A Mother Seeks Revenge

Grendel the monster is dead but Beowulf has one more enemy to contend with. Hell hath no fury like a monster mother who has lost her beloved son.

King Hrothgar of Heorot, relieved that Grendel the monster had been killed, presented Beowulf with a new suit of armour, a helmet and a banner depicting a wild boar. So grateful was the king that he also gave the brave warrior his own father, King Healfdene’s sword.

At this point, Queen Wealhtheow gently put her hand over her husband’s arm. By giving Beowulf the sword of his own father, Hrothgar was indicating that he wished this young man to be his heir.

‘Bestow upon him whatever you wish. For what he has done, the country and all of us are forever indebted. But pray, do not deprive your own sons of what is truly their legacy,’ she whispered to the king.

Turning to Beowulf, she said, ‘Heorot is grateful for what you have done for us. I hope you’ll be kind to my sons, too, in the future.’

‘Your Majesty! Have no fear; your sons are brave and courageous. But if they need my help, I’ll be glad to come to their aid,’ replied Beowulf. Touched by his gentleness, Queen Wealhtheow gifted him a necklace and a corselet.

That night, the king and his men slept peacefully. But little did they know, their troubles were far from over. There was someone mourning the death of her monster son—Grendel’s mother.

Grendel’s mother was twice as wicked and powerful as her son. She had heard the laughter and merrymaking at the victory celebrations in the palace. In the last quarter of the night, she rose from her lair with a blood-curdling cry and made her way to the palace hall. She would avenge her beloved son’s death.

Stealth comes naturally to monsters and quietly, she came to the hall and picked up one of Hrothgar’s sleeping men. The unfortunate victim was Aeschere, a loyal adviser to the king. After killing the sleeping man (who probably thought it was a nightmare), she retreated to her lair, carrying the body of the slain man. That night, Beowulf, asleep in a private chamber, did not hear or witness the tragedy.

The next morning, as the men woke, they discovered the blood trails and found Aeschere missing. ‘It is Grendel’s mother,’ cried King Hrothgar. ‘Beowulf, we need you to help us again!’

Beowulf put on his new armour and breastplate. He turned to Unferth, who had mocked him when he had first arrived at Heorot. ‘Unferth, I need to borrow your sword.’ Unferth, who had since changed his opinion of the young warrior and was now full of admiration for him, willingly gave him the sword known as the Hrunting.

Beowulf approached the monster’s watery lair and dove in. Grendel’s mother, sensing a human presence, sent water serpents to attack him. But he killed them all with the sword. The monster mother then swam up to the surface and dragged Beowulf down under.

She led him to the vaulted chamber where she had lived with her son. Her son’s dead body was propped up in a far corner of the slimy, watery cave. Beowulf swung the famed Hrunting at her but it was useless.

Discarding the sword, he now fought with his bare hands. As they grappled with each other, Beowulf was thrown to the ground. The she-monster drew her dagger and stabbed him but it could not cut through his corselet.

In the middle of the combat, Beowulf’s sharp eyes noticed a large sword hanging on the wall and, when he got a chance, made a dash for it.

It was a large sword for a mortal but Beowulf could lift and swing it effortlessly. With one deft stroke, he chopped off the head of the monster and Grendel’s mother lay dead at his feet, her head severed from her body.

Still carrying the giant sword, he made his way to where Grendel lay dead. He swung the sword once more and cut the off monster’s head. He would take away Grendel’s head as proof of his victory. The poisoned blood of the monsters melted the big sword and Beowulf retrieved the Hrunting, which he had temporarily discarded before the bare-handed combat.

As he returned with Grendel’s head, all of Heorot cheered him once again. Shortly after, Beowulf returned to his own country, Geatland, where he was anointed king in the not-so-distant future.