The story, Beowulf, is set in Herot, a mead-hall where the terrible beast, Grendel, terrorized the town people. Grendel’s attacks were consistent and unpredictable, and he reaped terror on Herot for twelve years. In Beowulf, Grendel is characterized through his symbolization of the fallen Cain, his actions, and the contrast he provided against the city of Herot.
Grendel symbolized Cain, the first murderer in Biblical history, and his fallen descendants as he is depicted as a monster and fiend. Grendel was described to be “conceived by a pair of monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God, punished forever for their crime of Abel’s death” (Raffel 21). Therefore, the story draws a direct lineage between Grendel and the fallen Cain. And because Cain was a murderer, a connection between Grendel’s cold-blooded ways and his ancestor’s sin can be drawn, and it can be assumed that killing is something that was in Grendel’s heredity that was passed down from generation to generation. Further, the descendants of Cain were described as “spirits and fiends, goblins, monsters, giants, a brood forever opposing the Lord’s will” (Raffel 21), showing the relations Grendel holds with the supernatural and evil. Since Grendel was descended from a line of peoples constantly associated with darkness and fear, it was only fitting that Grendel was a fiend himself. And because Grendel was a descendant of Cain, the story states that “[Grendel] never dared to touch king Hrothgar’s glorious throne, protected by God—God, whose love Grendel could not know” (Raffel 23). By stating that Grendel could never know God’s love, the author draws an even deeper connection between Grendel and Cain by showing the damnation of Cain, and in turn his descendants, were subjected to due to Cain’s sin. Further, the quote shows that Grendel was so fallen from God’s grace that he could not even approach or touch the throne protected by God. Therefore, the story directly and indirectly draws connections between Grendel and Adam and Eve’s son, Cain, and the story shows that due to Cain’s sin, even after many generations had passed, his descendants were still cursed with a malicious heart and bloodthirsty ways.
Throughout Beowulf, Grendel gives off a dark persona, and his evil and bloodthirsty ways are made apparent through his actions. Grendel’s ominous aura is given off as the story describes him as one “who haunted the moors, the wild marshes, and made his home in a hell not hell but earth” (Raffel 21). By setting Grendel’s home in such an eerie area, the author begins to depict the darkness and evilness that Grendel was composed of. In addition, the story states that Grendel’s “thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws” (Raffel 22). By depicting Grendel as quick and crafty, the story shows readers just how much of a threat and danger Grendel was to the community of Herot. For the statement shows that not only were Grendel’s physical attributes were supernatural, but it also shows that Grendel had a superior mind, further depicting him as a threat to society. In a depiction of the terror Grendel brought to Herot, the author writes, Grendel “snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowingly in their beds, and ran out with their bodies, the blood dripping” (Raffel 22). Grendel’s display of force attributes to his cold-blooded ways, for gruesomeness and good-conscience meant nothing to him. Grendel was simply an evil creature who murdered with delight. Therefore, Grendel’s actions only proved that he was an unfeeling, gruesome creature that possessed a superior mind and superior strength, which made him Herot’s greatest threat of the time.
In the story, Grendel is characterized by the contrast his gruesome nature provided against the beautiful mead-hall, Herot. From the beginning of his life, Grendel knew of nothing but darkness, for the story states “he was spawned in [the] slime” (Raffel 21). The slime depicts the filth that Grendel was born into, and because slime can usually be found in marshes and swamps, it further symbolizes the lowlands that represent poverty. Further, the darkness and grime that Grendel was born in alludes to the darkness and evil within himself. In addition, when Grendel approached the town of Herot to reap terror, he approached the town “from the marsh, from the foot of misty hills and bogs, bearing God’s hatred” (Raffel 31). Grendel’s approach from the marshes only further adds to the fact that Grendel was born and raised in the dirt and grime of the swamps. Further, Grendel’s emergence from the “misty hills” (Raffel 31) only adds to the eeriness of Grendel’s character, and it alludes to the havoc he is ready to bring. All of the dreariness and eeriness of Grendel’s home provides a contrast to Herot, which “trembled wonderfully built to withstand [Grendel’s] blows” (Raffel 33), and Grendel’s dingy home further provides a contrast to the “beautiful walls, shaped and fastened with iron, inside and out, artfully worked” (Raffel 33). The contrast between Grendel’s origins and Herot are clearly seen as Grendel emerged from bogs and the marsh, while Herot sat beautiful and strong. Further, Grendel’s home in the marshes represents dismalness and poverty, while Herot’s beautiful architecture suggest wealth and power. Therefore, Grendel is characterized as a dismal contrast to Herot’s beauty.
Therefore, Grendel was characterized as a horrendous character that haphazardly reeked terror on Herot. Perhaps, some of his terribleness was due to the fact that he symbolized Cain’s descendants. Further, his gruesomeness was characterized through the dark aura he portrayed through his actions. Finally, Grendel’s evil was characterized through the contrast he provided against the beautiful, strong Herot. Therefore, in Beowulf, Grendel was characterized through his symbolization, actions, and his contrast against Herot.
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