Group 1 Post 2

In Beowulf we learn the story of how Beowulf battles Grendel’s mother, an enemy that wants revenge for the death of her son. While the author portrays Beowulf as a powerful fighter, the tone changes as he encounters the mother herself. On page 73 line 1518 the author states, “The hero observed that swamp-thing from hell, the tarn-hag in all her terrible strength, then heaved his war-sword and swung his arm.” Once again Beowulf is described as the hero, while the author goes into more detail to clearly paint a picture of the hideous beast in our minds. The line continues by stating, “the decorated blade came down ringing and singing on her head. But he soon found his battle-torch extinguished; the shining blade refused to bite.” The nature in the story changes as the unstoppable Beowulf struggles for his life with Grendel’s mother. I feel this is a big moment in the plot because it demonstrates not even the powerful of warriors are always invincible. While Beowulf came out victorious in the end this passage displays conflict for Beowulf as a fighter, which allows the author to highlight Christian mode and how life is up to god as line 1555 states, “Holy God decided the victory. It is easy for the Lord, the Ruler of Heaven to redress the balance one Beowulf got back up on his feet.” Hence, the author acknowledges the Christian mode by representing the Lord with the overall power to decide who lives and dies. Overall, this passage was very moving to me but I still had a few questions from the text. First, on page 82 it touches on the story of Offa, but I had a hard time understanding the significance and the key points in the story. Secondly, the story of Heremod and how he died, was that because he turned on his people and was left with sadness?