Beowulf (Summary) G9
Beowulf (Summary) G9
Beowulf (Summary) G9
The arm
trophy
hangs high
under the
roof of
Heorot.
Celebration
The Danes celebrate the next day with a huge
feast featuring entertainment by Hrothgars
scop (pronounced shop), a professional bard
who accompanies himself on a harp and sings
or chants traditional lays such as an account of
the Danes victory at Finnsburh.
This bard also improvises a song about
Beowulfs victory.
Queen Wealhtheow
Hrothgars wife,
Queen Wealhtheow,
proves to be a
perfect hostess,
offering Beowulf a
gold collar and her
gratitude.
Filled with mead (drink made from honey), wine, and great
food, the entire party retires for what they expect to be
the first peaceful night in years.
Revenge
But Grendels mothernot quite as powerful
as her son but highly motivatedclimbs to
Heorot that night, retrieves her sons claw, and
murderously abducts one of the Scyldings
(Aeschere) while Beowulf sleeps elsewhere.
The next morning, Hrothgar, Beowulf, and a
retinue of Scyldings and Geats follow the
mothers tracks into a dark, forbidding swamp
and to the edge of her mere.
Heading towards the mere
Diving into the
mere
Carrying a sword
called Hrunting,
a gift from the
chastised
Unferth, Beowulf
dives into the
lake to seek the
mother.
Fight Underwater
The slaughtered Aescheres head sits on a cliff
by the lake, which hides the ogres
underground cave.
Near the bottom of the lake, Grendels mother
attacks and hauls the Geat warrior to her
dimly lit cave.
Beowulf fights back once inside the dry
cavern, but the gift sword, Hrunting, strong as
it is, fails to penetrate the ogres hide.
Encounter
Beowulf wrestles with
Grendles mother
The mother moves to
kill Beowulf with her
knife, but his armor,
made by the legendary
blacksmith Weland,
protects him.
Magical sword
Suddenly Beowulf spots a magical, giant sword
and uses it to cut through the mothers spine at
the neck, killing her.
A blessed light unexplainably illuminates the
cavern, disclosing Grendels corpse and a great
deal of treasure. Beowulf decapitates the corpse.
The magic sword melts to its hilt. Beowulf returns
to the lakes surface carrying the head and hilt
but leaving the treasure.
Return to Geatland
After more celebration and gifts and a sermon by
Hrothgar warning of the dangers of pride and the
mutability of time, Beowulf and his men return to
Geatland.
There he serves his king well until Hygelac is killed
in battle and his son dies in a feud.
Beowulf is then named king and rules successfully
for 50 years.
Like Hrothgar, however, his peace is shattered in
his declining years. Beowulf must battle one more
demon.
Dragon
A fiery dragon has
become enraged
because a lone
fugitive has
inadvertently
discovered the
dragons treasure-
trove and stolen a
valuable cup.
The dragon terrorizes
the countryside at
night, burning several
homes, including
Beowulfs.
The final fight
Led by the fugitive, Beowulf and eleven of his
men seek out the dragons barrow.
Beowulf insists on taking on the dragon alone,
but his own sword, Naegling, is no match for
the monster.
Wiglaf
Seeing his king in trouble,
one thane, Wiglaf , goes to
his assistance.
The others flee to the
woods.
Death
Together, Wiglaf and Beowulf kill the dragon,
but the mighty king is mortally wounded.
Dying, Beowulf leaves his kingdom to Wiglaf
and requests that his body be cremated in a
funeral pyre and buried high on a seaside cliff
where passing sailors might see the barrow.
The dragons treasure-hoard is buried with
him. It is said that they lie there still.
Mourning
A dirge for Beowulf
Song of
mourning