Beowulf in the Epic Poem

Beowulf

In the epic poem Beowulf, the three supernatural beasts function as symbols of man's anxiety towards his environment. it's too easy to forget that in the Anglo-Saxon era, (around the 5th century, C.E.), the environment was much wilder and far more hostile than the environment of luxury and comfort that human beings are used to now. Much of that hostility revolved around how man had a great deal of difficulty surviving. Day to day survival wasn't easy, not even for the rich. Securing food and adequately nutrition was dependent on hunting, fishing and farming: all of those options have one element in common: they are all based in uncertainty. Homes were incredibly flimsy, there was no electricity and even candles were reserved just for the rich. Wolves lived on the perimeter of villages and they had to be warded off from preying of domestic animals or livestock, or even humans, such as small children. Clearly based on these stark facts regarding the sheer challenge presented by day-to-day life, one could see how there would be an underlying tension that acted as the foundation beneath human interactions and human interaction with one's environment.

This anxiety is apparent in the first appearance of Grendel in the text. Grendel drags off thirty or so sleeping heroes of war and consumes all of them savagely. Consider: "When the sun was sunken, he set out to visit/the lofty hall-building, how the Ring-Danes had used it/for beds and benches when the banquet was over./Then he found there reposing many a noble/Asleep after supper; sorrow the heroes, / Misery knew not." This stanza demonstrates the opportunistic quality of Grendel and juxtaposed with the innocent and quiet slumber of the soldiers. In the Anglo-Saxon era, it is no doubt that people had been murdered by predators during soft and peaceful slumber; setting the scene in this manner was a reflection of that occurrence and that fear. This stanza is a pure reflection of the fear of the era: the fear of being preyed upon.

Furthermore, the description of Grendel imparts this character with distinctly diabolical qualities and a strong sense of cunning. Grendel is a sign of evil incarnate. "The monster of evil/Greedy and cruel tarried but little, / Fell and frantic, and forced from their slumbers/Thirty of thanemen; thence he departed/Leaping and laughing, his lair to return to,/With surfeit of slaughter sallying homeward." This description of Grendel both reflects the senselessness of the slaughter, the underlying fear of being killed senselessly by a predator and of the primitive conception of good and evil. One could argue that members of a society which fear monsters are generally ones which have extremely dichotomous notions of right and wrong. The sheer appearance of Grendel and all she does is clearly representative of that. In that sense, she's an extremely simple character: Grendel is evil and she kills with no mercy, creating simply devastation, because that is simply what evil beasts do.

If one were to compare that to mythological "beasts" of destruction of the current era or of pop culture, one can see that these beasts/predators are slightly more nuanced today. For instance, Bin Laden, when alive, engaged in acts of terrorism to frighten Americans, but with a greater, even if insane, cause at hand, dictated by Islam. Even in comic books, which one could argue is a form of contemporary folklore, these villains have far more nuanced character (the Riddler, the Joker) and engage in a sense of trickery and subterfuge before and during their attacks. This character seeks only to destroy. And the destruction felt, apparently brings men to their knees: "Was Grendel's prowess revealed to the warriors/Then, his meal-taking finished, a moan was uplifted, / Morning-cry mighty." The devastation is felt acutely. This reaction represents a terribly primal fear of the era: that the bravest people of the Anglo-Saxon era, the soldiers, would be killed by evil incarnate when they were most vulnerable: during sleep. And all that would remain would be their brothers to mourn them, inconsolable.

The anxiety expressed by this poem is acutely felt and accurately represents the norms of the era. During this era, if someone was killed by someone else, the family of the slain person would have to kill the murderers in order to avenge the death of their beloved. Thus, it makes perfect sense that the poem goes exactly along this route. However, by doing so it again expresses both the anxiety of the era and the dichotomous views of good and evil. For Grendel's mother comes to avenge his death and she is described as "Devil-shaped woman, her woe ever minded,/Who was held to inhabit the horrible waters…His mother moreover/Eager and gloomy was anxious to go on/Her mournful mission, mindful of vengeance/for the death of her son." In this instance, one can see that the anxiety and fear has perhaps even been intensified to a higher degree because Grendel's mother is described as one who is not simply thirsty for blood and destruction as her son was, but is someone who is almost completely otherworldly: she is demonic and devilish.

Beowulf's battle with Grendel's mother still reflects the stark dichotomous thinking of the ear towards good and evil. The two struggle. Just when all looks bleak for Beowulf: God arranges for his escape. "And had God most holy not awarded the victory,/All-knowing Lord; easily did heaven's/Ruler most righteous arrange it with justice; / Uprose he erect ready for battle." This is a clear instance of good winning (if only temporarily, in this instance) over evil because of the benevolent help of a higher power. In this poem, good triumphs over evil because this was the thought construct of the day, perhaps even stronger than that belief is today. Beowulf eventually slays Grendel's mother because fundamentally, that was the only sequence of events that was fathomable -- the alternative would be too much to bear.