Beowulf Ascending: Beowulf v. Grendel

In Hrothgar’s reign
In land of Dane
A hall was built
With walls of gilt
For drinking ales
And swapping tales

One night of storm
And lightning borne
In Hall of Hart
Where greatest dart
Was thrust into the lives of men
A creature came from monstrous den

Grendel, haunter of the fen
Escaped from his mother’s den
The curse of Cain’s seed
Punishment for the ancient deed
Of killing his own brother, Abel
Bearing the terror of God’s label

At nightfall when the fiend drew near
Many men drew sword and spear
Mirth was stilled by sound of weeping
No women or children were left sleeping
For the demon devours
30 men, bearing no trace of their powers

And thus Grendel raged and raided
Until the great debt was payed.
12 winters the Scyldlings lost
12 mounds gained ringed with frost.
In heathen temples the Scyldlings offered prayer
But no gods their hurt could repair

Then tales of Grendel’s terrible deeds
Reached Hygelac’s thane while Beowulf feeds
In his home with the Geats
Great warriors known best for their feats
A goodly vessel Beowulf commanded in need
To put an end to Grendel’s greed

The Scyldling coast guards spotted
Great ships from the east and became quite besotted
With the idea of warriors with polished steel
And the relief the Scyldling’s would soon feel
From the monstrous Grendel’s Wrath
And an end to his familiar path

Lord of Weders, descendant of Scyld
Declared that the hall be filled
With the peoples of the leader Dane
And Ecgtheow’s son Beowulf, the thane
And here Beowulf made a boast of his great quest
And solemn vow to do his best

Unferth, Ecglaf’s son, asked of the famous task
And Beowulf replied, draining his flask:
“Breca and I made a similar boast
To swim from Geatland to Juteland to meat a host
Of warriors strong and bold, but the north wind’s icy blast
Pushed Breca far past

Myself in this race of sea
I turned to find that some beast belayed me
I pierced the fish with point of steel
No more pain would that beast feel
But again and again the fish set me sore
When I was through no beast would bother sailors anymore

Fate goes as fate must”
Beowulf declared, idly practicing his thrust
Hrothgar said to assembled host
“Ecgtheow’s son will make good his boast
And slay the beast that us so saddens
This man our heart gladdens

The hall is his to complete his boast”
Removing the assembled host
So Beowulf and his men could sleep
And healing virtue thus reap
Then came striding in the night,
Grendel expecting no fight

But one he found
As warriors woke from sleep so sound
The great demon prepared his worst
But for the first time he found luck accursed
For among warriors armed with sword and spear
Grendel had found a thing to fear

He entered the hall expecting to feast
But a warrior stood and blocked the beast
Beowulf, the thane
To try and kill the bane of Dane
Who had sworn an oath and made a boast
Before a great assembled host

Beowulf watched the beast begin
From deep within
The shadows of Hrothgar’s hall
He began to plot the beast’s great fall.
Forward still Grendel came
But Beowulf, he was no lame

And hearkened nearer to the beast
As it began its grisly feast
Beowulf ran and set his arms
The ogre still took no harms
Grendel had never met another in this middle-earth
With a grip like Beowulf’s, to kill his mirth

Beowulf kept then in mind the boasts he had made
And finally the great troll’s debt was payed
As Beowulf broke Grendel’s arm
The monster finally came to harm.
Grendel finally did fall to the floor of stone
Breaking still more bone

Still Grendel strove
to escape the hideous stove
The crucible of his own end
A message then the beast did send
In cry to its hideous mother
A beast compared with no other.

Grendel then did finally fall
Warm feelings came to the hearts of all
The Scyldlings and the Geats both
But Scyldings and Geats were loath
To ignore the final scream
And the hatching of its mother’s scheme.