Riddle

The wrinkled appearance it obtains

With huge aged bones of massive heaviness

A grubby, grungy, grayish tint of the rainy Ymir’s skull

Curved incisors continually growing within its word-hoard

Big and small, a range of sizes

Each with one’s own story to tell

Drinks the water of the swan-track

Can carry child for a fourth of a decade

A symbol of wisdom, wanting, and wishing

A longing for peace, patience, and its purpose in life

Has walked along the earth for many ages

And continues along the rugged terrain
Answer: Elephant

Characteristics of Grendel

            In the epic of Beowulf, Grendel is presented as a coward, a monster, and an insensitive character. According to the story, Grendel was referred to as "spawned in that slime,” a biblical allusion to the story of Cain and Abel. Grendel was born as a monster into exile; his life was cursed because he was a distant offspring of Cain. According to the Bible, all of Cain’s decedents were punished by God because of Cain’s sin. Despite Grendel’s evil motives, he is determined to be the best and overcome any obstacle that interferes in his way.

            Grendel was big in size, and had the strength of many. But he was not brave at all; he is described as a large figure with the strength to pick up the weight of a grown man and consume him whole.  But, Grendel is shown as somewhat of a coward because he only attacks at night when the guards of the mead hall are asleep. He attacks the mead hall under the cover of nightfall to avoid any type of physical abuse that would probably happen in the daytime. Grendel is afraid to fight, but becomes a problem that Beowulf needed to put an end to.

                Grendel can be proved as a monster for multiple reasons. First and foremost, he lived with his mother in an open cave at the bottom of a boiling lake. Second, he was raised to be wicked, and never had the chance to become good. All Grendel knew was iniquity, and lived by what he was taught at a young age. Also, whenever Grendel would hear music, or the sounds of pleasure and joy, he would be filled with anger and hatred. Grendel seeks vengeance on good rather than evil mainly because of his family history.  

In Beowulf, Grendel was portrayed as “insensible to pain and human sorrows, “or incompetent of any mental feeling. Grendel is unconscious and unaffected by the pain and suffering he causes others. Even though he is evil, he does not know how his actions affect other people. He was taught evil; therefore he does evil, making him evil. One can also sympathize for Grendel; if he feels no remorse, he has no opportunity for change.

            As a result, Grendel was “grim and greedy, brutally cruel,” the “gruesome prowler of the border land, ranger of the moors, the fens, and the fastness.” Grendel’s character is portrayed in many different ways in Beowulf. All traits coincide with Grendel being a beast, and the offspring of Cain. It is the opinion of the reader to whether to agree or disagree with the characteristics that the author used to describe the nature of Grendel.

Epic Poetry

Beowulf reveals the Anglo-Saxon’s culture of warfare, and describes various types of universal human behavior. In Beowulf, the people relied on an all powerful leader the defend them against the enemy. Eventually, Beowulf gained the respect and loyalty of his people, which established law and order. It was typical of the Anglo-Saxon hero to defend his homeland, as well as Beowulf fought against the Geats in the epic. Another value of the Anglo-Saxon society revealed in Beowulf is religion. The unknown author states that the enemy of Beowulf, Grendel, was the offspring of Cain, the child of Adam and Eve (biblical allusion). The universal themes were the behaviors among the characters in Beowulf, such as personal satisfaction, pride and greed, and jealousy.

Grendel's Attitude Toward Language

        In the beginning of the novel, Grendel embraces language; he enjoys arranging text in different forms and narrates the novel as if it were an epic. Although, as Grendel ages, he begins to see life as having no meaning at all, and his language skills weaken. He becomes irritated by human beings and the world as a whole, and sinks into a depression. His speech continually becomes more basic and making complete sentences seems to worthless to him.

Grendel's Philosophical Journey

            Aries represented the ram, where Grendel observes an old ram inert at the edge of a cliff. Taurus represents the bull; Grendel’s first exposure to the human world. Gemini symbolized the twins or the beauty of the Shaper’s art that completely derails Grendel. Cancer is for the crab, or the humans’ second significant encounter with Grendel. Leo the lion; the dragon claims to know everything about everything. Virgo, or The Harvest Virgin; Grendel, as he mulls over his meeting with the dragon, begins the dragon’s characteristics. Libra, meaning balance represented the nature of Wealthow. Scorpio, the scorpion represented the nature of Hrothulf. Sagittarius represents the hunter; Grendel observing bowman hunting a hart. Capricorn or the goat—Grendel sees the goat, which represents the efforts of the world around Grendel. Aquarius or the water-bearer; Beowulf and his men come from the sea. Lastly, Pisces, or the fish; beware of the fish, Beowulf. Grendel evolved by the end of the novel—the world and everything of it was pointless. Grendel believed that only he existed, and everything around him was meaningless.