Grendel The Monster Research Paper

Megan Garza
Writing 2
Professor Donelan 14 October, 2015

Grendel, The Monster?
Is Grendel a monster or a human in a demonic disguise? While reading Beowulf this is one of the questions one should consider. There are many reasons as to why people believe that Grendel could possibly be a monster, but there are also reasons that some may believe he is a human as well. A few of the most common arguments to back up the human theory is the fact that he is a descendent of Cain, and that he is also guided by his emotions, not unlike most humans.
Being a descendant of Cain isn’t something that someone wishes upon themselves, many probably wouldn’t wish it upon their worst enemies. In order to understand why being a part of Cain’s lineage isn’t something

(Lines 102-114)
There were a few ways for people to decipher if a being was a descendent of Cain or not, and that was either by a physical deformity or their mental state which was almost always surrounding violence. Not all deformities disable people, Grendel’s deformity, for instance, was his abnormal body strength. This benefitted him greatly because it made it nearly impossible for him to die. No sword or knife known to man could kill Grendel due to his strength, he could easily overpower just about anyone who tried to take him on.
In the poem, Grendel is described as “the Lord’s outcast.” (Line 169) Many people draw a direct correlation between this line and the fact that Grendel is a descendant of Cain. This line really shows the parallels between the two. Due to the fact that Grendel is an outcast he envies all the people in Heorot because they get together and have joyous gatherings in which they praise God.
Then a powerful demon, a prowler through the dark, nursed a hard grievance. It harrowed him to hear the din of the loud banquet every day in the hall, the harp being struck and the clear song of a skilled

With a description like that it is not hard to imagine Grendel’s homeland as a dark, desolate place where no joy or love can be found. Grendel is jealous of the people of Heorot because they have all that he does not, joy, happiness and love, this is where his aggression stems from which attributes to his jealousy. Grendel grew up around nothing but monsters so it is easy to infer that what he is truly yearning for is human acceptance and he knows deep down that he will never receive it, so that is why he is so angry. Like many people, Grendel lets his anger get the best of him and he attacked the mead hall. Anger ran through his veins for about 12 years, he did not give the people of Heorot a break, instead he wreaked havoc come nightfall. All until “a hero” came to defeat him. One of the main things that lead people to believe that Grendel could be a human rather than a monster is the way that he reacts to Beowulf coming after him. There are many stories of the hero defeating the monster, but in nearly all of those tales the monster stood his ground, did not cower at the thought that he may die. This was the complete opposite of how Grendel