Grendel a man-eating demon he lives in the land of the Spear-Danes and attacks King Hrothgar's mead-hall, the Heorot, every evening. The narrator of Beowulf states that Grendel's motivation is hearing Hrothgar sing songs about God's creation of the world, which tempts his demonic nature the wrong way. Whatever the reason, every night Grendel slaughtered and killed more Danes and feeds on their dead corpses after tearing them limb from limb. Eventhough he can't be harmed by blades of any edged weapon, Grendel finally meet his match when the Great warrior Beowulf takes him on in a wrestling match. Something my teacher would say about Beowulf "Faster than a sea monster! Stronger than a demon! More powerful than a dragon! It's… Beowulf". Beowulf is a medieval Geatish warrior willing to take on any challenge in order to make a name for himself.
We first meet Beowulf as he sails, leading a group of warriors, to the land of the Spear-Danes, where he offers his services to King Hrothgar. Beowulf battles two demons, first the man-eating Grendel, then later on a vengeful mother, Grendel's, and Beowulf defends the Danes from these vicious killers. After returning to The homeland Beowulf becomes a king after Hygelac's son, Heardred, is killed in battle. Beowulf rules for fifty years, striking terror into the hearts of neighboring tribes and protecting his people from all enemies – until, one day, a thief wakes a dragon, and Beowulf and his people faces a fierce challenge. Hrothgar is the king of the Spear-Danes when Beowulf arrives in their land, ready to fight the demon Grendel. Many years earlier, Hrothgar paid money to the Wulfings to resolve a blood feud they had with Ecgtheow, Beowulf's father. As a result, Beowulf feels some loyalty toward Hrothgar.
Although Hrothgar was a mighty warrior in his day, at the time of Beowulf, he takes place as an old king, no longer able to defend his people against the fierce demon Grendel. Yet he is also without a successor: his two sons, Hrethric and Hrothmund, are both still too young to take his place.
Luckily for Hrothgar, he has a savior in the form of Beowulf, who is prepared to aid him by defeating the demons that stalk his land, but is too principled to steal his throne. Of course, even though Hrothgar lacks the strength as a warrior that would be necessary to bring true security to his people, he practices another custom that does help maintain his power, by giving rings. Hrothgar generously distributes rewards, including gold, armor, rings, and horses, to the warriors who support him, both Dane and Geat. As a result, he can literally buy loyalty, even when he can't force it in battle. Unferth, a warrior in the tribe of the Spear-Danes, challenges Beowulf's stories he claims about himself. When Beowulf shows up ready to fight Grendel, Unferth tells a story he's heard about Beowulf's swimming contest with Breca, suggesting that Beowulf lost that competition. Beowulf corrects the story, but doesn't exactly claim to have beaten Breca, suggesting that Unferth may be right about some of the details.
Unferth doesn't have any claims to fame. He does have one thing he's known for: killing his brothers. Beowulf reminds Unferth, "You killed your own kith and kin" (587). In a warrior culture based on the relationships between tribes, clans, and families, killing one's brother is one of the worst possible crimes. Unferth is therefore an example of everything not to be as a medieval tribesman: he's quick to find fault with other people, but he hasn't done anything great himself; he's clever and witty, but he killed his own family members.
Unferth is clever and generous, and he also lends Beowulf his famous sword, Hrunting, with which to fight Grendel's mother. Grendel's mother, another demonic descendant of Cain, attempts to avenge her son's death by attacking Heorot Hall. Although she manages to kill one man, she is alarmed by the strength and prowess of the Geatish warriors, and retreats to her lair, a cave underneath a lake filled with sea monsters. Beowulf follows her to her lair and beheads her with a sword that he finds there. Although she isn't nearly as strong as her man-eating son, Grendel's mother fights like an Amazon warrior, and Beowulf has a tough time defeating her.
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| Beowulf |
