Beowulf LRJ #2

Three values are prominent in Beowulf. They are: the glory of a veteran of battle, belief in the Christian religion or a single god, and the masculinity of their society. Beowulf was hailed as a hero when the Shieldings saw that he had conquered Grendel. "...his courage was proven, his glory was secure" (Haney 1646). This is one of the closing lines given after Beowulf returns with the head of Grendel. Warriors are praised in Beowulf because the people were in danger and they needed a rescuer. Anyone willing to protect them was glorified. Christianity is very important to the society of the Shieldings. Hrothgar is described in his desperation for safety, "...the king in his wisdom waited, still wondering whether the Almighty God would ever turn the tide of his misfortunes" (Haney 1313-1315). Hrothgar puts a lot of faith into his "Almighty God", so much that he hopes the God will save him and his people. The society in Beowulf is patriarchal; the men are seen as much stronger than the women. Even monstrous women, such as Grendel's Mother, are placed below the men. "Her onslaught was less only by as much as an amazon warrior's strength is less than an armed man's..." (Haney 1281-1283). Here, Grendel's mother is compared to the amazon warriors. The amazons were very strong women, yet they are still said to be weaker than male warriors.

There are quite a few unrealistic pieces in the story of the battle with Grendel's mother. Beowulf's journey to the submerged lair of Grendel's mother was described as a journey of many hours. "It was the best part of a day before he could see the solid bottom" (Haney 1495-1496). It is very unrealistic for a human to have the ability to hold their breath underwater for such a great span of time. Beowulf has such a magnificent power to do so because a high magnitude of greatness is needed to describe a hero such as Beowulf. His talents are used to enhance the stories of his adventures, purely for entertainment. Another unrealistic image given in Beowulf is when Beowulf strikes Grendel's mother in the noggin with his sword. "...the shining blade refused to bite" (Haney 1523-1524). It is not possible for a blade to strike someone and not make a single cut in their flesh. The thickness of the mother of Grendel's skin is used to make her seem so much more of a monster, making Beowulf seem even greater. When the description of Grendel's mother is given, another piece of Beowulf goes beyond reality. "Her savage talons failed to rip the web of his war shirt" (Haney 1504-1505). No person can actually posses talons; this description makes her seem like a bird of prey. The author of Beowulf may have been using "talons" as a metaphor, but since there are other mythical pieces in Beowulf, it seems that this characteristic of Grendel's mother describes her as she is, a monster. Details like this are, again, used to add greatness to Beowulf.

There are a couple of quotes in Beowulf that are very intriguing. When Beowulf strikes Grendel's mother in the head with his sword, the sound it makes resonates from the story. "...the decorated blade came down ringing and singing on her head" (Haney 1521-1522). This image allows the reader to use their sense of hearing, not just sight; the vibrations of the metal on her skull are almost felt. This use of sound is essential in Beowulf because it allows the reader to be in the action. Another wonderful image in Beowulf is given when the blood of Grendel is so poisonous it melts Beowulf's bejeweled sword. "...the sword began to wilt into gory icicles..." (Haney 1606-1607). "...its blade had melted and the scrollwork on it burnt, so scalding was the blood of the poisonous fiend who had perished there" (Haney 1615-1617). Like the excerpt that gives the sense of sound, this too gives another sense besides site. It gives the reader a sense of tangibility; the heat can be felt. This piece is also essential to Beowulf because it shows that Beowulf was able to defeat Grendel, who had so many dangers about him.