What do the poets within beowulf sing about

The Anglo-Saxon Epic

did you know? The original Beowulf manuscript . . . • exists in only one copy. • was damaged and

nearly destroyed in a fire in the 18th century.

• has now been preserved through digitization.

Meet the Author

“Hear me!” So begins Beowulf, the oldest surviving epic poem in English. The command was intended to capture the listening audience’s attention, for Beowulf was originally chanted or sung aloud. Centuries of poet-singers, called scops (shIps), recited the adventures of Beowulf. It is our great fortune that eventually a gifted poet unified the heroic accounts and produced an enduring work of art.

By Anonymous Unfortunately, we don’t know who that poet was or when Beowulf was composed. Scholars contend that the poet may have lived anytime between the middle of the seventh century a.d. and the end of the tenth century. However, we do know where the poem was written. In the fifth century, bloody warfare in northern Europe had driven many Germanic- speaking tribes, including groups of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, to abandon their homes. Many of these groups settled in England, where they established what is now called Anglo-Saxon civilization.

The people of the Anglo-Saxon period spoke a language known as Old English, the language in which Beowulf was composed.

Old English bears little resemblance to Modern English and so must be translated for readers today. By the time Beowulf was written, the Anglo-Saxons had also converted to Christianity. This Christian influence is evident in the poem.

Long Ago and Far Away Although Beowulf was composed in England, the poem describes events that take place in Scandinavia around the 500s among two groups: the Danes of what is now Denmark and the Geats (gCts) of what is now Sweden. Beowulf is a Geat warrior who crosses the sea to defeat Grendel, a monster who is terrorizing the Danes. He later returns to his homeland to succeed his uncle as king of the Geats.

Beowulf celebrates warrior culture and deeds requiring great strength and courage. Scops recited the poem and other tales in mead halls, large wooden buildings that provided a safe haven for warriors returning from battle. During the performances, audiences feasted and drank mead, an alcoholic beverage.

Survivor The sole surviving copy of Beowulf dates from about the year 1000. It is the work of Christian monks who preserved the literature of the past by copying manuscripts. After suffering mistreatment and several near-disasters, the Beowulf manuscript is now safely housed in the British Library in London.

The Beowulf Poet about 750?

from Beowulf Epic Poem by the Beowulf Poet Translated by Burton Raffel

KEYWORD: HML12-40AVIDEO TRAILER

Go to thinkcentral.com. KEYWORD: HML12-40B Author Online

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RL 3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story. RL 4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. L 4a Use context as a clue to the meaning of a word. L 5a Interpret figures of speech in context and analyze their role in the text. L 5b Analyze nuances in the meaning of words with similar denotations.

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Where do monsters lurk? Unlike the monsters in Beowulf, those in our world are not always easy to identify. Evil can hide in the most unexpected places: behind a smiling face, between the lines of a law, in otherwise noble-sounding words. Even when evil is clearly exposed, people may disagree on how to confront it.

QUICKWRITE What does evil mean to you? Write your own definition of the word, and provide some examples of real-life monsters.

text analysis: characteristics of an epic An epic, a long narrative poem that traces the adventures of a great hero, has the power to transport you to another time and place. Beowulf takes you to the Anglo-Saxon period and the land of the Danes and the Geats, where a mighty warrior battles fantastic monsters. As you read the poem, note some of the following characteristics of epic poetry:

• The hero is a legendary figure who performs deeds requiring incredible courage and strength.

• The hero embodies character traits that reflect lofty ideals. • The poet uses formal diction and a serious tone. • The poem reflects timeless values and universal themes.

reading strategy: reading old english poetry Old English poetry is marked by a strong rhythm that is easy to chant or sing. Here are some of the techniques used in an Old English poem:

• alliteration, or the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words, which helps unify the lines

So mankind’s enemy continued his crimes

• caesura (sG-zhMrPE), or a pause dividing each line, with each part having two accented syllables to help maintain the rhythm of the lines

He took what he wanted, // all the treasures

• kenning, a metaphorical compound word or phrase substituted for a noun or name, which enhances meaning— for example, “mankind’s enemy” used in place of “Grendel”

As you read Beowulf, note examples of these techniques and consider their effect on rhythm and meaning in the poem.

vocabulary in context The words shown here help convey the monstrous forces Beowulf faces in the epic. Choose a word from the list that has the same definition as each numbered item.

word list

affliction lair purge gorge livid talon infamous loathsome

1. claw 2. burden 3. notorious 4. cram

Complete the activities in your Reader/Writer Notebook.

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Hrothgar (hrôthPgärQ), king of the Danes, has built a wonderful mead hall called Herot (hDrQEt), where his subjects congregate and make merry. As this selection opens, a fierce and powerful monster named Grendel invades the mead hall, bringing death and destruction.

A powerful monster, living down In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient a As day after day the music rang Loud in that hall, the harp’s rejoicing Call and the poet’s clear songs, sung Of the ancient beginnings of us all, recalling The Almighty making the earth, shaping These beautiful plains marked off by oceans, Then proudly setting the sun and moon To glow across the land and light it; The corners of the earth were made lovely with trees And leaves, made quick with life, with each Of the nations who now move on its face. And then As now warriors sang of their pleasure:

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a OLD ENGLISH POETRY Reread lines 1–2 aloud. Notice the use of alliteration with the repetition of the letters p and d. What mood, or feeling, does the alliteration convey?

Analyze Visuals Examine the composition, or arrangement of shapes, in this photograph. How does the angle of the photo contribute to its impact?

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So Hrothgar’s men lived happy in his hall Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild Marshes, and made his home in a hell Not hell but earth. He was spawned in that slime, Conceived by a pair of those monsters born Of Cain, murderous creatures banished By God, punished forever for the crime Of Abel’s death. The Almighty drove Those demons out, and their exile was bitter, Shut away from men; they split Into a thousand forms of evil—spirits And fiends, goblins, monsters, giants, A brood forever opposing the Lord’s Will, and again and again defeated. b

Then, when darkness had dropped, Grendel Went up to Herot, wondering what the warriors Would do in that hall when their drinking was done. He found them sprawled in sleep, suspecting Nothing, their dreams undisturbed. The monster’s Thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws: He slipped through the door and there in the silence Snatched up thirty men, smashed them Unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies, The blood dripping behind him, back To his lair, delighted with his night’s slaughter.

At daybreak, with the sun’s first light, they saw How well he had worked, and in that gray morning Broke their long feast with tears and laments For the dead. Hrothgar, their lord, sat joyless In Herot, a mighty prince mourning The fate of his lost friends and companions, Knowing by its tracks that some demon had torn His followers apart. He wept, fearing The beginning might not be the end. And that night c Grendel came again, so set On murder that no crime could ever be enough, No savage assault quench his lust For evil. Then each warrior tried To escape him, searched for rest in different Beds, as far from Herot as they could find, Seeing how Grendel hunted when they slept. Distance was safety; the only survivors Were those who fled him. Hate had triumphed.

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21 Cain: the eldest son of Adam and Eve. According to the Bible (Genesis 4), he murdered his younger brother Abel.

19 spawned: given birth to.

17 moors (mMrz): broad, open regions with patches of bog.

b

EPIC Note the description in lines 23–29 of supernatural creatures that are “again and again defeated.” What universal theme might these lines suggest?

lair (lâr) n. the den or resting place of a wild animal

c

EPIC What is the tone of lines 44–49? What words and details convey this tone?

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So Grendel ruled, fought with the righteous, One against many, and won; so Herot Stood empty, and stayed deserted for years, Twelve winters of grief for Hrothgar, king Of the Danes, sorrow heaped at his door By hell-forged hands. His misery leaped d The seas, was told and sung in all Men’s ears: how Grendel’s hatred began, How the monster relished his savage war On the Danes, keeping the bloody feud Alive, seeking no peace, offering No truce, accepting no settlement, no price In gold or land, and paying the living For one crime only with another. No one Waited for reparation from his plundering claws: That shadow of death hunted in the darkness, Stalked Hrothgar’s warriors, old And young, lying in waiting, hidden In mist, invisibly following them from the edge Of the marsh, always there, unseen.

So mankind’s enemy continued his crimes, Killing as often as he could, coming Alone, bloodthirsty and horrible. Though he lived In Herot, when the night hid him, he never Dared to touch king Hrothgar’s glorious Throne, protected by God—God, Whose love Grendel could not know. But Hrothgar’s Heart was bent. The best and most noble Of his council debated remedies, sat In secret sessions, talking of terror And wondering what the bravest of warriors could do. And sometimes they sacrificed to the old stone gods, Made heathen vows, hoping for Hell’s Support, the Devil’s guidance in driving Their affliction off. That was their way, And the heathen’s only hope, Hell Always in their hearts, knowing neither God Nor His passing as He walks through our world, the Lord Of Heaven and earth; their ears could not hear His praise nor know His glory. Let them Beware, those who are thrust into danger, Clutched at by trouble, yet can carry no solace In their hearts, cannot hope to be better! Hail To those who will rise to God, drop off Their dead bodies and seek our Father’s peace!

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91 heathen (hCPthEn): pagan; non- Christian. Though the Beowulf Poet was a Christian, he recognized that the characters in the poem lived before the Germanic tribes were converted to Christianity, when they still worshiped “the old stone gods.”

84 The reference to God shows the influence of Christianity on the Beowulf Poet.

73 reparation: something done to make amends for loss or suffering. In Germanic society, someone who killed another person was generally expected to make a payment to the victim’s family as a way of restoring peace.

d

OLD ENGLISH POETRY What does the kenning “hell- forged hands” in line 64 suggest about Grendel?

affliction (E-flGkPshEn) n. a force that oppresses or causes suffering

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So the living sorrow of Healfdane’s son Simmered, bitter and fresh, and no wisdom Or strength could break it: that agony hung On king and people alike, harsh And unending, violent and cruel, and evil.

In his far-off home Beowulf, Higlac’s Follower and the strongest of the Geats—greater And stronger than anyone anywhere in this world— Heard how Grendel filled nights with horror And quickly commanded a boat fitted out, Proclaiming that he’d go to that famous king, Would sail across the sea to Hrothgar, Now when help was needed. None Of the wise ones regretted his going, much As he was loved by the Geats: the omens were good, And they urged the adventure on. So Beowulf Chose the mightiest men he could find, The bravest and best of the Geats, fourteen In all, and led them down to their boat;

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beowulf 104 Healfdane’s son: Hrothgar.

109–110 Higlac’s follower: a warrior loyal to Higlac (hGgPlBkQ), king of the Geats (and Beowulf’s uncle).

The Oseberg Ship (850), Viking. Viking Ship Museum, Bygdoy, Norway. © Werner Forman/Art Resource, New York.

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He knew the sea, would point the prow Straight to that distant Danish shore. . . . e

Beowulf and his men sail over the sea to the land of the Danes to offer help to Hrothgar. They are escorted by a Danish guard to Herot, where Wulfgar, one of Hrothgar’s soldiers, tells the king of their arrival. Hrothgar knows of Beowulf and is ready to welcome the young prince and his men.

Then Wulfgar went to the door and addressed The waiting seafarers with soldier’s words:

“My lord, the great king of the Danes, commands me To tell you that he knows of your noble birth And that having come to him from over the open Sea you have come bravely and are welcome. Now go to him as you are, in your armor and helmets, But leave your battle-shields here, and your spears, Let them lie waiting for the promises your words May make.” Beowulf arose, with his men Around him, ordering a few to remain With their weapons, leading the others quickly Along under Herot’s steep roof into Hrothgar’s Presence. Standing on that prince’s own hearth, Helmeted, the silvery metal of his mail shirt Gleaming with a smith’s high art, he greeted The Danes’ great lord: “Hail, Hrothgar! Higlac is my cousin and my king; the days Of my youth have been filled with glory. Now Grendel’s Name has echoed in our land: sailors Have brought us stories of Herot, the best Of all mead-halls, deserted and useless when the moon Hangs in skies the sun had lit, Light and life fleeing together. My people have said, the wisest, most knowing And best of them, that my duty was to go to the Danes’ Great king. They have seen my strength for themselves, Have watched me rise from the darkness of war, Dripping with my enemies’ blood. I drove Five great giants into chains, chased All of that race from the earth. I swam In the blackness of night, hunting monsters Out of the ocean, and killing them one

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139 mail shirt: flexible body armor made of metal links or overlapping metal scales. 140 smith’s high art: the skilled craft of a blacksmith (a person who fashions objects from iron). 142 cousin: here, a general term for a relative. Beowulf is actually Higlac’s nephew.

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EPIC An epic is a long narrative poem that traces the adventures of a great hero. Almost all national cultures have their own epics, whose stories and heroes play a role in defining the national character. An epic may describe how a nation was established or highlight specific traits associated with its people. Read lines 109–124. At what point in the story is Beowulf introduced? What traits of an epic hero does he appear to possess? Which traits of Beowulf’s might also be used to describe the British people and their origins?

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By one; death was my errand and the fate They had earned. Now Grendel and I are called f Together, and I’ve come. Grant me, then, Lord and protector of this noble place, A single request! I have come so far, Oh shelterer of warriors and your people’s loved friend, That this one favor you should not refuse me— That I, alone and with the help of my men, May purge all evil from this hall. I have heard, Too, that the monster’s scorn of men Is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. Nor will I. My lord Higlac Might think less of me if I let my sword Go where my feet were afraid to, if I hid Behind some broad linden shield: my hands Alone shall fight for me, struggle for life Against the monster. God must decide Who will be given to death’s cold grip. Grendel’s plan, I think, will be What it has been before, to invade this hall And gorge his belly with our bodies. If he can, If he can. And I think, if my time will have come, There’ll be nothing to mourn over, no corpse to prepare For its grave: Grendel will carry our bloody Flesh to the moors, crunch on our bones And smear torn scraps of our skin on the walls Of his den. No, I expect no Danes Will fret about sewing our shrouds, if he wins. And if death does take me, send the hammered Mail of my armor to Higlac, return The inheritance I had from Hrethel, and he From Wayland. Fate will unwind as it must!”

Hrothgar replied, protector of the Danes: “Beowulf, you’ve come to us in friendship, and because

Of the reception your father found at our court. Edgetho had begun a bitter feud, Killing Hathlaf, a Wulfing warrior: Your father’s countrymen were afraid of war, If he returned to his home, and they turned him away. Then he traveled across the curving waves To the land of the Danes. I was new to the throne, Then, a young man ruling this wide

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172 linden shield: a shield made from the wood of a linden tree. 172–174 Beowulf insists on fighting Grendel without weapons.

185 shrouds: cloths in which dead bodies are wrapped.

188 Hrethel (hrDthPEl): a former king of the Geats—Higlac’s father and Beowulf’s grandfather. 189 Wayland: a famous blacksmith and magician.

193 Edgetho (DjPthI): Beowulf’s father. 194 Wulfing: a member of another Germanic tribe.

purge (pûrj) v. to cleanse or rid of something undesirable

gorge (gôrj) v. to stuff with food; glut

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EPIC Notice that in lines 153–159, Beowulf boasts about past victories that required superhuman strength and courage. Why might the people of Beowulf’s time have valued such traits?

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Kingdom and its golden city: Hergar, My older brother, a far better man Than I, had died and dying made me, Second among Healfdane’s sons, first In this nation. I bought the end of Edgetho’s Quarrel, sent ancient treasures through the ocean’s Furrows to the Wulfings; your father swore He’d keep that peace. My tongue grows heavy, And my heart, when I try to tell you what Grendel Has brought us, the damage he’s done, here In this hall. You see for yourself how much smaller g Our ranks have become, and can guess what we’ve lost To his terror. Surely the Lord Almighty Could stop his madness, smother his lust! How many times have my men, glowing With courage drawn from too many cups Of ale, sworn to stay after dark And stem that horror with a sweep of their swords. And then, in the morning, this mead-hall glittering With new light would be drenched with blood, the benches Stained red, the floors, all wet from that fiend’s Savage assault—and my soldiers would be fewer Still, death taking more and more. But to table, Beowulf, a banquet in your honor: Let us toast your victories, and talk of the future.” h

Then Hrothgar’s men gave places to the Geats, Yielded benches to the brave visitors And led them to the feast. The keeper of the mead Came carrying out the carved flasks, And poured that bright sweetness. A poet Sang, from time to time, in a clear Pure voice. Danes and visiting Geats Celebrated as one, drank and rejoiced. . . .

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OLD ENGLISH POETRY Observe that as Hrothgar begins to speak about Grendel in lines 207–210, his tone, or his attitude toward his subject, becomes bleak and despairing. What repeated sounds does the poet use to suggest this tone?

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EPIC Note that Hrothgar delivers a long speech to Beowulf in lines 190–224. What values are reflected in the speech?

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After the banquet, Hrothgar and his followers leave Herot, and Beowulf and his warriors remain to spend the night. Beowulf reiterates his intent to fight Grendel without a sword and, while his followers sleep, lies waiting, eager for Grendel to appear.

Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty Hills and bogs, bearing God’s hatred, Grendel came, hoping to kill i Anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot. He moved quickly through the cloudy night, Up from his swampland, sliding silently Toward that gold-shining hall. He had visited Hrothgar’s Home before, knew the way— But never, before nor after that night, Found Herot defended so firmly, his reception So harsh. He journeyed, forever joyless, Straight to the door, then snapped it open, Tore its iron fasteners with a touch

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the battle with grendel

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OLD ENGLISH POETRY Reread lines 233–235. Notice that the translator uses punctuation to convey the effect of the midline pauses, or caesuras, in the lines. In what way does the rhythm created by the pauses reinforce the action recounted here?

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And rushed angrily over the threshold. He strode quickly across the inlaid Floor, snarling and fierce: his eyes Gleamed in the darkness, burned with a gruesome Light. Then he stopped, seeing the hall Crowded with sleeping warriors, stuffed With rows of young soldiers resting together. And his heart laughed, he relished the sight, Intended to tear the life from those bodies By morning; the monster’s mind was hot With the thought of food and the feasting his belly Would soon know. But fate, that night, intended Grendel to gnaw the broken bones Of his last human supper. Human Eyes were watching his evil steps, Waiting to see his swift hard claws. Grendel snatched at the first Geat He came to, ripped him apart, cut His body to bits with powerful jaws, Drank the blood from his veins and bolted Him down, hands and feet; death And Grendel’s great teeth came together, Snapping life shut. Then he stepped to another Still body, clutched at Beowulf with his claws, Grasped at a strong-hearted wakeful sleeper —And was instantly seized himself, claws Bent back as Beowulf leaned up on one arm.

That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, Knew at once that nowhere on earth Had he met a man whose hands were harder; His mind was flooded with fear—but nothing Could take his talons and himself from that tight Hard grip. Grendel’s one thought was to run From Beowulf, flee back to his marsh and hide there: This was a different Herot than the hall he had emptied. But Higlac’s follower remembered his final Boast and, standing erect, stopped The monster’s flight, fastened those claws In his fists till they cracked, clutched Grendel Closer. The infamous killer fought For his freedom, wanting no flesh but retreat, Desiring nothing but escape; his claws Had been caught, he was trapped. That trip to Herot Was a miserable journey for the writhing monster!

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246 threshold: the strip of wood or stone at the bottom of a doorway.

talon (tBlPEn) n. a claw

infamous (GnPfE-mEs) adj. having a very bad reputation

278–289 Up to this point Grendel has killed his human victims easily.

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The high hall rang, its roof boards swayed, And Danes shook with terror. Down The aisles the battle swept, angry And wild. Herot trembled, wonderfully Built to withstand the blows, the struggling Great bodies beating at its beautiful walls; Shaped and fastened with iron, inside And out, artfully worked, the building Stood firm. Its benches rattled, fell To the floor, gold-covered boards grating As Grendel and Beowulf battled across them. j Hrothgar’s wise men had fashioned Herot To stand forever; only fire, They had planned, could shatter what such skill had put Together, swallow in hot flames such splendor Of ivory and iron and wood. Suddenly The sounds changed, the Danes started In new terror, cowering in their beds as the terrible Screams of the Almighty’s enemy sang In the darkness, the horrible shrieks of pain And defeat, the tears torn out of Grendel’s Taut throat, hell’s captive caught in the arms Of him who of all the men on earth Was the strongest.

That mighty protector of men Meant to hold the monster till its life Leaped out, knowing the fiend was no use To anyone in Denmark. All of Beowulf ’s Band had jumped from their beds, ancestral Swords raised and ready, determined To protect their prince if they could. Their courage Was great but all wasted: they could hack at Grendel From every side, trying to open A path for his evil soul, but their points Could not hurt him, the sharpest and hardest iron Could not scratch at his skin, for that sin-stained demon Had bewitched all men’s weapons, laid spells That blunted every mortal man’s blade. And yet his time had come, his days Were over, his death near; down To hell he would go, swept groaning and helpless To the waiting hands of still worse fiends.

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OLD ENGLISH POETRY Reread lines 293–300. What impression of the battle does the alliteration help convey?

Language Coach Homophones Many word pairs sound alike but have different spellings and meanings. For example, taught is the past tense of teach. Which word in line 311 is a homophone for taught? Guess the word’s meaning using the surrounding text.

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Now he discovered—once the afflictor Of men, tormentor of their days—what it meant To feud with Almighty God: Grendel Saw that his strength was deserting him, his claws Bound fast, Higlac’s brave follower tearing at His hands. The monster’s hatred rose higher, But his power had gone. He twisted in pain, And the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder Snapped, muscle and bone split And broke. The battle was over, Beowulf Had been granted new glory: Grendel escaped, But wounded as he was could flee to his den, His miserable hole at the bottom of the marsh, Only to die, to wait for the end Of all his days. And after that bloody Combat the Danes laughed with delight. He who had come to them from across the sea, Bold and strong-minded, had driven affliction Off, purged Herot clean. He was happy, Now, with that night’s fierce work; the Danes Had been served as he’d boasted he’d serve them; Beowulf, A prince of the Geats, had killed Grendel, Ended the grief, the sorrow, the suffering Forced on Hrothgar’s helpless people By a bloodthirsty fiend. No Dane doubted The victory, for the proof, hanging high From the rafters where Beowulf had hung it, was the monster’s Arm, claw and shoulder and all.

And then, in the morning, crowds surrounded Herot, warriors coming to that hall From faraway lands, princes and leaders Of men hurrying to behold the monster’s Great staggering tracks. They gaped with no sense Of sorrow, felt no regret for his suffering, Went tracing his bloody footprints, his beaten And lonely flight, to the edge of the lake Where he’d dragged his corpselike way, doomed And already weary of his vanishing life. The water was bloody, steaming and boiling In horrible pounding waves, heat Sucked from his magic veins; but the swirling Surf had covered his death, hidden

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338 sinews (sGnPyLz): the tendons that connect muscles to bones.

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Deep in murky darkness his miserable End, as hell opened to receive him. k

Then old and young rejoiced, turned back From that happy pilgrimage, mounted their hard-hooved Horses, high-spirited stallions, and rode them Slowly toward Herot again, retelling Beowulf ’s bravery as they jogged along. And over and over they swore that nowhere On earth or under the spreading sky Or between the seas, neither south nor north, Was there a warrior worthier to rule over men. (But no one meant Beowulf ’s praise to belittle Hrothgar, their kind and gracious king!)

And sometimes, when the path ran straight and clear, They would let their horses race, red And brown and pale yellow backs streaming Down the road. And sometimes a proud old soldier Who had heard songs of the ancient heroes And could sing them all through, story after story, Would weave a net of words for Beowulf ’s Victory, tying the knot of his verses Smoothly, swiftly, into place with a poet’s Quick skill, singing his new song aloud While he shaped it, and the old songs as well. . . . l

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Text Analysis 1. Clarify Why does Beowulf journey across the sea to the land of

the Danes?

2. Summarize How does Beowulf trap and kill Grendel?

3. Analyze Motivation What drives Grendel to attack so many men at Herot, the mead hall?

4. Make Inferences Why does Beowulf hang Grendel’s arm from the rafters of Herot?

k

GRAMMAR AND STYLE To capture a scene, the poet often uses vivid imagery. Notice the use in lines 369–374, for example, of adjectives such as bloody, steaming, pounding, and swirling to help readers see and feel the violent, churning water.

l

OLD ENGLISH POETRY Reread lines 389–396. In what ways does this description reflect the techniques used by Anglo-Saxon poets? Cite details.

54 unit 1: the anglo-saxon and medieval periods

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Although one monster has died, another still lives. From her lair in a cold and murky lake, where she has been brooding over her loss, Grendel’s mother emerges, bent on revenge.

So she reached Herot, Where the Danes slept as though already dead; Her visit ended their good fortune, reversed The bright vane of their luck. No female, no matter How fierce, could have come with a man’s strength, Fought with the power and courage men fight with, Smashing their shining swords, their bloody, Hammer-forged blades onto boar-headed helmets, Slashing and stabbing with the sharpest of points. The soldiers raised their shields and drew Those gleaming swords, swung them above The piled-up benches, leaving their mail shirts And their helmets where they’d lain when the terror took hold of them. To save her life she moved still faster, Took a single victim and fled from the hall, Running to the moors, discovered, but her supper Assured, sheltered in her dripping claws. She’d taken Hrothgar’s closest friend, The man he most loved of all men on earth; She’d killed a glorious soldier, cut A noble life short. No Geat could have stopped her: Beowulf and his band had been given better

400

405

410

415

grendel’s mother

400 vane: a device that turns to show the direction the wind is blowing—here associated metaphorically with luck, which is as changeable as the wind.

404 boar-headed helmets: Germanic warriors often wore helmets bearing the images of wild pigs or other fierce creatures in the hope that the images would increase their ferocity and protect them against their enemies.

What mood is conveyed by this photograph? Which elements help create that mood?

beowulf 55