BEOWULF CONQUERS THE MARSH MONSTER

An old legend in which a brave warrior overcomes a terrible menace by strength and skill.

Beowulf was the nephew of a king who ruled over a part of Sweden. He was a young man of great strength. No one could stand against him. At that time there was a monster named Grendel, half man and half beast that came out of the swamp every night and snatched away the warriors as they slept in the hall of the king, and carried them off to his lair and devoured them. No matter how the warriors tried to protect themselves, the terrible Grendel would break in the place where they were sleeping, seize one of them in his mighty arms and bear him away.

Beowulf heard of all this and set out with a band of trained warriors to help the king get rid of the monster.

The warriors entered the castle and prepared to lie down to sleep. Beowulf took off his armor, laid aside his helmet and handed his sword and shield to his servant. He wore only a silken coat. The warriors said to him, “Put on thy armor, and thy helmet, and take thy sword and shield, for Grendel is an enemy that will demand all thy strength.”

But Beowulf said to them: “I shall fight Grendel and conquer him with my own good hands and head, and with my strong heart.” He then lay down like the others, but not to sleep. He kept a lookout for the approach of the dreaded monster.

Out of the mists of the marsh, as dark came on, strode the monster, Grendel. With one blow of his mighty arms, he broke the bolts and bars of the doors and entered the hall where the warriors lay sleeping. With a loud laugh, he seized one of them and tore him asunder. Beowulf watched him as he sprang on his prey and saw his method of attack.

The monster came the next night, and when he entered the hall hungry for a feast, he looked over the warriors who were asleep and started to seize one in his terrible arms. But Beowulf was as quick as Grendel and caught the monster’s arm in his own mighty grasp and twisted it round and round.

The fight that ensued was terrible. The tables were overturned, the castle shook with the noise and the people in the town were awakened with the sounds of the battle. The roar of the monster could be heard a mile, but Beowulf uttered not a sound.

The sleeping warriors rose up and joined in the fight; but Grendel’s hide was thicker than armor and their swords were useless. The blows they rained upon him made no impression.

At last Grendel tore loose, leaving his arm in Beowulf’s grasp. Bleeding and exhausted he crawled back to the marsh where they found his dead body the next day.