2007-03-28 13:13:07 · 4 answers · asked by kalandra b 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
There are two parts. The first is set in Denmark. The king (Hrothgar) and his people at Heorot are being terrorised by Grendel (who is not a dragon but a man-monster). Beowulf hears about it and sails with a shipload of warriors to help defeat him. Grendel kills and eats his victims and then disappears to come back another night.
Beowulf and his companions lie in the hall and when Grendel comes, Beowulf grabs hold of him so he can't get away, while the others attack him with swords. Beowulf is unarmed and just concentrating on hanging on. Eventually, Grendel's arm is ripped off and he leaves, mortally wounded, to go away and die.
Everyone feasts and the arm and shoulder of Grendel is hung from the rafters of the hall.
Grendel's mother then comes in revenge and carries off one of the warriors. Beowulf is sleeping in other lodgings. Next day he follws Grendel's mother to a cave under a lake and fights and kills her and comes back with her head and the hilt of the sword with which he killed her - the blade melted because of her hot corrosive blood.
Later, back home in his own country of the Geats, a dragon terrorizes them because someone tried to steal some of its treasure. Beowulf and some companions go to fight it. Beowulf's blade is blunted on the dragon's bone and so he's not fighting as effectively as he wants. Most of his companions slink off in terror except one called Wiglaf who seeing that Beowulf is being overcome by the flames of the dragon, draws his own sword and fights too. Although the dragon is killed, finally by Beowulf's knife, Beowulf gets bitten in the neck and dies.
2007-03-28 22:49:57 · answer #1 · answered by LadyOok 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Beowulf was a hero from somewhere In one of the Norse countries (Norway or something). His Hometown was attacked by a dragon, Grendel, who had been charmed to resist weaponry. Beowulf took the dragon on and defeated it using his bare hands.
2007-03-28 21:19:25 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was once a PAGAN folktale of Heroic Norsemen .But after Scandinavia's Conversion to Christianity it was found and edited by some Priest [adding 'God' to the dialougue instead of leaving in 'Odin' and stuff like that,things a priest would do].It seemingly converted the tale to a happy christian story and making the monster [Grendel] in the tale an image of satan instead of a monster that was simply misunderstood.
:[
2007-03-28 20:36:34 · answer #3 · answered by ♠ Oscillate Wildly ♠ 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
what about them?
Chaucer Anglicized old Swedish tales.
2007-03-28 20:17:24 · answer #4 · answered by kent_shakespear 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋