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Beowulf Story

Summary of Beowolf

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13 views2 pages

Beowulf Story

Summary of Beowolf

Uploaded by

balesjemar20
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Beowulf Story

King Hrothgar of Denmark, a descendant of the great king Shield


Sheafson, enjoys a prosperous and successful reign. He builds a great mead-
hall, called Heorot, where his warriors can gather to drink, receive gifts from
their lord, and listen to stories sung by the scops, or bards. But the jubilant
noise from Heorot angers Grendel, a horrible demon who lives in the
swamplands of Hrothgar’s kingdom. Grendel terrorizes the Danes every night,
killing them and defeating their efforts to fight back. The Danes suffer many
years of fear, danger, and death at the hands of Grendel. Eventually,
however, a young Geatish warrior named Beowulf hears of Hrothgar’s plight.
Inspired by the challenge, Beowulf sails to Denmark with a small company of
men, determined to defeat Grendel.

Hrothgar, who had once done a great favor for Beowulf’s father
Ecgtheow, accepts Beowulf’s offer to fight Grendel and holds a feast
in the hero’s honor. During the feast, an envious Dane
named Unferth taunts Beowulf and accuses him of being unworthy
of his reputation. Beowulf responds with a boastful description of
some of his past accomplishments. His confidence cheers the
Danish warriors, and the feast lasts merrily into the night. At last,
however, Grendel arrives. Beowulf fights him unarmed, proving
himself stronger than the demon, who is terrified. As Grendel
struggles to escape, Beowulf tears the monster’s arm off. Mortally
wounded, Grendel slinks back into the swamp to die. The severed
arm is hung high in the mead-hall as a trophy of victory.
Overjoyed, Hrothgar showers Beowulf with gifts and treasure at
a feast in his honor. Songs are sung in praise of Beowulf, and the
celebration lasts late into the night. But another threat is
approaching. Grendel’s mother, a swamp-hag who lives in a
desolate lake, comes to Heorot seeking revenge for her son’s death.
She murders Aeschere, one of Hrothgar’s most trusted advisers,
before slinking away. To avenge Aeschere’s death, the company
travels to the murky swamp, where Beowulf dives into the water and
fights Grendel’s mother in her underwater lair. He kills her with a
sword forged for a giant, then, finding Grendel’s corpse, decapitates
it and brings the head as a prize to Hrothgar. The Danish
countryside is now purged of its treacherous monsters.
The Danes are again overjoyed, and Beowulf’s fame spreads
across the kingdom. Beowulf departs after a sorrowful goodbye to
Hrothgar, who has treated him like a son. He returns to Geatland,
where he and his men are reunited with their king and queen,
Hygelac and Hygd, to whom Beowulf recounts his adventures in
Denmark. Beowulf then hands over most of his treasure to Hygelac,
who, in turn, rewards him.

In time, Hygelac is killed in a war against the Shyflings, and,


after Hygelac’s son dies, Beowulf ascends to the throne of the
Geats. He rules wisely for fifty years, bringing prosperity to
Geatland. When Beowulf is an old man, however, a thief disturbs a
barrow, or mound, where a great dragon lies guarding a horde of
treasure. Enraged, the dragon emerges from the barrow and begins
unleashing fiery destruction upon the Geats. Sensing his own death
approaching, Beowulf goes to fight the dragon. With the aid
of Wiglaf, he succeeds in killing the beast, but at a heavy cost. The
dragon bites Beowulf in the neck, and its fiery venom kills him
moments after their encounter. The Geats fear that their enemies
will attack them now that Beowulf is dead. According to Beowulf’s
wishes, they burn their departed king’s body on a huge funeral pyre
and then bury him with a massive treasure in a barrow overlooking
the sea.

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