Beowulf’s fight with Grendel’s Mother picks up right where his fight with Grendel left off. Read on to see how Beowulf continues to prove himself a hero among barbarians and Christians.
PLOT SUMMARY
Exposition – The Background
Having celebrated Beowulf’s defeat of Grendel, Hrothgar ushers him off to a splendid bedroom for a much deserved night’s sleep.
Inciting Incident – The Problem
Little do they know, however, their troubles are not really over. Another monster, Grendel’s Mother, breaks into Heorot, snatches up one of the men named Aeschere, and carries him off.
Rising Action – The Build-up
When Beowulf learns of this the next morning, he immediately organizes an expedition to seek out Grendel’s Mother. No longer the fearful men they were during Grendel’s feasting days, the Danes join the Geats. Together they track Grendel’s Mother all the way to an eerie lake where they find Aeschere’s head staked on a post.
Though the surrounding terrain is frosted with ice, the lake itself is ablaze with fire and full of evil monsters. Hrothgar marks one with his bow and shoots it dead, proving that he has regained his battle prowess and still worthy to be king in his own right.
Climax – The Breaking Point
But this fight, like the last one, is really for Beowulf. He alone is brave enough to dive into the strange waters and continue the hunt for Grendel’s Mother. As he plunges deeper and deeper, he suddenly feels himself held fast by a tremendous creature with a hairy chest. It is none other than Grendel’s Mother.
She pulls him into her lair, which consists of a dry area at the greatest depth of the lake. She seems to have the advantage, being on her home turf and so full of an evil desire for revenge. But then Beowulf spots an ancient sword forged by giants with magic from the Sun and manages to kill her with it.
Falling Action – The Unraveling
As he looks around the lair, his eyes chance upon Grendel’s body. (The monster had gone home to the lair to die after his arm was ripped off). Desiring another trophy, Beowulf chops off Grendel’s head, which gushes blood all the way up to the surface.
Hrothgar sees it, assumes Beowulf was killed, and departs for Heorot. Still hopeful, the Geats remain longer and see Beowulf emerge victorious with Grendel’s grisly head.
Resolution – Problem Solved
The Danes host another feast for the Geats, showering upon them even more treasures. The monsters are dead; peace and honor have been restored once and for all. Hrothgar and Beowulf bid one another a sad farewell, now sharing a bond of loyalty and love akin to a father and a son.
PLOT ANALYSIS
Structurally, Beowulf’s fight with Grendel’s Mother mirrors his fight with Grendel. Just swap out one monster for another, one battleground for another, and you have pretty much the same story. So why have Beowulf do everything all over again? Is it just a cheap way to stretch out the storyline and have more thrills?
Not exactly. As my students realize during our class discussions, the second fight is all about character growth. Let’s start with Hrothgar. After Grendel’s defeat, he had regained his legitimate status as king and was once again able to provide for his people in the great hall of Heorot. But it is not until the fight with Grendel’s Mother that Hrothgar proves himself strong in battle, worthy of respect and even fear. His transformation is now complete. We know that he will live out his days as a fit king of the Danes.
Let’s turn to Beowulf now. As always, he’s really the character to focus on.
Fighting Grendel is nothing to sneeze at, but it pales in comparison to fighting Grendel’s Mother at the bottom of her eerie lake. That’s because the lake symbolizes Hell, the source of all the problems in Denmark. Beowulf dives into its very depth, kills Grendel’s Mother at great peril to his own life, and thereby cleanses the lake of all its monsters. There is nothing left to terrorize Heorot, so the Danes can sleep easy once and for all.
Figuratively, Beowulf’s role as a messianic character comes full circle when he faces Grendel’s Mother. Having previously left his father in Sweden to serve a foreign people, we now see him offer his life to save them from not one monster but all of them. When the story closes, Beowulf gets to return to his father, knowing his mission is fully accomplished. Better still, he did it all out of kindness, taking only the glory of his great deeds as a prize. Beowulf truly is a Christian-barbarian hero.
Illustration from Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race (1910)