Beowulf

The protagonist Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar,
king of the Danes, whose great hall, Heorot, is plagued by the
monster Grendel. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands and Grendel's
mother with a giant's sword that he found in her lair.

Later in his life, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats, and finds his realm
terrorized by a dragon, some of whose treasure had been stolen from his
hoard in a burial mound. He attacks the dragon with the help of his thegnsor
servants, but they do not succeed. Beowulf decides to follow the dragon to
its lair at Earnanæs, but only his young Swedish relative Wiglaf, whose name
means "remnant of valour",[a] dares to join him. Beowulf finally slays the
dragon, but is mortally wounded in the struggle. He is cremated and a burial
mound by the sea is erected in his honour.
Beowulf is considered an epic poem in that the main character is a hero who
travels great distances to prove his strength at impossible odds against
supernatural demons and beasts. The poem also begins in medias resor
simply, "in the middle of things," which is a characteristic of the epics of
antiquity. Although the poem begins with Beowulf's arrival, Grendel's attacks
have been an ongoing event. An elaborate history of characters and their
lineages is spoken of, as well as their interactions with each other, debts
owed and repaid, and deeds of valour. The warriors form a kind of
brotherhood linked by loyalty to their lord. What is unique about "Beowulf" is
that the poem actually begins and ends with a funeral. At the beginning of
the poem, the king, hero, Shield Shiefson dies (26–45) and there is a huge
funeral for him. At the end of the poem when Beowulf dies, there is also a
massive funeral for Beowulf (3140–3170).

First battle:

Beowulf begins with the story of Hrothgar, who constructed the great
hall Heorot for himself and his warriors. In it, he, his wife Wealhtheow, and
his warriors spend their time singing and celebrating. Grendel, a troll-like
monster said to be descended from the biblical Cain, is pained by the sounds
of joy.[19]Grendel attacks the hall and kills and devours many of Hrothgar's
warriors while they sleep. Hrothgar and his people, helpless against Grendel,
abandon Heorot.
Beowulf, a young warrior from Geatland, hears of Hrothgar's troubles and
with his king's permission leaves his homeland to assist Hrothgar.[20]

Beowulf and his men spend the night in Heorot. Beowulf refuses to use any
weapon because he holds himself to be the equal of Grendel.[21] When
Grendel enters the hall, Beowulf, who has been feigning sleep, leaps up to
clench Grendel's hand.[22] Grendel and Beowulf battle each other
violently.[23]Beowulf's retainers draw their swords and rush to his aid, but
their blades cannot pierce Grendel's skin.[24] Finally, Beowulf tears
Grendel's arm from his body at the shoulder and Grendel runs to his home
in the marshes where he dies.[25] Beowulf displays "the whole of Grendel's
shoulder and arm, his awesome grasp" for all to see at Heorot. This display
would fuel Grendel's mother's anger in revenge.[26]
Second battle:

The next night, after celebrating Grendel's defeat, Hrothgar and his men
sleep in Heorot. Grendel's mother, angry that her son has been killed, sets
out to get revenge. "Beowulf was elsewhere. Earlier, after the award of
treasure, The Geat had been given another lodging"; his assistance would
be absent in this battle.[27]Grendel's mother violently kills Æschere, who is
Hrothgar's most loyal fighter, and escapes.

Hrothgar, Beowulf, and their men track Grendel's mother to her lair under a
lake. Unferð, a warrior who had earlier challenged him, presents Beowulf
with his sword Hrunting. After stipulating a number of conditions to Hrothgar
in case of his death (including the taking in of his kinsmen and the inheritance
by Unferth of Beowulf's estate), Beowulf jumps into the lake, and while
harassed by water monsters gets to the bottom, where he finds a cavern.
Grendel's mother pulls him in, and she and Beowulf engage in fierce combat.
At first, Grendel's mother appears to prevail, and Hrunting proves incapable
of hurting the woman; she throws Beowulf to the ground and, sitting astride
him, tries to kill him with a short sword, but Beowulf is saved by his armour.
Beowulf spots another sword, hanging on the wall and apparently made for
giants, and cuts her head off with it. Travelling further into Grendel's mother's
lair, Beowulf discovers Grendel's corpse and severs his head with the sword,
whose blade melts because of the "hot blood". Only the hilt remains. Beowulf
swims back up to the rim of the pond where his men wait. Carrying the hilt of
the sword and Grendel's head, he presents them to Hrothgar upon his return
to Heorot. Hrothgar gives Beowulf many gifts, including the sword Nægling,
his family's heirloom. The events prompt a long reflection by the king,
sometimes referred to as "Hrothgar's sermon", in which he urges Beowulf to
be wary of pride and to reward his thegns.[28]
Third Battle

Beowulf returns home and eventually becomes king of his own people. One
day, fifty years after Beowulf's battle with Grendel's mother, a slave steals a
golden cup from the lair of a dragon at Earnanæs. When the dragon sees
that the cup has been stolen, it leaves its cave in a rage, burning everything
in sight. Beowulf and his warriors come to fight the dragon, but Beowulf tells
his men that he will fight the dragon alone and that they should wait on the
barrow. Beowulf descends to do battle with the dragon, but finds himself
outmatched. His men, upon seeing this and fearing for their lives, retreat into
the woods. One of his men, Wiglaf, however, in great distress at Beowulf's
plight, comes to his aid. The two slay the dragon, but Beowulf is mortally
wounded. After Beowulf dies, Wiglaf remains by his side, grief-stricken.
When the rest of the men finally return, Wiglaf bitterly admonishes them,
blaming their cowardice for Beowulf's death. Afterward, Beowulf is ritually
burned on a great pyre in Geatland while his people wail and mourn him,
fearing that without him, the Geats are defenceless against attacks from
surrounding tribes. Afterwards, a barrow, visible from the sea, is built in his
memory (Beowulf lines 2712–3182).[29]
The protagonist Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar,
king of the Danes, whose great hall, Heorot, is plagued by the monster
Grendel. Beowulf kills Grendel with his bare hands and Grendel's mother
with a giant's sword that he found in her lair.

Later in his life, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats, and finds his realm
terrorized by a dragon, some of whose treasure had been stolen from his
hoard in a burial mound. He attacks the dragon with the help of his thegns
or servants, but they do not succeed. Beowulf decides to follow the dragon
to its lair at Earnanæs, but only his young Swedish relative Wiglaf, whose
name means "remnant of valour",[a] dares to join him. Beowulf finally slays
the dragon, but is mortally wounded in the struggle. He is cremated and a
burial mound by the sea is erected in his honour.

Beowulf is considered an epic poem in that the main character is a hero who
travels great distances to prove his strength at impossible odds against
supernatural demons and beasts. The poem also begins in medias res or
simply, "in the middle of things," which is a characteristic of the epics of
antiquity. Although the poem begins with Beowulf's arrival, Grendel's attacks
have been an ongoing event. An elaborate history of characters and their
lineages is spoken of, as well as their interactions with each other, debts
owed and repaid, and deeds of valour. The warriors form a kind of
brotherhood linked by loyalty to their lord. What is unique about "Beowulf" is
that the poem actually begins and ends with a funeral. At the beginning of
the poem, the king, hero, Shield Shiefson dies (26–45) and there is a huge
funeral for him. At the end of the poem when Beowulf dies, there is also a
massive funeral for Beowulf (3140–3170).

First battle:

Beowulf begins with the story of Hrothgar, who constructed the great hall
Heorot for himself and his warriors. In it, he, his wife Wealhtheow, and his
warriors spend their time singing and celebrating. Grendel, a troll-like
monster said to be descended from the biblical Cain, is pained by the sounds
of joy.[19] Grendel attacks the hall and kills and devours many of Hrothgar's
warriors while they sleep. Hrothgar and his people, helpless against Grendel,
abandon Heorot.

Beowulf, a young warrior from Geatland, hears of Hrothgar's troubles and

with his king's permission leaves his homeland to assist Hrothgar.[20]

Beowulf and his men spend the night in Heorot. Beowulf refuses to use any
weapon because he holds himself to be the equal of Grendel.[21] When
Grendel enters the hall, Beowulf, who has been feigning sleep, leaps up to
clench Grendel's hand.[22] Grendel and Beowulf battle each other
violently.[23] Beowulf's retainers draw their swords and rush to his aid, but
their blades cannot pierce Grendel's skin.[24] Finally, Beowulf tears
Grendel's arm from his body at the shoulder and Grendel runs to his home
in the marshes where he dies.[25] Beowulf displays "the whole of Grendel's
shoulder and arm, his awesome grasp" for all to see at Heorot. This display
would fuel Grendel's mother's anger in revenge.[26]

Second Battle:
The next night, after celebrating Grendel's defeat, Hrothgar and his men
sleep in Heorot. Grendel's mother, angry that her son has been killed, sets
out to get revenge. "Beowulf was elsewhere. Earlier, after the award of
treasure, The Geat had been given another lodging"; his assistance would
be absent in this battle.[27] Grendel's mother violently kills Æschere, who is
Hrothgar's most loyal fighter, and escapes.

Hrothgar, Beowulf, and their men track Grendel's mother to her lair under a
lake. Unferð, a warrior who had earlier challenged him, presents Beowulf
with his sword Hrunting. After stipulating a number of conditions to Hrothgar
in case of his death (including the taking in of his kinsmen and the inheritance
by Unferth of Beowulf's estate), Beowulf jumps into the lake, and while
harassed by water monsters gets to the bottom, where he finds a cavern.
Grendel's mother pulls him in, and she and Beowulf engage in fierce combat.

At first, Grendel's mother appears to prevail, and Hrunting proves incapable

of hurting the woman; she throws Beowulf to the ground and, sitting astride
him, tries to kill him with a short sword, but Beowulf is saved by his armour.
Beowulf spots another sword, hanging on the wall and apparently made for
giants, and cuts her head off with it. Travelling further into Grendel's mother's
lair, Beowulf discovers Grendel's corpse and severs his head with the sword,
whose blade melts because of the "hot blood". Only the hilt remains. Beowulf
swims back up to the rim of the pond where his men wait. Carrying the hilt of
the sword and Grendel's head, he presents them to Hrothgar upon his return
to Heorot. Hrothgar gives Beowulf many gifts, including the sword Nægling,
his family's heirloom. The events prompt a long reflection by the king,
sometimes referred to as "Hrothgar's sermon", in which he urges Beowulf to
be wary of pride and to reward his thegns.[28]

Beowulf face to face with the fire-breathing dragon

Beowulf returns home and eventually becomes king of his own people. One
day, fifty years after Beowulf's battle with Grendel's mother, a slave steals a
golden cup from the lair of a dragon at Earnanæs. When the dragon sees
that the cup has been stolen, it leaves its cave in a rage, burning everything
in sight. Beowulf and his warriors come to fight the dragon, but Beowulf tells
his men that he will fight the dragon alone and that they should wait on the
barrow. Beowulf descends to do battle with the dragon, but finds himself
outmatched. His men, upon seeing this and fearing for their lives, retreat into
the woods. One of his men, Wiglaf, however, in great distress at Beowulf's
plight, comes to his aid. The two slay the dragon, but Beowulf is mortally
wounded. After Beowulf dies, Wiglaf remains by his side, grief-stricken.
When the rest of the men finally return, Wiglaf bitterly admonishes them,
blaming their cowardice for Beowulf's death. Afterward, Beowulf is ritually
burned on a great pyre in Geatland while his people wail and mourn him,
fearing that without him, the Geats are defenceless against attacks from
surrounding tribes. Afterwards, a barrow, visible from the sea, is built in his
memory (Beowulf lines 2712–3182).[29]