by P Vandegrift

Created on: September 20, 2010

A man bestowed with unsurpassed strength and passion for victory; nearly every country had one at some point. The Irish had their Cuchulain, the Norse had their Sigurd, the Germans were blessed with their Siegfried, and the Danes got their Beowulf (borrowed him, that is, from the Geats). Although the title suggests Beowulf was more myth than fact, findings from a late 19th century archaeological dig at Eadgil’s mound in northern Sweden seem to suggest he may have been based on a mortal man. However, the general population associates Beowulf with being more of a mythological person, and as all mythological people and heroes go, he was written as a proud, legendary warrior who successfully battled monsters.

The story of Beowulf, our mythological hero, has been passed down to us in the form of a poem, and not just any poem. Beowulf is an epic poem written in Anglo-Saxon dialect about events that take place over the chilly Germanic Sea (now known as the North Sea) in Denmark and southern Sweden. And, as with most ancient literature, it has gone through several translations, and the arguments over where ‘such and such’ took place or if indeed Grendel and his mother were actually ‘monsters’ or merely well renowned warriors, are aplenty.

In the story of the poem, our mythological hero Beowulf travels to Denmark to help Hrothgar, king of Denmark, battle a terrible monster that has been ravaging his ‘great hall’, Heorot. The name of the monster is Grendl, and unfortunately no ordinary swords or arrows can pierce its skin and thus he is able to confidently trash the great hall and kill many men without fear of death. Beowulf arrives on the scene and that night, while the celebrating warriors are fast asleep, Grendl again attacks the hall. He is more than surprised to be confronted by a weaponless Beowulf. Grendl expects this to be an easy kill but soon realizes that this is not the case, as in the midst of their violent brawl, Beowulf manages to rip Grendl’s arm off. Grendl has never before been injured by a mortal man. He crawls home to the realm of his mother, and dies.

The great hall celebrates, Hrothgar gives Beowulf land and riches, and peace once again rules the land. The hall is filled with music and dancing, warriors killed by Grendl are paid homage to by the bards; it is an evening filled with hope. The next morning, life in the hall returns to normal. But as soon as night falls, the hall is attacked

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