The Anglo-Saxons, burdened with poor soil and floodwaters in their native Scandinavia, fled to Britain after the Romans left in retreat because of their crippling empire, taking with them traditions of elaborate storytelling via epic poems and song. Putting into meter the major events of their tribe’s history, the scops transmitted these epic poems and songs from generation to generation in mead-halls, central gathering places similar to the courts of monarchs. Through this transmission from one generation to the next, these stories developed exaggerated mythological elements, of which Beowulf is the only extant work from the period. Over the course of the three-thousand-line saga, the eponymous hero of Beowulf engages in three distinct but
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In keeping with his code of honor, Beowulf decides to abstain from using any weapons other than his own hands because Grendel himself “scorns / in his reckless way to use weapons” (433-444). After the banished descendent of Cain enters the mead-hall and begins to brawl with Beowulf, Grendel’s “… [s]inews split / and the bone-lappings burst …” (816-817) from Beowulf’s indomitable grip upon his shoulder. Because he has defeated the demon, Beowulf takes Grendel’s arm as his trophy. King Hrothgar afterwards awards Beowulf with horses, gold standards, and armor for ridding the Danes of the pestilence that had affected them for twelve …show more content…
However, instead of refusing to bear arms against the armless daughter of Cain in her subsea lair far from Heorot, Beowulf wears a coat of mail and takes with him Hrunting, “a rare and ancient sword …” given him by Unferth (1458). In the submerged cave, Grendel’s unearthly mother easily overwhelms Beowulf with her hordes of sea-beasts; and to save himself, Beowulf discards the failing sword Hrunting and quickly grabs an ancient sword “from the days of giants …” (1559). Beowulf then lunges the heirloom from a forgone age into Grendel’s mother, effectively killing her and ending the terror of the Danes. Before leaving for the surface, Beowulf decides to take the demon’s head as a trophy to replace the lost arm. Upon returning to Heorot to meet with King Hrothgar, Beowulf is given twelve treasures; and farewells are
In keeping with his code of honor, Beowulf decides to abstain from using any weapons other than his own hands because Grendel himself “scorns / in his reckless way to use weapons” (433-444). After the banished descendent of Cain enters the mead-hall and begins to brawl with Beowulf, Grendel’s “… [s]inews split / and the bone-lappings burst …” (816-817) from Beowulf’s indomitable grip upon his shoulder. Because he has defeated the demon, Beowulf takes Grendel’s arm as his trophy. King Hrothgar afterwards awards Beowulf with horses, gold standards, and armor for ridding the Danes of the pestilence that had affected them for twelve …show more content…
However, instead of refusing to bear arms against the armless daughter of Cain in her subsea lair far from Heorot, Beowulf wears a coat of mail and takes with him Hrunting, “a rare and ancient sword …” given him by Unferth (1458). In the submerged cave, Grendel’s unearthly mother easily overwhelms Beowulf with her hordes of sea-beasts; and to save himself, Beowulf discards the failing sword Hrunting and quickly grabs an ancient sword “from the days of giants …” (1559). Beowulf then lunges the heirloom from a forgone age into Grendel’s mother, effectively killing her and ending the terror of the Danes. Before leaving for the surface, Beowulf decides to take the demon’s head as a trophy to replace the lost arm. Upon returning to Heorot to meet with King Hrothgar, Beowulf is given twelve treasures; and farewells are