreciate poems such as Beowulf in a new way.”
These projects, says Neville, embody the liberal arts ethos by integrating knowledge and skills from diverse fields. Students from English, history, computer science, art history, and other fields have all contributed to the project.
“Student involvement has been about much more than creating a model,” says Arner. “It’s about working as a team, problem-solving, and applying skills in a real-world context.”
Neville adds, “This project has required artists, researchers, and coders to collaborate across disciplines. It’s been a learning experience for everyone involved, including us as faculty.”
The VR mead hall has already been used to enrich classroom learning at 鶹ý and beyond. By immersing students in the world of Beowulf, the project bridges the gap between ancient texts and modern readers.
“The poem assumes the reader knows what a mead hall is like,” says Arner. “But we’re thousands of years and an ocean away. This experience closes that gap.”
While many readers may envision such a hall as something they’ve seen on the Game of Thrones or Vikings, this recreation allows students to accurately visualize the confines of the space in which Beowulf and Grendel battled.
“For students who can’t study abroad, VR can bring a piece of the world to them,” Neville explains. “And for those who can, it’s an inspiration. Visiting the reconstructed mead hall in Denmark was pivotal for us. We hope our VR version sparks similar interest in exploring these cultural sites in person.”
Pioneering the Future of Liberal Arts
Arner and Neville agree that this type of work is vital to the future of liberal arts education, and that it has the potential to position 鶹ý as a leader in using technology to bridge the humanities and STEM fields.
“This project shows what’s possible at a place like 鶹ý,” says Neville. “It’s a small, tight-knit community where interdisciplinary connections can thrive. Students have contributed in so many ways — from 3D modeling and software development to historical research and documentation. They’re building skills they can showcase to future employers, all while learning to navigate the challenges of long-term, collaborative projects.”
Forward-looking initiatives like these, he adds, need sustained investment and support from the college as it moves into the 21st century.
“We want 鶹ý to be known as a resource for innovative teaching tools. Not just for our students, but for classrooms everywhere,” says Neville. “But as an institution, we can’t quite figure out how to fully embrace these new ways of teaching and developing instructional content. We are hoping to change that, and we hope this inspires others to think about how VR can be used in their disciplines. The possibilities truly are endless — language immersion, anthropology, historical reconstruction and so much more.”