In order to understand any story, you have to spend time getting to know its characters. From their personal background and physical characteristics to their words and actions, every detail has meaning.

Beowulf is no different. Though the characters may at first seem like a motley cast of barbarians and monsters, each is highly complex, rich in symbolism, and teaches much about the mindset of the early Scandinavian and Germanic peoples they reflect.

Beowulf – “Mightiest yet Mildest of Men”

Let’s begin with our title hero. Most people have heard of Beowulf even if they skipped British Literature 101, not least because he’s fought his way across the big screen so many times. Stylized as a valiant barbarian from the lands of the Geats (aka Sweden), he is somewhat of a contradiction.

Ian Serraillier, my favorite Beowulf author, calls him the “mightiest yet mildest of men.” His “might” comes from his great strength and superior battle skills. Such would have been a prerequisite for a barbarian leader. (If you can’t win an arm-wrestling match against the whole clan, not to mention a giant, flesh-eating monster, take a hike!)

But Beowulf’s character is not just about flexing his muscles; he’s also “mild.” Serrailier uses this word to describe the barbarian hero’s spirituality, which blends the traditions of Germanic paganism with Christianity. Beowulf is both true to the Germanic code of loyalty, called comitatus, and the ideals of Christian virtue. He ultimately gives his life for his people in a very Christ-like way, but he does so at the point of a sword, fighting like a warrior should. We can think of him as a Christianized barbarian who still knows how to win a fight.  

Hrothgar – “Giver of Treasure”

King of the Danes, Hrothgar is also a Christian barbarian warrior. He is so glorious in battle and cares so much for his people that he gives them an abundance of gifts and builds them a great hall, called Heorot. He provides them with all the comforts of armed peace he can—that is until Grendel shows up and starts eating his men. Even Hrothgar, who had been so fearless in the past, finds himself unable to face Grendel. Instead, he slinks away in defeat every night before the monster’s feasting hour.

Poor Hrothgar! His hair turns gray, and his eyes lose their luster during the twelve years of Grendel’s attacks. It is only after Beowulf arrives at Heorot that Hrothgar gets his step back. Hrothgar is a good king to his people, always trying to give them his best. It’s just that his best is no match for Grendel and certainly nothing compared to what Beowulf has to offer.

Unferth – “A Grovelling Jealous Man”

In the character of Unferth, we learn that not all barbarians are good. He is Beowulf’s foil, or opposite, being as weak and selfish as Beowulf is strong and selfless. Nonetheless, he has an inflated opinion of himself and challenges Beowulf—but only in words! At the conclusion of his “fight” with Beowulf, Hrothgar dismisses him as a wimp. Actually in Serraillier’s version, he calls him “an envious, wayward man, unworthy of note,” which is much worse.

If not for the role he plays in attacking Beowulf’s reputation, he would have no part in the story. Still, his character is a good reminder of how important fame was to the barbarian people he represents. Beowulf is famous; Unferth is not. It is that which makes him most jealous. He does not seem to really care about being tougher than Beowulf. If he did, he would have faced Grendel. What he desires is unearned glory.

Grendel – “The Grim Monster”

At last we come to Grendel. To simply call him a monster is to misunderstand him. He is a descendant of Cain, as in the Cain who slew his brother Abel from the Bible. As punishment, God marked Cain with a sign of his sin and cast him out of his “clan.” Like Cain, Grendel is marked with sin. His “arms of hairy gorilla” and “red ferocious eyes” and “ravening jaws,” among other things, are signs of his evilness.  

No longer looking like a man, his oldest ancestor, Cain, was nonetheless created as one. That means their family line has gone against its human nature. It is that which makes him different from say, a lion, who might also attack and eat people. A lion would not be sinning to eat a person, but Grendel is. What’s more, he loves eating humans, and it’s not just because they taste good! He eats them out of vengeance. Like the sin he represents, he has an insatiable appetite. Put differently, he is beyond redemption and must be killed.

Grendel’s Mother – “The Tyrant Queen”

It turns out even Grendel has a mother who loves him—in her own distorted way, of course. Flesh and blood bind them together, so we can pretty much picture a female version of her son, complete with his massive, hairy size and strength. She, too, hates mankind, but her vendetta is more personal. By the time we meet her in the story, she wants payback for her son’s death, and she really wants to kill Beowulf.

When put in the context of motherhood, Grendel’s Mother is somewhat sympathetic, but that doesn’t change the fact that she is evil. She and Grendel lived together in an eerie lake, symbolic of Hell, over which she reigns supreme. Though her son may have been the one who killed so many humans at Heorot, she most certainly was an accomplice if not the instigator.

The Fire Dragon – “Twilight Foe”

Last but certainly not least of the monsters comes a fearsome, fire-breathing dragon that lives in Beowulf’s own kingdom of Sweden. If the idea of Grendel and Grendel’s mother harkens back to the fall of mankind, the Fire Dragon takes us back even farther to the fall of the angels. With his long coiled body, he looks like a serpent but with wings and legs, drawing an obvious connection to the devil.

And the similarities don’t stop there. His is the kind of evil that sleeps in the shadows, always hoping for a chance to trap an unsuspecting human into doing something foolish, aka sinning. He lures them with an ancient treasure tucked beneath a burial ground, reminding us that he is an instrument of death. The treasure proves too great a temptation for one of the Geats. He breaks in, wakens the sleeping dragon, and thus ignites a fiery rampage. Though Beowulf kills the Fire Dragon, he needs help doing so and dies in the end. This final monster is the strongest and most evil of all.

Wiglaf – “Close Kinsman of the King”

Enter Wiglaf. He alone stands by Beowulf to fight and defeat the Fire Dragon. They share many of the same qualities, perhaps partially because they are related. He, too, is a powerful warrior, though presumably not equals in their prime. More importantly, Wiglaf knows the value of loyalty and was prepared to give his life for Beowulf just as Beowulf was prepared to give his life for his people.

It is Wiglaf who shames the other warriors for abandoning Beowulf. It is he who obeys Beowulf’s dying wishes and builds his burial mound on the Fire Dragon’s treasure, refusing to take any of the spoils even for himself. Fittingly, he becomes the next king of Sweden.

Conclusion

That’s about all we can say about the characters without getting into the whole story. Although you can piece it together here, you will want to look at each of the subsequent plot analyses to get a fuller picture.

Please note the taglines for each character and quotations are derived from Beowulf the Warrior retold by Ian Serraillier.

Image Credit: Rockwell Kent, Beowulf, 1931, lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum