The son of Cain? Grendel, like Beowulf, has a dubious heritage. |
He came to Heorot filled with fury and hunger. Grendel, the "son of Cain," had but one purpose – to wreck havoc on Heorot and to punish Hroðgar and his thanes, ensuring that Heorot would know no peace. Why did this unholy monster venture from his mere to seek revenge upon one who had, as far as we can deduce, done nothing to him? His motive seems to be jealousy at the joyful sounds coming from the mead-hall to which he wasn't invited. |
 Grendel
vents his rage over Heorot for thirteen years until, one day, Beowulf of
the Geats and thirteen of his best men show up and offer their services
to Hroðgar. Hroðgar accepts their offer and that very night, Beowulf
confronts Grendel unarmed. Beowulf cannot bring the fiend down, but he
manages to pull off Grendel’s arm dooming the monster to certain death.
Grendel manages to get away and later dies in his mere.
Everyone believes that this is the end of the reign of terror, however, they do not take into account that Grendel’s mother, though she is a woman, will want wergild (a form of mediæval recompense, usually monetary) for her son’s death. Because it is not offered to her, she takes her revenge on the Danes’ mead-hall. While everyone is sleeping she steals in and carries away Æschere, one of Hroðgar’s most loyal retainers. |
|
| The death of Æschere sends the Danes into a panic, and Hroðgar, once again, calls on Beowulf for help. Beowulf, believing nothing is impossible for him, takes his armor and Unferð’s sword, Hrunting, and proceeds to the mere. He dives into the water, battles a few sea-monsters, and is eventually grabbed by Grendel’s mother who is apparently on neighborhood watch duty. | |
 Beowulf
is taken back to her lair and they fight. Hrunting is useless and shatters
on the first blow, but Beowulf spies another sword in Ms. Grendel’s hall
and grabs it. The sword is a good one and Beowulf decapitates his foe whose
blood melts the ancient blade. |
|
| The Hero spots Grendel’s body lying in a corner. He cuts off the head of the fiend and takes it back as a trophy to hang with Grendel’s arm in Heorot. |  |
A
symbol of evil and corruption, dragons were seen as the antithesis
of a good king. Good kings shared their treasures with the people, and
dragons hoarded them. "Christians thought of dragons as a symbol
of sin and they are often represented as crushed under the feet of saints
and martyrs, symbolizing the triumph of Christianity over paganism."
(
Though
Beowulf thinks that God (or, in his case, the gods) must be angered
with him for something, he does not attempt to consider what it might be
in order to rectify the problem. He instead fixates on bringing down the
dragon . . . alone . . . even though he is, at this time, over 90 years
of age. He does not take into consideration the fact that the last time
he attempted something like this he was young, cocky, and exponentially
more agile. He only knows that he has accomplished this before, and
thinks that is enough reason to suppose he can do it again.
Beowulf’s
most loyal men accompany him to the dragon's barrow, but when the fighting
commences they flee from the danger. The only warrior to remain at his
side is Wiglaf, who helps him slay the dragon, but cannot save his lord’s
life. 
What
motivated Beowulf? Why did he come to Heorot when his king, Hygelac, was
opposed to his risking himself in the Danes business?
Okay,
then if he could fight Grendel unarmed, why did he use Hrunting when he
fought Grendel's mother?
"Waves
of fire swept at his shield
Wiglaf showed his courage, his strength
