After being warned by a fortune-teller that their fight against legendary creatures is doomed to failure unless they have a 13th warrior, a travelling ambassador (Banderas) is given no choice but to join a group of fierce fighters

Presents the prose translation of the Old English epic that Tolkien created as a young man, along with selections from lectures on the poem he gave later in life and a story and poetry he wrote in the style of folklore on the poem's themes.