In the darkness a big and ugly monster dwells. An environment of windy cliffs, wolf dens, and mist that steams like black clouds. Mankind is afraid of his strength for with his teeth he can bite down and break every bone in their bodies. This monster was known to the people as Grendel. Grendel was an offspring of Cain, from the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Cain’s offspring were basically evil, wicked, and destructive beasts, monsters, creatures, and demons; Grendel was a part of this lineage. I believe that the things that a person, or in this case a thing, does always catch up with it; it is just as the saying says what goes around comes around. Grendel was faced with a challenge that he had never seen before and he buckled under pressure.
Grendel would hunt his prey during the night when all of the guards of Herot would be sleeping. He would lurk into the halls and snatch men one by one, leaving the King’s army lessened. Men were afraid of him and no man would want to even enter Herot, “It stayed deserted for years”(Beowulf, line 61). For nothing that the King could offer Grendel would satisfy him except human sacrifice. Grendel was mankind’s enemy, bloodthirsty and horrible in his actions. For twelve long years Grendel killed men innumerably so, that the King’s misery traveled all the way to, the strongest of the Geats, a man named Beowulf. This ferocious monster feasted on the lives of mankind during the night and their families would never see them again until word travels to a man that could be Herot’s “salvation” from Grendel.
Beowulf arrives and there is a big feast. Later that night Grendel arrives with Beowulf still being there waiting with all the other guards. As soon as Grendel sees the strength of young Beowulf he begins to second guess whether or not he should run. “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.”(Beowulf, lines 437-439) This quote shows that no matter how much bigger you are than your enemy, and ugly that doesn’t mean that you should get intimidated and run away from the fight. Grendel recognized Beowulf’s strength and was terrifyingly afraid of finally being conquered by such a man as strong as he.
When Beowulf and Grendel really begin battling Beowulf takes him down. Grendel finally reveals his weak side to the men that he hunts down. “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 all the men on earth was the strongest.”(Beowulf, lines 468-472) Grendel cries out very loudly when Beowulf rips his arm off. The biggest and the most ferocious did not win this battle. Grendel had been taken down and all the people of Herot rejoiced and praised Beowulf because he was the greatest.
Grendel is a big, evil, wicked beast that feeds on the men of Herot as he lurks throughout the night. When he is faced with a challenged he buckles under pressure and in turn dies in the result of his fear, even though he continued to fight. He was the reason that the town Herot remained deserted and when he let out his cry alarming the people that he was in excruciating pain they rejoiced and praised Beowulf, the strongest of the Geats, for his good works. Even when times are hard and it seems as if the other opponent will win because of an advantage in any way, continue to have faith and keep fighting.
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