1/28/20 Bernard Kelly Pd 2

01/28/20

Bernard Kelly

Period 2

Aim: How does Beowulf fail to illuminate the humanism of Grendel’s Mother?

We had discussed Hrunting, an ancestral sword that was given to Beowulf, which was unable to kill Grendel’s Mother. This was because the sword was made during pagan times and therefore evil, so it was unable to kill another evil being(Grendel’s mother). The only thing that can kill Grendel’s Mother is something holy/blessed, such as a holy sword, one forged by giants yet survived the biblical flood, showing that it was pure and holy. We then began discussing the conversion of Anglo-Saxons from paganism to Christianity, which is very explicitly shown in Beowulf. Hrunting failed to kill Grendel’s Mother, and it has been said that the sword was given to Beowulf by Unferth who knew that the sword wouldn’t work. This was because Unferth wanted Beowulf to fail, as Unferth had failed before him and didn’t want to be defeated. Grendel’s Mother was evil because, like Grendel, she was the descendant of Cain and also a woman, who, in these stories, were either evil or eye candy. She had to kill one person after the death of her son, as it was only fair. This can be useful in real life as what not to do when you are wronged by someone. It is almost always better to turn the other cheek, be a better person, and to grow from the experience.

Bernard Kelly #18