Grendel

Plot Importance
Grendel is one of three antagonists in the poem ''Beowulf. ''He is a demon of the line of Cain who lives somewhere near Heorot and began to attack the mead-hall by evening after hearing the Spear-Danes singing joyful songs of God. "...Grendel strove""long with Hrothgar, bore his hatred,""sins and feuds, for many seasons,""perpetual conflict; he wanted no peace""with any man of the Danish army (ll. 151-55)"None of the Danes can defeat Grendel, and word gets out. Beowulf takes on Grendel in hand-to-hand combat. Grendel's arm is ripped off during this battle and he runs off, defeated. Grendel's arm is kept in Heorot as a trophy until it is stolen by his mother in her revenge journey.

The head of Grendel's corpse is cut off after Beowulf's battle with Grendel's mother, and brought back as a replacement trophy.

Background and Description

 * Grendel is said at the end of ft. I to be of the line of Cain and the race of murderers.
 * The appearance of his lone arm is described in lines 984-90. The description says that "...at the end of each nail / was a sharp tip, most like steel" and that "that not even the hardest of ancient and honorable / irons would touch him, or injure at all / the bloody battle-paw of that baleful creature".  Grendel cannot be killed by a sword, which is why no-one had success against him until Beowulf first stripped himself of armaments.