Beowulf Essay Research Paper BeowulfSince the dawn

Beowulf Essay, Research Paper

Beowulf

Since the dawn of time, the forces of evil have always tried to gain an upper hand over the forces of good. The battles between these two forces have transcended time in both different forms and in different places. Every culture since the birth of man has background stories of creation and the battles that are waged between the two forces of light and dark. Leaving in the aftermath, stories and legends that are passed down from generation to generation through the vast cultures and civilizations. Beginning with the use of oral traditions that took these stories and the use of spoken word to both inform and entertain the people of a given society. These tales also had another purpose, which was to remind the people of the evils that were around them. Lurking in the shadows, waiting to claim another victim in the war of good and evil. Such stories fed on the fears of the people and the uncertainty of the world around them. Although the stories themselves may differ considerably from region to region, the basic underlying theme has always been identical. With the coming into being of written word, these stories could now be put down for people to read and serve as a reminder of their folklore. Not only to them, but to future people who come to read these documents. We have been lucky in the fact that over the last few hundred years, we have recovered many works from all over the world, dating back through years that had been long forgotten to many of us. In a great many of these works we have come into contact with many tales of heroism and the fight between good and evil. Just as the heroism in these stories may take on different faces, so does the evil present itself in many different guises.

This brings us to one work in specific, Beowulf, one of the earliest Old English poems that we have today. It is the embodiment of the struggle between good and evil. The poem begins with the funeral of Scyld, the mythical founder of the Danish Royal House. One of his descendants builds a great hall called Heorot, and it is here that the people gather to rejoice and sing the praises of G-d. This singing angers a vile fiend named Grendel, that inhabits the nearby bog. The poet describes Grendel in this way:

The grim demon was called Grendel, a notorious ranger

of the borderlands, who inhabited the fastness of moors

and fens. This unhappy being had long lived in the land of

monsters, because G-d had damned him along with the

children of Cain. (1.97-101)

This tells the story of when Cain murdered his brother Abel and was banished from humanity by G-d. It was said that from Cain was born the monsters that roamed the earth, perpetuating their hatred and evil to all around them. Grendel is one such monster, which is why the music and song about the Lord and of Creation enrages him so enormously. The daily celebrations caused Grendel to enter the hall at nightfall when everyone had fallen asleep, and slaughter the men in protest to the music and song that filled his ears during the day. Grendel hated all of mankind and the sounds that resonated from the great hall fueled his hatred even more.

Grendel held an inborn hatred for all of mankind. Nightly Grendel would make his trip into the hall and kill whomever was there. In speaking about the nightly raids that Grendel made, the poet writes:

Thus the malign outcast, like the enemy of man that he

was, made frequent attacks and produced unspeakable

havoc. In the darkness of night he occupied the rich hall of

Heorot; but he could not approach the treasure-throne be-

cause of the Lord, nor could Grendel know His love.

(2.165-169)

With all of his hatred and because of the evil that dwelled in his heart, Grendel would never know what they love of G-d felt like. No amount of money, or treasure could ransom the lives of the people from Grendel s wrath. Only the blood and fear of the people could satiate Grendel s anger. For twelve years, Grendel invaded the hall nightly to punish anyone who would be there. This was indeed a dark time for all, the once glorious great hall that echoed with the sounds of happiness and beatitude had now fell silent. There were no more songs sung or music played, only the screams of terror that seeped from the walls at night. The people took to finding places to sleep further away from the hall. Eventually, no one dared stay at the Heorot when night came, for fear of being Grendels next victim. Fear had transformed these people s noble and good nature into a deep seething feeling helplessness and impending doom.

At this time, word has gotten across the water to Beowulf, nephew of the king of the Geats, a tribe from Sweden. Beowulf, a mythical character in his own rite, decides to travel to the aid of the king and his people in these troubled times. Upon arriving, Beowulf and his men request an audience with the king, to explain that they have come to slay this creature. The king, knowing both Beowulf s father and the reputation that proceeds Beowulf is very grateful for his coming. Beowulf and his band of fighters spend the night in the great hall waiting for Grendel to appear. Just as they had suspected, night came and so did Grendel. At once Grendel pounced on a sleeping soldier ripping into him and consuming him blood, bone and

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