66. SUMMARY
Beowulf begins with a description of
the life of Scyld Scefing (Old Norse Skjold),
the legendary ancestor of the Scyldings or
Danish royal family. The narrator then lists
several descendants of Scyld before
coming to Hrothgar, who rules from the
hall of Heorot.
67. SUMMARY
Beowulf and his thegns (retainers or soldiers)
arrive at Heorot to assist Hrothgar against the
monster Grendel. Grendel is described as a
descendant of the biblical Cain and is an
outsider among men. The narrator explains that
sounds of celebration and joy coming from
Heorot actually agonize Grendel.
68. SUMMARY
Grendel begins attacking Heorot on a
nightly basis, killing and devouring
Hrothgar’s warriors. Hrothgar and his
people are depicted as helpless against
the monster’s attacks and Grendel
ravages Hrothgar’s hall for 12 years
before Beowulf’s arrival.
69. SUMMARY
Beowulf hears about the plight of Hrothgar while at
at home in Geatland. He receives the permission of
the Geatish king to travel with his warriors to
Denmark and fight Grendel. Beowulf and his
followers are welcomed by Hrothgar and his wife
Wealtheow.
70. SUMMARY
Unferth, one of Hrothgar’s warriors, is
skeptical about Beowulf’s abilities and the two fling
insults at each other. On their first night in Heorot,
Beowulf pretends to sleep while awaiting Grendel’s
inevitable arrival. When Grendel appears, Beowulf
attacks him and they begin to grapple with each
other but the swords of Beowulf’s warriors are
unable to pierce Grendel’s skin.
71. SUMMARY
Finally, Beowulf is able to rip Grendel’s
right arm off and the monster flees the
hall. The arm is hung up as a trophy and
Beowulf’s victory is celebrated.
72. SUMMARY
The following night, Heorot is again attacked.
This time, it is Grendel’s mother who has come,
infuriated by the attack on her son. Grendel’s
mother drags Aeschere, Hrothgar’s most trusted
warrior, out of the hall and kills him. Aeschere’s
head is later found as Beowulf and the others are
tracking Grendel’s mom.
73. SUMMARY
Beowulf, Hrothgar, and the other warriors track
Grendel’s mother to her lair under a lake. The
warrior Unferth presents Beowulf with his sword
Hrunting and Beowulf makes preparations with
Hrothgar should he be killed in the coming fight.
Beowulf then plunges into the water and discovers
a cave where Grendel and his mother have been
living.
74. SUMMARY
In the cave, Beowulf finds Grendel’s mother, but
Unferth’s sword cannot pierce her skin. In turn,
Beowulf is protected by his armor. Beowulf
eventually finds another magic sword at the
bottom of the lake and uses it to behead Grendel’s
mother. The blade of his new sword is dissolved by
the apparently toxic blood of the two monsters.
75. SUMMARY
He then takes their heads back to Hrothgar. In
reward, Hrothgar showers Beowulf in gifts,
including his ancestral sword Naegling. What
follows is a lengthy speech by Hrothgar, urging
Beowulf to remain humble and to be generous to
his thegns.
76. SUMMARY
In essence, Hrothgar is espousing the
proper behavior of a successful king and
warlord. This would have reflected the
values of the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy as
well as their counterparts in the other early
early Germanic kingdoms.
77. SUMMARY
Following this victory, Beowulf and his
followers return to Geatland, where he becomes
king of the Geats and rules for roughly 50 years. T
the end of this period, an elderly Beowulf is forced
to confront a rampaging dragon. The narrator
explains that a slave stole a cup from the dragon’s
hoard at a place called Earnanaes.
78. SUMMARY
This prompts the furious beast to leave its lair and
attack the countryside. The image of the dragon
holding its treasure can be contrasted with
generous kings and lords who properly reward
their warriors and thegns for faithful military
service. Beowulf and his soldiers arrive to fight the
dragon but Beowulf demands to fight it alone and
proceeds to battle with the monster.
79. SUMMARY
The dragon overpowers Beowulf and his men flee
in terror. Only Wiglaf, described as a kinsman of
Beowulf, remains to aid Beowulf. Together, Wiglaf
and Beowulf kill the dragon, but Beowulf soon dies
of his wounds.
Wiglaf retrieves the dragon’s treasure at
Beowulf’s request and condemns his other
followers for fleeing.
80. SUMMARY
Wiglaf is described as a cousin to Beowulf and as
the last of the Waegmundings, who were the tribe
of Beowulf’s father. Beowulf himself is burned on a
funeral pyre and then buried in a barrow
overlooking the sea. Beowulf’s people mourn his
loss and are thrown into panic for fear that they will
will no longer be adequately protected against
attacks from neighboring peoples.
81. SUMMARY
No doubt this reflects a very real
concern for people living in Anglo-Saxon
England at the time of the poem’s
transcription.
On his deathbed, he requests that a
monument be erected to remember him
and how great he was.
82. SUMMARY
In seeing this monument, future
generations will remember Beowulf and
the qualities he embodied, reminding
them to fight evil forces with courage and
strength and to be always loyal.
84. THEME
THEME
The Anglo-Saxons valued bravery,
heroism, strength, loyalty, fame
through glorious deeds, and the
desire to fight evil.
85. THEME
Beowulf himself embodies all of these
qualities. He is the strongest and best
warrior in his country, and after he
defeats Grendel and his mother he
becomes king.
86. THEME
Wiglaf, who becomes Beowulf’s
successor, also embodies these traits.
When all of the other soldiers abandon
Beowulf in hid fatal battle against the
dragon, Wiglaf does not. He displays
courage and loyalty in helping Beowulf
defeat the dragon.
87. THEME
One who bravely and courageously fights
evil for the sake of his people (and others);
someone who strives to be strong and is
loyal to his leaders/followers increasingly
over time, this morality also begun to
include a faith in God’s help to win battles
against evil.
88. THEME
Beowulf is selfless. He is willing to
risk his life for the greater good.
Loving one’s fellow man more than
one’s own self is the epitome of moral
thinking and action.
