Beowulf is the hero of an old Germanic legend set in Denmark; the story is one of the earliest poems in Old English.
When King Hrothgar and his men were feasting one night, a terrible monster called Grendel broke in and devoured one of them, as he had already devoured other Danes. Beowulf, a young man of royal blood, seized the beast and held it so tightly that it could only escape by tearing off its own arm. It then fled to its lair deep beneath a lake.
Beowulf was rewarded with fame and other gifts. However, Hrothgar's home was soon menaced by Grendel's mother, who was much more powerful than he. To defeat her, Beowulf had to dive into the lake, and a prolonged battle followed, which he finally won with the aid of magic swords.
The Beowulf story ends with his own death fighting a dragon; however, he first defeated the dragon and saw its treasure given to his people.
When King Hrothgar and his men were feasting one night, a terrible monster called Grendel broke in and devoured one of them, as he had already devoured other Danes. Beowulf, a young man of royal blood, seized the beast and held it so tightly that it could only escape by tearing off its own arm. It then fled to its lair deep beneath a lake.
Beowulf was rewarded with fame and other gifts. However, Hrothgar's home was soon menaced by Grendel's mother, who was much more powerful than he. To defeat her, Beowulf had to dive into the lake, and a prolonged battle followed, which he finally won with the aid of magic swords.
The Beowulf story ends with his own death fighting a dragon; however, he first defeated the dragon and saw its treasure given to his people.
