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The Three Major Battles In The Epic Of Beowulf

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In this ancient story, the protagonist and hero Beowulf has three major battles that shape the course of his life, and that of all of his men and the kingdoms he saved. The first of these battles was against the monster who emerged from the swamp, Grendel. Grendel is a descendant of Cain, who killed his brother, Abel, and as a result, was banished by God. After him, all his descendants were also banished, forced to live in caves and swamps, like where Grendel resided. He was content in his existence, until the Danish leader Hrothgar built a mead hall close to his “home” if it can be called that. Hearing all the excitement and singing coming from the danes, Grendel felt pangs of different emotions, including lonliness, and jealousy. Enraged by their encroachment into his life, grendel attacked the mead hall at night, taking thirty men back to his lair and killing them. These men knew of no way to defeat Grendel, so they prayed to pagen gods for a solution, and received Beowulf, a fierce warrior from across the sea, who knew not what failure was. …show more content…

He devours several me before he reaches Beowulfs bedside, where he lies in wait, pretending to be asleep. When Grendel lays his hand of Beowulf to kill him, Beowulf leaps into action, catching Grendels arm and twisting it behind him, ripping it off. In this battle, Beowulf is presented as a youthful warrior, trying to prove his worth in a foreign land by demonstrating his strength and killing Grendel with ferocity. He fought for his fame, and to receive the glory that comes slaying a beast. He is unaware however that by slaying this beast, he has awakened another, one more fierce than the

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