Beowulf wrestles with Grendel by Lynd Ward (1933)

Grendel is one of three antagonists, along with Grendel's mother and the dragon, in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf (AD 700-1000). In the poem, Grendel is feared by all but Beowulf. Grendel can refer to: Grendel, the antagonist in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf Grendel (novel), a novel by John Gardner that retells Beowulf from Grendels point of view. ... Lynd Kendall Ward (26 June 1905 – 28 June 1985) was an American artist and storyteller, and son of Methodist minister and prominent political organizer Harry F. Ward. ... For other uses, see Antagonist (disambiguation). ... The first page of Beowulf Grendels mother (Old English: Grendles modor) is one of three antagonists (along with Grendel and the dragon) in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf (c. ... For other uses, see Dragon (disambiguation). ... Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ... The epic is a broadly defined genre of narrative poetry, characterized by great length, multiple settings, large numbers of characters, or long span of time involved. ... This article is about the epic poem. ... Beowulf fights the dragon Beowulf (IPA: ) is the legendary hero and king of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem of the same name. ...

Story

Main article: Beowulf Story

The poem Beowulf is contained in the Nowell Codex. As noted in lines 106-114 and lines 1260-1267 of Beowulf, Grendel's mother and Grendel are described as descendants of the Biblical Cain. Beowulf leaves Geatland in order to find and destroy Grendel, who has been attacking Heorot. Barring his lineage, all motives for his attacks are left up to the reader. One cryptic scene, in which Grendel sits in the abandoned hall unable to approach the throne, hints that his motives may be greed or revenge. After a long battle, Beowulf mortally wounds Grendel by ripping his arm off. Grendel dies in his cave under the swamp. Beowulf later engages in a fierce battle with Grendel's mother, over whom he triumphs. Following her death, Beowulf finds Grendel's corpse and removes the head, keeping it as a trophy. Beowulf then returns to the surface and to his men at the "ninth hour" (l. 1600, "nōn", about 3pm).^[1] He returns to Heorot, where he is given many gifts by an even more grateful Hroðgar. he joost hoestie, wat loop je ons nou uit te schelden, je stinkt zelf, want je bent een nep japanner ... The first page of Beowulf Grendels mother (Old English: Grendles modor) is one of three antagonists (along with Grendel and the dragon) in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf (c. ... For other uses, see Bible (disambiguation). ... In stories common to the Abrahamic religions, Cain or Káyin (קַיִן / קָיִן spear Standard Hebrew Qáyin, Tiberian Hebrew Qáyin / Qāyin; Arabic قايين QāyÄ«n in the Arabic Bible; قابيل QābÄ«l in Islam) is the eldest son of Adam and Eve, and the first man born in creation... Götaland Unofficial Nordic cross flag of western Götaland. ... Heorot is the stronghold of king Hrothgar in the epic poem Beowulf. ... The first page of Beowulf Grendels mother (Old English: Grendles modor) is one of three antagonists (along with Grendel and the dragon) in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf (c. ... Hroðgar (Proto-Norse *Hrōþigaizaz [1], Hrothgar, Hróar, Ro, Roar), legendary Danish king. ...

Scholarship

Tolkien

In 1936, J.R.R. Tolkien's Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics discussed Grendel and the dragon in Beowulf. This essay was the first work of scholarship in which Anglo-Saxon literature was seriously examined for its literary merits — not just scholarship about the origins of the English language as was popular in the 19th century. J. R. R. Tolkien in 1916. ...

Debate over description

During the following decades, the exact description of Grendel would become a source of debate for scholars. Indeed, because his exact appearance is never directly described in Old English by the original Beowulf poet, part of the debate revolves around what is known, namely his descent from the biblical Cain (who was the first murderer in Abrahamic religions). Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon[1], Old English: ) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ... In Christianity and Judaism, the curse of Cain and the mark of Cain refer to the Biblical passages in the Book of Genesis chapter 4, where God declared that Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, was cursed, and placed a mark upon him to warn others that killing... Symbols of the three main Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam Map showing the prevalence of Abrahamic (purple) and Eastern (yellow) religions in each country. ...

Monster

Some scholars have linked Grendel's descent from Cain to the monsters and giants of The Cain Tradition. ^[2] The Cain Tradition refers to the the tale of Cain and Abel as seen in the Septuagint[1] and the Vulgate. ...

Seamus Heaney, in his translation of Beowulf, writes in lines 1351-1355 that Grendel is vaguely human in shape, though much larger: Seamus Justin Heaney (IPA: ) (born 13 April 1939) is an Irish poet, writer and lecturer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995. ...

... the other, warped

in the shape of a man, moves beyond the pale

bigger than any man, an unnatural birth

called Grendel by the country people

in former days.^[3]

Heaney's translation of lines 1637-1639 also notes that his disembodied head is so large that it takes four men to transport it. Furthermore, in lines 983-89, when Grendel's torn arm is inspected, Heaney describes it as being covered in impenetrable scales and horny growths:

Every nail, claw-scale and spur, every spike

and welt on the hand of that heathen brute

was like barbed steel. Everybody said

there was no honed iron hard enough

to pierce him through, no time proofed blade

that could cut his brutal blood caked claw ^[4]

Peter Dickinson (1979) argued that seeing as the considered distinction between man and beast at the time the poem was written was simply man's bipedalism, the given description of Grendel being man-like does not necessarily imply that Grendel is meant to be humanoid, going as far as stating that Grendel could easily have been a bipedal dragon.^[5] Peter Dickinson is a British author who has written a wide variety of books over a long and distinguished career. ... A biped is an animal that travels across surfaces supported by two legs. ...

Non-monster

Other scholars such as Kuhn (1979) have questioned a monstrous description, stating:

A painting from the original Gawain manuscript. The Green Knight is seated on the horse, holding up his severed head in his right hand.

There are five disputed instances of āglǣca [three of which are in Beowulf] 649, 1269, 1512...In the first...the referent can be either Beowulf or Grendel. If the poet and his audience felt the word to have two meanings, 'monster,' and 'hero,' the ambiguity would be troublesome; but if by āglǣca they understood a 'fighter,' the ambiguity would be of little consequence, for battle was destined for both Beowulf and Grendel and both were fierce fighters (216-7).

O'Keefe has suggested that Grendel resembles a Berserker, because of numerous associations that seem to point to this possibility. ^[6] Image File history File links Gawain_and_the_Green_Knight. ... Image File history File links Gawain_and_the_Green_Knight. ... Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Gawain (Gwalchmei, Gawan, Gauvain, Walewein etc. ... Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th century metrical romance recorded in a manuscript containing three other pieces of an altogether more Christian orientation, which are linked by a commonality of dialect usage. ... Berserkers in the kings hall, illustration by Louis Moe, 1898 Berserkers (or Berserks) were Norse warriors who were commonly understood to have fought in an uncontrollable rage or trance of fury; the berserkergang. ...

John Grigsby, in his Beowulf and Grendel :The Truth behind England's oldest legend' suggests that Grendel is a demonized version of the old Norse fertility god Freyr, and even goes as far as linking Grendel with the Green Knight of Arthurian legend. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Norse, Viking or Scandinavian mythology comprises the indigenous pre-Christian religion, beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian peoples, including those who settled on Iceland, where most of the written sources for Norse mythology were assembled. ... In polytheistic religions and mythologies, a fertility god is a male deity who is responsible for ensuring human fertility. ... This 19th century representation of Freyr shows him with his boar Gullinbursti and his sword. ... Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a late 14th century metrical romance recorded in a manuscript containing three other pieces of an altogether more Christian orientation, which are linked by a commonality of dialect usage. ... For other uses, see King Arthur (disambiguation). ...

Grendelsmere

In Worcestershire there was a pond called Grendelsmere near Abbots Morton during the Old English era. The name is likely to be an allusion to Grendel from Beowulf. The pond is now extinct. ^[7] For the condiment, see Worcestershire sauce. ... Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon[1], Old English: ) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ... This article is about the epic poem. ...

Grendel in film, literature, and popular culture

Main article: List of artistic depictions of Grendel

In 1971, author John Gardner published the novel Grendel, a retelling of Beowulf from the monster's point of view. Grendel is a 1971 parallel novel by American author John Gardner. ...

Grendel has been adapted in a number of different mediums (film, literature, and graphic/illustrated novels or comic books) including the film Beowulf and Grendel and the Robert Zemeckis film, Beowulf. Beowulf & Grendel is a 2005 movie adaptation of Beowulf, filmed in Iceland, directed by Sturla Gunnarsson, starring Gerard Butler as Beowulf and Ingvar Sigurdsson as Grendel. ... Robert Lee Bob Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning American movie director, producer and writer. ... Beowulf is a 2007 animated film adaptation of the Old English epic poem of the same name. ...

He was also voiced by Peter Ustinov in the 1983 Australian animated film, Grendel Grendel Grendel, based on the John Gardner novel. In 2006, Elliot Goldenthal and Julie Taymor premiered an opera of Grendel, also based on Gardner's novel. Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov, CBE (IPA: ; April 16, 1921 – March 28, 2004), born Peter Alexander Baron von Ustinov, was an Academy Award-winning English actor, writer, dramatist and raconteur of French, Italian, Swiss, Russian, German and Ethiopian ancestry. ... Grendel Grendel Grendel is an animated film based on John Gardners novel and starring Peter Ustinov. ... Elliot Goldenthal, born on May 2, 1954, in Brooklyn, New York City, is an American composer of contemporary music and has written works for concert hall, theater, dance and film. ... Julie Taymor (born December 15, 1952) is an American director of Broadway theatre and film. ...

The progressive rock band Marillion recorded a song titled Grendel as the B-side for their first single Market Square Heroes in 1982.^[8] For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... Marillion is a British Rock group. ... Market Square Heroes is the first released single of progressive rock band Marillion. ...

References

• Jack, George. Beowulf : A Student Edition. Oxford University Press: New York, 1997.
• Frederick Klaeber, ed. Beowulf and the Fight at Finnsburg. Third ed. Boston: Heath, 1950.
• Kuhn, Sherman M. "Old English Aglaeca-Middle Irish Olach." Linguistic Method : Essays in Honor of Herbert Penzl. Eds. Irmengard Rauch and Gerald F. Carr. The Hague, New York: Mouton Publishers, 1979. 213-30.
• J.R.R. Tolkien, Beowulf, the Monsters and the Critics. (Sir Israel Gollancz Memorial Lecture, British Academy, 1936). First ed. London: Humphrey Milford, 1937.

Frederick Klaeber (01 October 1863 - 04 October 1954) was a professor of Old and Middle English at the University of Minnesota. ... J. R. R. Tolkien in 1916. ... Beowulf, the Monsters and the Critics is a lecture that Tolkien held on Beowulf at Oxford. ...

Notes

External links

• Arby Stones, "Hellhounds, Werewolves and the Germanic Underworld"
• "Monsters of Beowulf"

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