Short Summary of Beowulf

The Old English epic poem Beowulf tells the story of a young Geatish warrior who
comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the King of the Danes, whose kingdom is being
terrorized by a monster named Grendel. Beowulf uses his epic strength and bravery
to slay Grendel in Hrothgar’s mead hall, Heorot, and then to slay Grendel’s
vengeful mother in her underwater lair. Beowulf’s fame spreads, and he returns
home to Geatland laden with treasure for his king, Hygelac. Beowulf later becomes
the king of the Geats and rules for a peaceful fifty years. When a dragon begins to
pose a threat to Geatland, Beowulf and his servant Wiglaf set off to defeat it.
Beowulf succeeds in slaying the dragon, but dies in the process.

Beowulf is a young warrior in Geatland, who comes to the aid of the Scyldings.
Hrothgar is the Danish king and he and his people have been terrorized by a
monster. Beowulf brings 14 of his finest men with him. He is returning the favor,
Hrothgar sheltered Beowulf's father during a deadly feud. He also wants enhance
his reputation and gather treasure for his king, Hygelac. The monster, Grendel
comes and attacks them, but Beowulf cuts off his claw and the monster is mortally
wounded. The mother of Grendel, not as strong as her son, but deeply motivated,
plans revenge. She sneaks in and gets her son's claw. Beowulf and the men follow
the trail of the mother and are lead to a dark swamp. Beowulf dives in to find the
mother. He tries to fight her with his sword, but to no avail. He suddenly sees a
magical sword and slices through the neck and spine of the monster, killing her.
When the monster dies, he sees a great treasure, but he leaves it there, only
bringing the head of the monster back with him.

He returns home and ends up becoming king and rules for 50 years. He has one last
battle. This one is with the fiery dragon. He kills the dragon, but is mortally
wounded in the battle and dies.

Beowulf is the longest surviving Anglo-Saxon poems today. It is a literary

masterpiece. To know that a work of literature has lasted for this many years is
remarkable. This poem is considered one of the most important works of literature
today. It is truly one of the most amazing pieces of literature we have in our use
today.
 At a Glance

 Geat hero Beowulf comes to the aid of Hrothgar, king of the Danes. For the past
twelve years, Hrothgar and his people have been plagued by the monster Grendel,
who attacks Heorot Hall nightly.

 Beowulf pledges to stop Grendel, vowing to battle him in hand-to-hand combat.

Grendel attacks in the night. Beowulf and Grendel fight, and Beowulf rips off
Grendel's arm, mortally wounding him. Grendel runs away.

 Grendel’s mother seeks revenge on Beowulf and the Danes. She attacks Heorot
Hall, then flees to her cave under the lake where Beowulf confronts her. Just when
it seems the hero will fall, he finds a giant sword and uses it to cut off her head.

 Fifty years later, Beowulf is king of Geatland. When a dragon awakens, Beowulf
and his kinsman Wiglaf go to face the creature. Beowulf dies in the heat of battle
and receives a funeral fit for a king.

Introduction

Beowulf is an epic poem of more than 3,100 lines originally written in Old English
(also called Anglo-Saxon) about a Scandinavian prince of the same name. It was
composed and recorded in Britain between the 7th and 10th centuries by an
unknown author. Though the specific characters and plot are mostly fictional, the
poem paints a historical picture of 6th-century Danish, Swedish, and Germanic
peoples.
Like most epics, Beowulf focuses on the titular hero’s victories and adventures,
particularly three character-building battles: first against a humanoid demon named
Grendel, then against Grendel’s vengeful mother, and lastly against a fearsome
dragon. Respected and relied on by fellow warriors, royalty, and his own people
after he becomes king, Beowulf ultimately perishes from the dragon’s venomous
bite. His death is met with sorrow and foreboding by the loyal subjects he leaves
behind.

The poem explores many themes and historical topics. One of the poem’s main
themes is the acceptance of one’s fate, which Beowulf does at the end of the story
when he fights the dragon despite knowing it will kill him. Religion has a role in
the story as well as Beowulf credits God and the gods for his victories in battle.
Throughout the poem, the characters express regard for the code of honor by which
warriors such as Beowulf live, contrasting his composure and desire to protect and
serve with the destructive behavior exhibited by the story’s three main antagonists.

Plot Summary

Hrothgar, the king of the Danes and a warrior known for his success in battle,
builds Heorot Hall as a gathering place where he can feast and celebrate with his
people. The mirth is soon cut short when the monster Grendel attacks, slaughtering
30 men. Year after year, Grendel plagues Heorot each night, killing and inciting
terror in the Danes.

In Geatland across the sea, Beowulf, thane to King Hygelac, is a mighty warrior
with the strength of thirty men. Beowulf hears about Hrothgar’s woes and decides
to aid him, sailing to Denmark with a group of comrades. Beowulf pledges to
Hrothgar that he will fight Grendel in hand-to-hand combat.

When night falls, Beowulf takes off his armor and sets down his weapons in
preparation for Grendel’s attack. Grendel kills one of Beowulf’s kinsmen but
cannot overpower Beowulf, who mortally wounds Grendel by tearing off his arm.
Grendel escapes to his marsh lair, but death soon comes for him.

The Danes celebrate Beowulf’s victory, but with night comes a new terror:
Grendel’s mother, bent on avenging her son. She reclaims her son’s dismembered
arm, killing Hrothgar’s beloved advisor in the process. Hrothgar offers Beowulf
further wealth and honor if he goes to the haunted mere where Grendel’s mother
lives and vanquishes her.
Beowulf agrees, uttering a short monologue that showcases his adherence to a
warrior’s way of life: “It is always better / to avenge dear ones than to indulge in
mourning. / For every one of us, living in this world / means waiting for our end.
Let whoever can / win glory before death. When a warrior is gone, / that will be his
best and only bulwark” (1388–1389).

Beowulf approaches the mere, where Grendel's mother's lair waits below the water.
As he prepares to journey below the water to battle, Unferth, a Danish warrior
initially skeptical of Beowulf's prowess, offers him his sword, Hrunting. Beowulf
accepts and dives below the mere.

When Beowulf clashes with Grendel’s mother, his armor and sword prove useless.
He resorts to fighting with his hands as Grendel's mother continues her attack.
Beowulf finds a large sword in Grendel's mother's treasury room—a weapon from
the days of the giants. He kills her with the sword, beheads Grendel’s corpse, and
returns with the head as his trophy.

Hrothgar again praises Beowulf for saving his people, but warns him about the
corrupting influences of power and of greed: “Do not give way to pride. / For a
brief while your strength is in bloom / but it fades quickly” (1760–1762). Hrothgar
uses the example of how his own pride couldn’t save him or his people from
Grendel.

When Beowulf and the other Geat warriors embark on their journey back to
Geatland, Hrothgar presents Beowulf with many rewards. Once home, Beowulf
receives a warm greeting from Hygelac, king of the Geats, and his queen, Hygd.
Hygelac grants Beowulf land and a throne for his service to the Danes.

Years later, after Hygelac is cut down in battle, Beowulf becomes king of the
Geats and reigns for fifty years of peace. Then a dragon, awakened by a thief
stealing a goblet from his treasure trove, starts plaguing Geatland. He burns the
Geats and their lands at night, including Beowulf’s throne room, and retreats to his
den during the day.

Beowulf knows he must confront the dragon. He leads a small army to the
dragon’s lair, feeling resolute but disheartened, sensing that, “[h]is fate hovered
near, unknowable but certain” (2421).

Beowulf battles the dragon, but his strength does not win this time; his sword fails
to cut through the dragon’s scales. All but one of his men abandon him. Wiglaf, the
only warrior who remains, admonishes the other warriors and joins Beowulf in the
battle. Wiglaf stabs the dragon in the belly after it bites Beowulf in the neck. The
dragon is distracted, pained by Wiglaf's strike, allowing Beowulf the chance to
deliver a final, fatal blow.

The end is near for Beowulf, though, and he recognizes this. He weakens as the
poison from the dragon’s bite enters his veins. He reflects on his life and asks
Wiglaf to look through the dragon’s treasure, which Wiglaf does, bringing some of
it back to show his lord.

Then Beowulf instructs for his barrow to be built and speaks his last words: “You
are the last of us, the only one left / of the Waegmundings. Fate swept us away, /
sent my whole brave high-born clan / to their final doom. Now I must follow
them” (2813–2816).

Wiglaf informs the Geats of Beowulf’s death and sees to it that their lord’s final
wishes are honored. He bids the others to gather wood for Beowulf’s funeral pyre,
then leads a small group into the dragon’s lair to retrieve the treasure.

During Beowulf’s funeral, a Geat woman laments the prospect of a future without
Beowulf: “her nation invaded, / enemies on the rampage, bodies in piles, / slavery
and abasement” (3153–3155). The people fear war now that tragedy has left them
vulnerable to attack from their enemies. Beowulf’s people bury the treasure with
him—the treasure that cost him his life—and mourn his loss.

Beowulf, trans. Seamus Heaney. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.

Beowulf Characters
 At a Glance

 Beowulf, a Geat hero who becomes king after defeating the fiend Grendel in battle.
 Hrothgar, King of the Danes, who accepts Beowulf's help in defeating Grendel and
his mother.
 Grendel, the fiend who devours the men of Heorot Hall.
 Grendel's mother, a fearsome monster who attempts to avenge her son.
 Wiglaf, Beowulf's kinsman, who aids him in the battle against the dragon.
 Wealhtheow, the Danish queen, who admires Beowulf and assigns her sons to his
tutelage.
 Unferth, Hrothgar’s advisor, who envies and admires Beowulf.

 Hygelac

 Hygelac (HE-guh-lahk), Beowulf’s lord, the wise ruler of the Geats. He is

killed while leading a raid in the Rhineland.

Beowulf

Beowulf (bay-eh-woolf), the nephew and thane of King Hygelac of the Geats. A
warrior who proves his superhuman strength and endurance in his struggle with the
monster Grendel, he exemplifies the ideal lord and vassal, rewarding his own men
generously and accomplishing glorious deeds to honor his king, while he fulfills all
the forms of courtesy at Hrothgar’s court.

Hrothgar

Hrothgar (HROHTH-gahr), the aging lord of the Danes, a good and generous ruler
deeply distressed by Grendel’s ravaging visits to Heorot, his great hall. He adopts
his savior, Beowulf, as his son and parts with him tearfully in a moving scene; he
knows that he will not see the young warrior again.

Wealhtheow
Wealhtheow (WEE-ahl-thay-oh), his queen, a gracious, dignified hostess to the
visiting Geats. She, too, grows fond of Beowulf and commends the welfare of her
young sons into his hands.

Unferth

Unferth (EWN-fahrth), Hrothgar’s adviser, typical of the wicked counselors of

folklore. Envious of Beowulf and heated with wine, he taunts the Geat with his
failure to defeat Breca in a youthful swimming match. He is won over by
Beowulf’s victory against Grendel and lends the hero his sword, Hrunting, for the
undersea battle against Grendel’s mother.

Grendel

Grendel (GREHN-duhl), one of the monstrous descendants of Cain, condemned to

wander alone in the wastelands of the world. Given pain by the light and
merriment in Hrothgar’s hall, he visits it and regularly carries off warriors to
devour until he is mortally maimed in a struggle with Beowulf.

Grendel’s Mother

Grendel’s Mother, another monster. She invades Heorot to avenge her dead son
and is herself killed by Beowulf after a long and difficult combat in her underwater
cave.

Hygelac

Hygelac (HE-guh-lahk), Beowulf’s lord, the wise ruler of the Geats. He is killed
while leading a raid in the Rhineland.

Hygd

Hygd (hihj), his young, accomplished, and intelligent queen. She offers the throne
of her young son to Beowulf after Hygelac’s death.

Hrothmund

Hrothmund (HROHTH-mewnd) and

Hrethric
Hrethric (HRAYTH-reek), the sons of Hrothgar and Wealhtheow.

Hrothulf

Hrothulf (HROHTH-oolf), Hrothgar’s nephew and ward. Although Wealhtheow

professes trust in his care of her children, there are hints of his subsequent
treachery to them.

Freawaru

Freawaru (FRAY-ah-wah-rew), Hrothgar’s daughter, about to be betrothed to

Ingeld of the Heathobards as a political pawn. Beowulf prophesies that only
unhappiness will arise from this alliance.

Wiglaf

Wiglaf (WEEG-lahf), the last of Beowulf’s kinsmen and his heir. He alone helps
the old hero in his last fight against a ravaging dragon, and he later berates his
companions for their cowardice.

Heardred

Heardred (HEH-ahrd-rayd), Hygelac’s son, who succeeds his father as king of the
Geats. Beowulf serves as his regent until the boy reaches maturity and replaces
him after Heardred is killed in battle with the Swedes.

Ongentheow

Ongentheow (OHN-yuhn-thee-oh), the Swedish king, slain by the Geats at the

battle of Ravenswood.

Onela

Onela (OHN-eh-luh),

Ohthere

Ohthere (OHT-ehr-uh),

Eanmund
Eanmund (AY-ahn-moond), and

Eadgils

Eadgils (AY-ahd-gihls), members of the Swedish royal family.

Wulfgar

Wulfgar (WOOLF-gahr), Hrothgar’s messenger, famous for wisdom and courtesy.

Hrethel

Hrethel (HRAYTH-uhl), Hygelac’s father, who trained his grandson Beowulf.

Haethcynn

Haethcynn (HATH-kihn) and

Herebeald

Herebeald (HEHR-uh-bay-ahld), his sons, who brought tragedy to their father

through Herebeald’s accidental killing of Haethcynn.

Eofor

Eofor (AY-uh-fohr), a warrior of the Geats, the slayer of Ongentheow.

Aeschere

Aeschere (EHSH-hehr-uh), Hrothgar’s thane, a victim of Grendel and his mother.

Scyld

Scyld (sheeld) and

Beowulf

Beowulf, legendary Danish kings.

Breca
Breca (BREHK-uh), a prince of the Brondings, Beowulf’s companion in a
swimming marathon.

Daeghraefn

Daeghraefn (DAY-rayf-uhn), a Frankish warrior whom Beowulf crushes in his

powerful grip.

Finn

Finn, the Frisian ruler in a minstrel’s legend.

Hildeburh

Hildeburh (HIHL-duh-bewr), his queen.

Sigemund

Sigemund (SIHG-eh-mewnd) and

Fitela

Fitela (FIHT-uh-luh), the legendary Volsungs, uncle and nephew, whose valor is
compared to Beowulf’s.

Heremod

Heremod (HEHR-uh-mohd), the minstrel’s example of an evil, oppressive ruler.

Offa

Offa (OHF-fuh), the king of the Angles, another figure from an illustrative legend.