COMPLETE STUDY GUIDE FOR
“BEOWULF”
TRANSLATED BY BURTON RAFFEL
BRYAN G.
GCPS
Freshman Language Arts
Bryan G.
Freshman Language Arts, 2014
Beowulf Study Guide
Beowulf Background Information PowerPoint
Start of the Anglo-Saxons
1) Anglo-Saxons invade Britain in 449 AD
2) First people to inhabit the area that is now Great Britain were called Romano-Britons
3) Britons were under attack from many directions
a) Irish invaded from the West
b) Picts invaded from the North
c) Angles, Jutes, and Saxons invaded from the East
4) Where did they all settle?
a) Jutes settled in Kent
b) Celts settled in western Britain (Wales)
c) Angles and Saxons settled in England
Anglo-Saxon England
1) Formed a common language from the Germanic tribes
i) Old English
2) Separated into 4 main sections
i) Northumbria (North)
ii) Mercia (Middle)
iii) Kent (East)
iv) Wessex (South)
3) Politics
i) Monarchy
(1) King was head of state
(a) Chief magistrate
(b) Wise men elected king
(c) King wasn’t always a direct heir of the king, but rather was of the royal family and
showed characteristics to rule
(d) Had control of army, calling the witan to meet, and bringing forth public issues
(i) Privileges granted by consent of the witenagamot (meeting of the wise)
(2) Ealdormen
(a) Next in line
(b) Chief witan
(c) Head of administration of justice
(i) Covers judicial and executive
(d) Had officers
(i) Called scirgerefan or sheriffs
(e) Led armed forces
(f) Entitled to lots of land and wealth
(3) Thanes or thegnas
(a) Next in line
(b) Bound or held close ties to their superiors
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(i) King and ealdormen
(c) Higher in rank second only to the ealdormen
(d) Had some land
(i) Smaller than ealdormen’s land
(e) Filled offices of personal service to the king or administrative service of justice
4) Religion
i) The days of the Heathen
ii) Worshipped gods and goddesses for thousands of years before Christianity
iii) Gods and goddesses were part of every aspect of life
iv) Later developed into Norse mythology
About Beowulf
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Written sometime before the tenth century AD
Describes the adventure of a great Scandinavian warrior/hero of the sixth century
It is the oldest surviving epic in British literature
Orally passed down from bard to bard
Author is theorized to be a Northumbrian monk
i) Scenery resembles Northumbria
ii) Epic has Christian elements
6) Is a poem/epic
i) Caesura (rhythmic pause)
(1) Used to create unity
(2) Created with space (the space key)
ii) Same lines from our text
iii) Caesura is created with a comma
iv) Kennings
(1) Metaphorical phrase or compound word used to name a person, place, thing, or event
(2) Enhances the literal meaning of the words; explains how the words connect in a richer,
emotionally complex way
(a) Examples:
(i) Bone-house: human body
(ii) Wave-floater: ship
(iii) Whale-road: sea
(iv) Cave-guard: dragon
(v) Man-of-steel: Superman
v) Uses alliteration
(1) Repeating sounds
vi) Uses assonance
(1) Repeating vowels
7) Characters
i) Beowulf
(1) Main character
(2) Scandinavian warrior/hero
(3) Nephew of Higlac, king of Geats
ii) Grendel
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iv)
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(1) Demonic monster
(2) Eats men
(3) Lives at the bottom of a foul mere (mountain lake)
(4) Beowulf fights him
Grendel’s Mother
(1) Kenning of water-witch
(2) Seeking revenge
Hrothgar
(1) King of the Danes
Wiglaf
(1) A great warrior
(2) One of Beowulf’s select hand
(3) Only person to help him in his final fight with the dragon
Dragon
(1) Giant fire-breathing serpent
(2) Fights Beowulf in part 2 of the poem
8) Places
i) Beowulf takes place in Scandinavia
ii) Scholars think Herot might have been on the coast of Zealand, Denmark
iii) Herot is the golden guest hall built by King Hrothgar where warriors gathered to celebrate
(1) Built in solid guild
(2) Is more or less #TheBomb.com of the Beowulf world
Anglo-Saxons Reading
Britain as a Source of Influence and Power
1) Britain has given us many things
a) Stonehenge
b) Robin Hood
c) Shakespeare
d) Theory of gravity
e) Industrial Revolution
f) Radar
g) Penicillin
h) Beatles
i) English language
2) Government
a) Monarchy
b) Political system “by and for the people”
c) Remains a “source of envy and inspiration for many nations”
Celtics
1) People
a) Tall
b) Blond
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c) Warrior-status
d) Called themselves Celts
e) Brythons
i) (alternate spelling: Britons)
ii) Origin of the name Britain
2) Religion
a) Animism
i) Latin for spirit
ii) Believed that everything was a spirit
(1) Rivers
(2) Trees
(3) Stones
(4) Ponds
(5) Fires
iii) The spirits/gods in nature controlled everything
iv) Druids (priests) acted as the middle men and “communicated” with the gods
v) Events were held to satisfy the gods
(1) Ritual dances
(2) Human sacrifices
(3) Stonehenge might have been a ritual site; dealt with solar and lunar cycles
3) Influence on Literature
a) Le Morte Darthur
i) Written by Sir Thomas Malory
ii) 15th Century
iii) Used Celtic legends about a warrior named Arthur
b) Poetry/Plays
i) Written by William Butler Yeats
ii) 20th Century
iii) Used Celtic myths in his writings to make the Irish aware of their lost heroic past
4) Differences Between Anglo-Saxon Writings
a) Gender
i) Anglo-Saxon focus on males
ii) Celtic legends focus on strong women
b) Outcomes
i) Anglo-Saxon stories are usually brutal
ii) Celtic stories “leap into the sunlight”
c) Focus
i) Anglo-Saxon stories are somewhat more realistic
ii) Celtic tales “take you to enchanted lands where magic and imagination rule”
Romans
1) War
a) Julius Caesar led an army in 55 BC
b) Emperor Claudius led another army 100 years later
c) Both wars eventually overthrew the Britons
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2) Advancements
a) Created and used “administrative genius” to avoid being reconquered
b) Built a large system or roads, some of which are still used today
c) Defensive wall 74 miles long
3) Religion
a) Christianity started to move its way in
b) Celtic Animism began to fade
4) Evacuation
a) Evacuated by 409 AD
b) Left roads, walls, villas, and public bathrooms behind, but no central government
c) Without a strong government remaining, other, non-Christian people invaded from the
Germanic regions of Europe
Anglo-Saxons
1) Invasion
a) The Angles and Saxons invaded from the North
i) At this time, they were two separate parties
b) From Germany and Denmark
c) Crossed the North Sea
d) Killed/pushed out the old Britons
e) The new language became that of the Anglo-Saxons
i) English
f) Country took a new name
i) Engla (from the Angles) Land
ii) Also known as England
g) Celts put up a strong resistance
i) Afterwards, they retreated into Wales
h) Traces of Celtic culture were left behind
2) New Anglo-Saxon England
a) Split into different, independent principalities
i) Each had their own king
b) Eventually, the land became one nation
i) King Alfred of Wessex (AKA Alfred the Great) ked the Anglo-Saxons against the invading
Danes
(1) The Danes were fierce Vikings
(2) Crossed the North Sea
(3) They destroyed and plundered everything in their path
(4) Took over part of northeast and central England
3) Religion During the War
a) Reemergence of Christianity occurred
b) Irish and Continental missionaries converted the Anglo-Saxon kings
i) The subjects under the Kings’ rule therefore converted as well
c) Christianity provided a common faith and system of morals and conduct
d) King Alfred the Great and the Anglo-Saxons fought against the Danes to protect their churches,
religion, and culture
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4) Continuation of War
a) After Alfred could no longer lead the war efforts, his descendants took over and fought the
Danes
i) Ethelfleda
(1) Military leader
(2) Strategist
ii) Edward
(1) Ethelfleda’s brother
b) Battle continued until both parties were defeated by William, Duke of Normandy, and his
invading force of Normans from northwestern France
i) Occurred in 1066
5) Women in Anglo-Saxon Culture
a) Women held and inherited property
i) Reigns lasted even after marriage
ii) Women were offered land and money when married
b) Religion
i) Joined religious communities
ii) Some became powerful abbesses
(1) In charge of large double houses that included a nunnery and monastery
6) Anglo-Saxon Life
a) Anglo-Saxons were not barbarians
i) Often depicted as such, however
b) Didn’t live luxurious lives
i) Warfare became the order of the day
(1) Law and order was the responsibility of the leader in any given group
(2) Fame, success, and survival were gained solely through loyalty to the respective leader
of the group (especially during times of war and great difficulty)
ii) Most lived in single family homes
(1) Wooden buildings
(2) Close quarters
(a) Often near animals
(3) Surrounded a communal court or a warm, fire-lit chieftain’s hall
(4) Cluster of buildings was protected by a wooden fence
7) Religion After the War
a) Had ties to Christianity
b) Mainly focused on warrior gods
i) Today’s equivalent is Norse/Scandinavian mythology
ii) One main god was Odin
(1) God of death, poetry, and magic
(2) Anglo-Saxon name was Woden
(a) Origin of Wednesday (Woden’s day)
(3) Helped humans communicate with spirits
(4) Especially related with burial rites
iii) Thunor
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(1) Essentially the same as Thor
(a) Norse god of thunder and lightning
(b) Sign was hammer and possibly the swastika
(i) Found on many Anglo-Saxon gravestones
iv) Dragon mythology
(1) Protector of treasure
(2) Could be a personification of “death the devourer”
c) Mostly concerned with ethics over mysticism
8) Bards
a) Singing of Gods and heroes
i) Sang to the strumming of a harp
b) Communal halls acted as a place to tell stories
c) Bards were skilled storytellers
9) Monasteries
a) Served as strongholds of Christianity
b) Centers of learning
c) Preserved some of the older traditions of the Anglo-Saxon religion
i) Recorded by hand from oral stories
ii) Wrote in the vernacular (language or the people)
(1) Old English
iii) Monks assigned to the scriptorium spent nearly all of their daylight hours copying
manuscripts by hand
Beowulf Chapter Notes
Prologue
Chapter Summary
Shild, the first king of the Danes, a group of Danish people, was lived as an orphan but soon rose to
power as a highly powerful and respected king. He had a son by the name of Beo, and when Shild
died—his funeral was one on the open seas; he had been sent off on a ship alone as a child on the
open seas, so his funeral has a full circle sort of feel to it—Beo became the next king of the Danes.
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Chapter 1
Chapter Summary
Beo, whom is not related to Beowulf, ruled for just as long as his father and was equally well
respected. Because of his people’s devotion and love, he ‘gave’ them a child, Healfdane, which was a
fierce fighter. He perished after leading his men in war, but left the Danes four more children:
Hrothgar (male), Hergar (male), Halga the Good (male), and Yrs (female). Yrs married Onela (male),
who is the king of the Swedes. Hrothgar took Healfdane’s place, and, no surprise, everybody liked
him as well; they liked him so much so that they wished to build him a hall that would be closer to
Heaven than anything else. The hall was built rather quickly and was named Herot. A powerful
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monster hears all of the music (about God) from Herot (the hall was built above his abode) and gets
angry. The monster is named Grendel and is the spawn of Cain, the son of Adam of Eve whom killed
his own brother.
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Chapter 2
Chapter Summary
One night, when the partying was over, Grendel went out of his home and up to Herot. When he
arrived, he saw that everybody was sleeping and carried on to smash 30 men and drag their bodies
back to his lair. When everybody woke up the next morning, they discovered the crime and feasted
on behalf of the previous night’s activities. That night, Grendel comes back again and the people who
lodge at Herot realize that the only escape is distance; people had to get away from Grendel.
Because of this, nobody visited Herot anymore and it lay untouched for 12 years. Grendel started to
live in Herot, but he never dared touch Hrothgar’s throne, for he believed that it was protected by
God. At the same time, Hrothgar and his people were attempting to find a way to rid the world of
Grendel. Grendel wouldn’t accept any bribes to stop his crime, so Hrothgar sometimes held sacrifices
to the gods and even tried working with the devil. However, none of these things worked and he
remained a threat.
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Chapter 3
Chapter Summary
Beowulf, whom is a follower of Higlac (male), the king of the Geats, hears of Grendel and makes
plans to sail to Hrothgar’s lands and help. None of his adversaries warn against said journey, so he
and 14 other men travel by boat to the lands occupied by Grendel. Once arrived, they begin to walk
on the land when a Danish watchman inquires the squad of men. He asks them who they are and
what business they hold on the land.
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Chapter 4
Chapter Summary
Beowulf responds to the watchman’s question, stating that he is Higlac’s follower and son of
Edgetho (male); his purpose is to slay the monster that has been rumored about. The watchmen
believes Beowulf and leads them Herot, where they can see the glistening golden roof of what has
become Grendel’s home. The watchman leaves the group, saying that he must return to the ocean,
where his duties protecting the coast from invaders lie.
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Chapter 5
Chapter Summary
Beowulf and his men follow a cobblestone road up to Herot, and, once they arrive, sit down on
benches laid out. A Danish warrior by the name of Wulfgar asks who they are (to identify themselves
by their names and their father’s names), and Beowulf responds by saying that he and his men follow
Higlac and have a message for King Hrothgar. The warrior goes to talk to the king, and he tells him
that these people have a message for his ears only; he also mentions that the group isn’t a team of
beggars or homeless men, but rather they have urgent things to discuss.
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Chapter 6
Chapter Summary
Hrothgar replies to Wulfgar, saying that he knew of Beowulf as a young boy. He also knew of his
father, Edgetho, whom married Hrethel’s daughter (unnamed). The king states that, for being so
brave and courageous and crossing the ocean in hopes of helping him, he will be repaid in wealth and
be shown with kindness. Beowulf and some of his men are ushered inside Herot, and Beowulf begins
his unnecessarily long monologue about why he is there and why he deserves the king’s trust (he also
says that he will kill Grendel unarmed).
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Chapter 7
Chapter Summary
After listening to Beowulf’s proposal, King Hrothgar remembers a dispute that Beowulf’s father,
Edgetho, had with a member of the Wulfing tribe, Hathlaf. Edgetho ended up killing the Wulfing
member, but because Hrothgar sent money to the Wulfing tribe as to calm them down, Edgetho
swore that he would keep peace between the two parties (Hrothgar pretty much bought Edgetho’s
safety from the Wulfing tribe). At this point, Hrothgar gives Beowulf permission to fight Grendel, but
he also notes that many people have died in the hall and it is a risky decision to make. Beowulf
accepts the challenge, and Hrothgar invites the Geats to a feast.
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Chapter 8
Chapter Summary
During the feast, a Danish man by the name of Unferth (Ecglaf’s son) approaches Beowulf, and,
because he is jealous, attempts to put Beowulf down. He retells a story of when Beowulf had a
swimming competition with a young male named Brecca. According to Unferth, Beowulf lost the
contest, and Beowulf is going to lose again when he challenges Grendel. Beowulf, however, accuses
Unferth of being drunk, and Beowulf remembers a different story. Beowulf says that both Brecca and
he had swords with them, and after five days of battling the elements, a monster pulled him by the
leg down to the depths of the ocean. He thrust the sword into the monster’s heart, killing it and
letting Beowulf swim free once again.
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Chapter 9
Chapter Summary
Beowulf then goes on to finish his story, stating that he killed 8 other monsters that night (totaling 9
monster deaths) and finally ended up on Finnish land. He continues to state that neither Brecca nor
Unferth could ever do what he did. To this, the rest of the people in the hall start clapping/cheering.
Welthow, Hrothgar’s wife, then enters the room with a goblet full of some ale. She offers it to all
people in the room and thanks the gods for sending Beowulf to slay Grendel. The party continues
until night approaches and all people except for Beowulf and his men leave (for Grendel comes in the
night).
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Chapter 10
Chapter Summary
Beowulf strips down to his normal clothes (as opposed to his armor) and places his sword on the
ground. He intends to keep his promise of killing Grendel with his bare hands. Afterwards, Beowulf
and his men lie down on the floor waiting for Grendel’s arrival.
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Chapter 11
Chapter Summary
Grendel lurks out of his marsh, walks up to Herot, and rips off the door hinges to the palace. When he
walks in, he is surprised to see many men laying on the floor, for the building had been empty for
years. He ran to one soldier on the ground, ripped him apart, and drank his blood all while being
observed by the awake and alert Beowulf. When Grendel comes to Beowulf, however, Beowulf
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jumped up and grabbed Grendel. They move back and forth, fighting, and Beowulf is so powerful
that Grendel begins to scream; these screams can be heard from the main village.
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Chapter 12
Chapter Summary
Finally, Beowulf’s men wake up to the screams of Grendel and surround the fighting pair. Although
the soldiers have swords ready, they do nothing since Grendel cast a spell that renders all swords
useless and not dangerous. As the two keep fighting, Grendel’s arm, bone, sinew, muscle, and all,
gets ripped off, and Grendel runs off back to his home where he is presumed to have bled out and
died. Beowulf has killed Grendel, and he hangs Grendel’s arm from the rafters as proof.
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Chapter 13
Chapter Summary
The next day, men and women from all lands come to see the dismembered arm and bloody trail
that Grendel left. As the trail ends, people come to a bloody and hot lake which Grendel’s body lays.
Nobody feels remorse for him. As to celebrate Beowulf’s accomplishment, warriors ride around on
horseback and a Bard sings of Beowulf’s accomplishments. Later, the Bard also tells of the story of
Siegmund. Siegmund was a hero, similar to Beowulf, whom killed a dragon and reaped the rewards
that it was hiding. This story is later contrasted with Hermod’s tale. Hermod was once a king, but he
became greedy and eventually betrayed his own people; as a result, he ended up dying. The chapter
closes by seeing Hrothgar and his queen walking to Herot.
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Chapter 14
Chapter Summary
Hrothgar, now inside of Herot, sees the dismembered arm and cries out thanks to God. For his acts,
the king thanks Beowulf and offers him anything he wants. To this however, Beowulf apologizes for
not having Grendel’s body sprawled on the floor and dead (as opposed to just his arm). Unferth no
longer believes what he said earlier, and he finally accepts the fact that Beowulf is a powerful warrior.
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Chapter 15
Chapter Summary
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Afterwards, the king declares that the mead hall be cleaned up for celebrations. Hundreds of hands
were enlisted to fix the wrath of Grendel: blood everywhere, broken hinges, broken walls. After the
hall is repaired and heavily decorated, Hrothgar holds a banquet as to toast the efforts of Beowulf.
During the banquet, Hrothgar and his nephew, Hrothulf, make kind speeches and proceed to present
Beowulf with treasures. Beowulf received a flag of honor, a helmet, a coat of mail, and a powerful
sword.
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Chapter 16
Chapter Summary
As for the rest of Beowulf’s men that were still alive, they receive armor and swords. Gold was paid
for the man that Grendel killed. After the gifts are done being handed out and everybody has settled,
the court poet begins to tell the story of Finn and his people. The Danes were losing a bad battle to
the Frisians whom were led by king Finn. The Danish king, Hnaf, was killed in the war. Finn’s wife was
Hnaf’s sister, and she grieved very long and hard at the death of her brother and her son (which had
also been killed in the war). Instead of fighting more, Finn attempts to make a truce with the Danes
stating that they will not fight any longer, but they will rather split the spoils of war equally. Both
sides accept the deal. Later, Finn’s wife, whose child and brother were killed, still remains sad about
the deaths caused by the war. She orders both of her lost ones to be burned over the same fire.
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Chapter 17
Chapter Summary
The Danes wish to go home after the war, but since it is winter and the sea is dangerous, they must
wait until spring dawns. When spring comes, however, the Danes’ new leader (Hengest) declares that
he wants revenge on Finn. Hengest gets a sword that the Frisians (people under Finn’s rule) feared
and went to kill Finn, slicing him right through his stomach. The rest of the Frisians continue the war,
killing many more people on both sides. At last, Finn’s wife is taken by the Danes, her treasures
looted, and the Danes sail back to their home with the queen. As the queen was originally from
Denmark, the land of the Danes, she was willing to go back. As the poet finishes his story, the queen,
Welthow, talks highly of her two children, Hrethric and Hrothmund, and states that they will be
offered guidance by their cousin, Hrothulf, when their father dies.
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Chapter 18
Chapter Summary
Welthow walks over to Beowulf and gives him a golden necklace and armor. She says that she hopes
that one day Beowulf will also act as an adviser to her children and pass down his kind and loving
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soul. After this, the party continues until nightfall, when Hrothgar goes back home. The Danes sleep
in Herot, and the narrator makes a point of how the Danes’ weapons and armor were near (which
was a traditional Danes thing to be always ready for war), which could possibly foreshadow a new
danger.
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Chapter 19
Chapter Summary
As the soldiers sleep (without Beowulf), a new danger lurks: Grendel had a mother and she seeks
revenge for the death of her only son. Her heart is sad, and she plans to make a visit to Herot just as
her son had. When she goes to Herot, she takes one man, but the noises wake up the others. As they
prepare to fight her, she flees with her sole victim in her grasp. The man is Hrothgar’s closest friend,
and Grendel’s mother kills him. Because Beowulf and his soldiers had been give alternate, better
sleeping areas, they weren’t present at the time of the attack—nobody could’ve stopped her. As the
men come to their full senses, they realize that Grendel’s arm, Beowulf’s one trophy, had been taken
back.
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Chapter 20
Chapter Summary
When Beowulf arrives at Herot, he asks Hrothgar how the night had passed. Hrothgar responds by
saying that there is nothing happy to speak of, for Esher, Hrothgar’s right hand man, had been killed.
Hrothgar theorizes that the new beast is seeking revenge for the death of Grendel. Hrothgar then
goes into a story about Grendel and his mother (which tells of the place where Grendel’s mother
lives; it happens to be at the bottom of a lake with burning water) before asking Beowulf to, once
again, slay a creature—Grendel’s mother—for rewards.
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Chapter 21
Chapter Summary
Beowulf accepts the challenge and he, his warriors, and Hrothgar himself go by horse into the
swamp, following the tracks of Grendel’s mother. As Hrothgar lead the way, the men slowly
approached a lake that was bloody and bubbling. Floating on the top of the lake was Esher’s head. As
the men kill some of the creatures in and around the lake, Beowulf begins to suit up in his armor.
Should Beowulf be killed, he requests the same thing as earlier—he wants his gear to be returned to
the Geats. After this is done, Unferth hands Beowulf the sword Hrunting which is said to never have
failed in war.
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Chapter 22
Chapter Summary
Beowulf jumps into the water and sinks down to the bottom. Seeing Beowulf, Grendel’s mother
claws Beowulf and holds him in her grip. However, because Beowulf was wearing armor, she couldn’t
kill him. Beowulf is taken, by Grendel’s mother, to her home where Beowulf attempts to use his
sword on his enemy. His sword doesn’t work, so he resorts to using his own hands, just as he did with
Grendel. However, Grendel’s mom matches each of Beowulf’s blows, knocking him to the ground.
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Chapter 23
Chapter Summary
Beowulf sees a massive sword on the wall of Grendel’s mother’s home and grabs the weapon. Raising
the weapon as high as he can, he brings down the sword on Grendel’s mother’s neck, killing her at
once. When Beowulf looks around, he sees Grendel’s armless body on the floor; he walks over to it
and decapitates the senseless heap of death as a final act of “oh in your face.” By this time, the blood
from Grendel’s mother has reached the surface, and, thinking that it is the blood of Beowulf, the
Danes leave. The sole remaining party left are the Geats whom belong to Beowulf. Beowulf swims
back up to the surface, Grendel’s head in hand, and greets his men. The men carry the head on a
spear and return to Herot.
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Chapter 24
Chapter Summary
Once returned, Beowulf retells the story of how Grendel’s mother was slain, after which he promises
that all should now be safe. Hrothgar then goes on with a long speech about loyalty during which
Beowulf is contrasted to Hermod (the evil king mentioned earlier).
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Chapter 25
Chapter Summary
Hrothgar finishes up his really annoying speech about how choosing an eternal path is better than
that of rewards. Hrothgar promises, however, to give Beowulf presents in the morning. After people
party and celebrate Beowulf’s accomplishment, Beowulf goes to bed.
Questions
14
Bryan G.
Freshman Language Arts, 2014
TBA
Vocabulary
TBA
15
Beowulf Study Guide