Chapter 7

“What will we call Hrothgar-wrecker when Hrothgar has been wrecked?” The line marks the importance of Grendel’s dilemma in relation to his interactions with humans. He realizes that humans aren’t the only ones to define their identity in contrast to his; he, too, does the same thing. Grendel tries to sing in the language he knows, even though he knows that humans will still only fear him. Grendel then thinks about Hrothgar’s wife, Wealtheow; in particular, he reminds himself of the manner of her entry into the Hrothgar kingdom.

In the second year of Grendel’s exploits, he watches on as different factions of the kingdom prepare to fight. He notices how Hrothgar gathers soldiers to defeat a younger king who had been on a winning streak. When confronted, however, the young king does not fight; instead he offers his sister’s hand in marriage to Hrothgar. The young king also renames her sister Wealtheow. Grendel is fascinated by Wealtheow. She seems to have a similar effect on him as the Shaper’s stories.

He watches her work her charm at the mead house. She captivates Hrothgar’s attention, who is in fact tortured by her beauty. The king also knows that Wealtheow cries tears of nostalgia for her lost home. Grendel raids the mead hall, makes his way to the queen’s bedroom, pulls her legs apart, and examines her. Vowing to kill her, he realizes that killing her is no different from letting her live, that both acts are meaningless. In the end, he decides to let her live, hoping that this decision would disprove humans’ theories about him.

Chapter 8

In this chapter, Grendel becomes the narrator of the events at the Hart; he intersperses his narration with dialogic story. After King Hrothgar’s brother’s death, his nephew, Hrothulf, visits the king. Both Grendel and Hrothgar have premonitions about Hrothulf. Grendel describes him as a young person full of ideas and one who is moved by the inequalities and injustices in Hrothgar’s kingdom. Hrothulf spends time under a tree philosophizing about the nature of violence; he compares the kindness of the shade-giving tree with Wealtheow’s love.

We meet Red Horse, an advisor to Hrothulf. He shares his thoughts about inequality and revolution with Hrothulf. Portrayed as a typical teenager, Hrothulf agrees. However, when Red Horse argues that violence is an essential aspect of revolution, Hrothulf disagrees. He adds that he only wishes for a more equal society, not for bloodshed.

Grendel finds himself wondering if he should continue terrorizing Hrothgar, since the latter has gotten physically weak and also seems on the verge of being overthrown by multiple contenders. After some deliberation, Grendel is convinced that he has to continue terrorizing him.

Chapter 9

In December, the kingdom seems to be preparing for something. Grendel does not think highly of religious rituals or for what he regards as priests’ showmanship. He believes religion is for weaker humans. He remembers that the townsfolk typically reconstructed the idols he’d destroyed without much complaint; only the priests were truly upset about the destroyed idols.

One midnight, Grendel lies to an old priest named Ork; he tells the priest that he is the King of Gods, and believing this, Ork shares his theories and philosophy with Grendel. Just then, the other priests arrive and chastise Ork for still being out. They also call him senile. Only a young priest, after hearing Ork’s account that he had been talking to God, believes Ork’s account. The young priest then falls at Ork’s feet, stating that Ork’s account has finally managed to reconcile reason and imagination. Grendel decides to leave.

Analysis of Chapters 7-9

Grendel’s stalking of Wealtheow shows his fascination with her manner of existence. When he considers attacking her, he is also grappling with the principles of existentialism and nihilism. He senses that not attacking her would mean humans would be forced to reconsider what they think they know about him. Even though he follows the dragon’s justification that unleashing brutality on humans would help them improve and define themselves, he is unable to commit this heinous crime. He wonders if there could be other reasons for his decision. Wealtheow, like the Shaper, reminds Grendel that he lacks a sense of “belonging,” a feeling that, he is sure, most humans enjoy.

Hrothulf explains his motivations in detail in this section of the novel. In the original Beowulf, Hrothulf takes the throne from Hrothgar. He comes across as disloyal and power-hungry to Hrothgar. Grendel, which sheds more light on Hrothulf’s motivations and dissatisfactions, shows us his ethical stance. In Hrothulf and Red Horse we can see a veritable parallel to Grendel and the dragon. The teachers—the dragon and Red Horse—seem charismatic and have a good hold over their “students”—Grendel and Hrothulf respectively. Young Grendel and Hrothulf are both confused and struck by the injustices and ironies of life; they seek ways to understand the world and its many travails.

Ork stands as a symbol for humanity’s lack of faith and the corruptible realities of institutions, especially religion but also belief systems in general. The priests symbolize different facets of the mechanism of faith. Ork is a believer and is often ridiculed by the other three priests, whose approach to religion Grendel considers highly superficial. The three priests only wish to be rewarded for their faith; they are not true believers. Only the youngest priest is moved by Ork’s account and rejoices in his renewed faith.