What was grendel in beowulf

For the killing of Abel the Eternal Lord had exacted a price: Cain got no good from committing that murder because the Almighty made him anathema and out of the curse of his exile there sprang ogres and elves and evil phantoms and the giants too who strove with God time and again until He gave them their reward.

However, at other points in the poem, Grendel seems less like a Biblical figure and more like a ghost, a demon, or something else that belongs in a Halloween-themed horror movie:. So times were pleasant for the people there until finally one, a fiend out of hell, began to work his evil in the world. Critics also like to play with the idea that Grendel might represent something that isn't supernatural at all—a member of another tribe, an outcast, or a warrior who won't play by the rules.

After all, the real problem with Grendel is not that he kills people. Pretty much everyone in this story kills people. The problem with Grendel is that he seems to kill for fun and he won't pay the death-price : the treasure that he should give to the Danes to make reparations for the lives that he has taken. That night, Grendel visits Heorot as the Danes are sleeping. Grendel seizes thirty warriors and carries them to The narrator notes that unlike men, Grendel has no desire to end the feud, or to pay compensation for those he kills Beowulf Arrives Lines — With fourteen loyal men, Beowulf sails to the land of the Danes.

Beowulf says the Geats, having heard of Grendel 's attacks, offer help. The watchman lets them pass. Beowulf greets Hrothgar, and says he has heard that because of Grendel , Heorot stands empty and useless after nightfall. Beowulf boasts of the great deeds of his Because Grendel does not use weapons, Beowulf says that he will fight Grendel with his bare hands A Feast at Heorot Lines — Breca won. Unferth says he now expects Beowulf to fail to fulfill his boasts regarding Grendel.

Beowulf says that Grendel would never have overcome Heorot if Unferth were as brave as he claims to be. Beowulf again promises to fight Grendel with his bare hands. He says, "may God, the holy Lord, assign glory to the Beowulf vs.

Grendel Lines — Grendel approaches Heorot and tears open the doors. He grabs a sleeping Geat, Hondscioh, and eats Grendel 's fierce cries and the sounds of their epic struggle wake the warriors.

Heorot shakes with Celebration Lines — In the morning, the Danes celebrate Beowulf's victory in Heorot. Men follow Grendel 's tracks to the lake where Grendel died. The water boils with his blood. An obvious sociopath, he murdered the party-goers and brought them back to his lair to share their corpses with his even more dangerous mother. Little is known about what exactly he is, but is described as vaguely man-shaped, warped, unnatural, and coated In both scales and barbs.

He also has thick claws made of an almost indestructible material. In the movie, he appeared as an enormous troll-like being with a very lean, lanky, almost emaciated appearance and to top it off, appeared to suffer numerous physical deformities. His skeletal structure made him appear to suffer from neurofibromatosis A condition Joseph Merrick, also known as the elephant man, was afflicted by , and horribly tight-fitting skin that appeared to be ripped and have massive patches missing from it.

Understandably, this incarnation was as pitiable as horrific, and he would often scream during his rampages and appeared to have a chest infection and suffer laboured breathing. He had golden scales but had shed most of them either due to disease or stress from his torment. He also had in place of his ear an enormous eardrum which meant loud noises caused him agony. His face also resembles the famously inbred Charles the of spain, with an enormous forehead, long nose, and underbite, and his hairstyle resema George Mcfly's from the back to the future series.

His personality was a timid recluse who attacked as revenge for the pain the warriors inadvertently inflicted on him and despite his torment, he genuinely enjoyed maiming, devouring, and even drinking the blood of his victms. As he falls asleep he whispers "killing" repeatedly suggesting he is indeed genuinely evil. Despite this, he is also a coward and tries to shrink in size and flee if attacked by a more powerful foe.

His powers are stealth which helps him travel silently to his victims due to his hypersensitive hearing, teleportation via a blue flame, and agility, as he can leap incredibly high and run relatively fast. Despite his strength being sufficient to rip people apart, it has limits. He struggled slightly to rip an armoured soldier in half, and sprained his wrist when he smashed the mead hall doors down.

Villains Wiki. Villains Wiki Explore. What I love most: that "ah hah" moment when a reader suddenly understands the connections between himself, the past, and the world around him. Those moments are rarified, mountain-top experiences. Can't get enough of Jennifer Bohnhoff's blogs? Who - what - was Grendel? In the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, Grendel is a frightening creature who sneaks into Heorot, the mead hall of the Danish king Hrothgar, and kills and eats the warriors.

But what kind of creature is he? The original Beowulf poet did not provide an exact description of Grendle, but he does provide some clues. In his translation, Amherst professor Howell D. Chickering calls Grendle, among other things, an unholy spirit line , a dark death shadow line , an evil monster , a dark walker , and a demon