Grendel

GRENDEL

The anti-hero of Beowulf, a member of "Cain's clan," Grendel is part-monster, part-man (mostly monster). He reigns terror down upon the meadhall of Hrothgar, killing Hrothgar's men with little effort. He eventually battles Beowulf only to have his arm torn from his body at the shoulder, after which he crawls back to his mere-cave and dies. Beowulf, after killing Grendel's mother in the sea-cave, takes Grendel's head as a prize.

In 1971, John Gardner published his novel Grendel, which retells the Beowulf story from the first-person perspective of Grendel. In it, Gardner uses many of the stylistic characteristics of Anglo Saxon poetry, including repetition and alliteration. Most of the major characters from Beowulf are accounted for in Gardner's novel. His portrayal of Grendel's mother as a language-less, vile, sea-hag of a creature is particularly memorable. Gardner's use of first-person narration makes Grendel seem much more sympathetic than in the original work. At the end of Gardner's novel, one may very well question which character is the true hero of the story, Beowulf or Grendel.