Beowulf, an old English poem composed some time between the end of the 7th and the beginning of the 8th century, is considered the oldest epic in Anglo-Saxon literature. Beowulf, the dauntless and daring hero, killed three monsters in order to save his own people. He received his death-wound in his fight with the third monster, the firedragon, and died after he killed it. Here is the story of his first fight, with the man-eating giant Grendel.
Many, many years ago there lived a king called Hrothgar. His lands extended wide, from sea to sea, and his fame extended among all the neighbouring peoples.
Now King Hrothgar decided to build a great hall, made of wood joined together with iron. Workers in wood and iron came together, and very soon the hall stood ready, a beautiful building, tall and wide. There was a great door strongly barred with iron. Within, in the centre of the hall, there was large open fire, and the smoke went out through a hole in the roof. Along the two sides there were rows of seats. In the centre of one row there was a place for King Hrothgar and his Queen, and in the centre of the other row there were places for men of high rank visiting the King.
Now as soon as the hall was finished, Hrothgar held a great feast. The men sang and shouted, and the noise of the feasting went far and wide through the cold night air, — out over the waste lands which extended for miles between the hall and the sea. It came to the ears of Grendel, where he lived at the bottom of the lake.
Grendel was half-beast, half-man, a terrible thing. He was hated by men and Gods; and he hated men in return. He hated to see men happy when he was sad. The sound of the feast filled him with hatred and anger. He went out into the night, across the waste lands, to the Hall. All was silent within, for the feast was now ended, and the men were sleeping on the rows of seats. The great iron-barred door was shut. He broke open the door. He seized thirty men as they slept. He carried their bodies away, and feasted terribly in the darkness.
Then in the morning light Grendel’s deeds were seen by men. There were weeping and a great cry. The famous King Hrothgar sat in his Hall filled with sadness and with hatred of Grendel, the man-beast. He did not know what to do, nor whose aid to seek. After one night, Grendel came again and carried off others. And so it was every night, until men would no longer sleep in the Hall because of the terrible deeds of Grendel.
Just on the other side of the sea there lived a King called Hygelac; and one of the men of his family was named Beowulf. Beowulf was famous for brave deeds; he was the strongest of men. He heard of the terrible deeds of Grendel. He knew that King Hrothgar sought aid, and he alone could aid him. So he made ready a ship and chose fourteen of his bravest men to aid in the battle. Among them was a wise old sea-man whom he took with him to direct the ship across the sea to the land of Hrothgar. A strong wind aided them, and after one day they saw the coast in the distance, tall capes and a deep bay. They sailed for the bay, and came to the shore. There they met one of Hrothgar’s men, who had seen the ship coming, and he directed them to King Hrothgar’s Hall.
They came before the King. Beowulf said, “O King Hrothgar, I am of King Hygelac’s family. It has become known to me in my country that this beautiful Hall cannot be used because of a terrible creature called Grendel. I have killed many strange creatures with my own hands. I have killed five giants, and I have fought with sea-creatures in the water. I have come to ask if I may fight this creature also. Perhaps I shall succeed, where others have failed; or perhaps I shall have no more success than they have had. It may be my fate that I shall be killed in the battle. He whom death carries off should know that God has judged it to be best. There will be no need to make a grave for me, if it is fated that Grendel should kill me; for he will carry my body and eat it in his home in the lake. Only send to Hygelac this coat of mail, which was given to me by his father, and it is made with wonderful art. Fate goes ever as it must.”
King Hrothgar answered, “Take now and guard this best of houses. Remember your fame: make known your strength, watch against the enemy; — and success go with you.”
When night came Beowulf and his men went to the Hall. He took off his coat of iron mail, and his sword, saying, “I can fight as well as Grendel can: therefore I will not use sword, for Grendel has no sword. We will fight with our hands.”
Night came. The Hall was in darkness. All slept, except one. Then Grendel came marching through the night over the waste lands towards the Hall. With a great blow of his black paw he broke open the door. He reached forward into the darkness, caught a man in his paw and killed him. Then he went further into the Hall: he reached out his paw over the place where Beowulf was lying. Beowulf was not frightened: his heart did not know fear.
He seized the paw with his iron hands and held it firmly. Then indeed Grendel was frightened at the strength with which his arm was held. he shouted loudly and tried to free himself, but he failed. He struggled, but the more he struggled, the more firmly Beowulf held him. he became more frightened and struggled yet more wildly, crying and shouting and weeping. The seats were thrown this way and that. The Hall rang with the noise of the battle. If the walls had not been joined with iron, they would have broken.
Still Beowulf held and still Grendel struggled. At last there was a loud cry, a terrible cry which frightened the hearts of all who had heard it: Grendel was wounded. The wound was in his shoulder, for the bone and the skin had yielded. Although he was wounded, Grendel would not yield to Beowulf in the fight. He struggled so hard that the arm was pulled out from the shoulder. Then at last he yielded: he ran forth from the Hall over the waste lands; and in the dim star-light came to his home in the lake.
Dawn came over the hills. The lake was red and boiling: great waves arose. And, as the clear light of day extended over hill and valley, driving away the shadows, the black creature of the night yielded up his soul.
At dawn at the Hall of Hrothgar frightened men stood with white faces among the broken seats: they saw the floor marked with blood, the door broken to pieces, — and, terrible beside it, the arm of Grendel. And they knew that their captain had not failed.
As day went on, Captains and Princes and men of rank came from all the neighbouring peoples to see the wonderful sight, to view the marks of the battle and the footsteps of the wounded Grendel across the sand to the lake where he lay dead.
Then the Hall was prepared for the greatest of feasts. Wine was set ready and the walls were hung with cloth of gold. When night came they sat down to eat meat and to drink wine in honour of Beowulf’s success. Hrothgar’s Queen came forth wearing a golden crown and carried the winecup to her master, and from him to Beowulf.
Then Hrothgar rose and said, “You have succeeded where we could not succeed: therefore we honour you the more. Most noble Beowulf, I love you in my heart as a son, for you have done noble deeds. Happy the noble woman who bore this child; blessed is the mother of such a son. Let her thank God for His grace to her in her child-bearing.”
