Topic Research: Beowulf
The setting of Beowulf is in Scandinavia, which I did not know prior. Wikipedia said that it is possible that it is the longest surviving poem in Old English. The author of Beowulf is actually anonymous. People just called the author the "Beowulf poet". My favorite part of Beowulf has to be the monsters, or as they called them online "supernatural demons and beasts". I did not know that this poem was classified as an in medias res, which just means that it started in the middle of the story. This is due to Grendel attacking this town hall prior to Beowulf arriving to save that day.
Grendel
There are many different depictions of Grendel. Some write that he has more humanistic traits, but others regard him as a giant or beast. Grendel attacked Herot for twelve years prior to Beowulf arriving. A fun fact that I did not know and I am excited about is that he has "Christian origins as the descendant of Cain." I watch the show Supernatural and if anyone else has also, they will tell you that "the mark of Cain" was a big deal in season 10 of the television show. This mark would make anyone a killer whom enjoys the pleasure of murdering multiple people. Scholars have argued about many details about Grendel in many decades prior to its release. Another fun fact for any gamers out there, Grendel was portrayed in the video game The Wolf Among Us by Telltale Games. I am a huge fan of the choose your own story games and this is one of my favorites because it involves all of the old fables.
For this option of my story, I would like to tell the story from Grendel's perspective. I would write a backstory for Grendel and try to explain why he is so pained by joy. In my research, I did not truly find a reason for his rage and agony. Writing in his perspective could have so many possibilities because he is not a character who completely thinks for himself. His mother has some control over him, which doesn't make him the biggest entity of fear. He is just the one most present.
Grendel's Mother
It might be possible that the reason Grendel's mother is so evil is because she was never actually given a name. His mother is also one of the descendants of Cain. The mother attacks Beowulf out of revenge for her son's death. One of the scholars defends his idea that she was "accepted and adhered to the heroic ethic of the blood-feud," and was seen as a heroic figure. There are many books and articles about Grendel and his mother, debating a number of details that are obscure due to the ambiguity of a couple words in the original poem.
For this option, I could also write in the perspective of Grendel's mother, which would contain a good amount of Grendel's story due to the fact she is his mother. In my theory, I believe that she either brainwashed or tortured Grendel into thinking that joy is a bad thing and anyone who experiences it should be killed. I am not sure if this is because they cannot be happy their-selves or not, like in the movie Trolls. I could write that it is out of jealousy. I believe that Grendel's mother was just a puppet master and Grendel would not have been so bad if it were not for her.
Third party
For this option, I could write this story in a new perspective in the eyes of a character that was never mentioned. He would be a member of the town and could witness all of the events first hand. I think that this option might be the most fun, because he could also try to psychoanalyze the monsters and figure out why they are so angry. He could also be turned off from Beowulf's smugness from slaying so many monsters.
Grendel
There are many different depictions of Grendel. Some write that he has more humanistic traits, but others regard him as a giant or beast. Grendel attacked Herot for twelve years prior to Beowulf arriving. A fun fact that I did not know and I am excited about is that he has "Christian origins as the descendant of Cain." I watch the show Supernatural and if anyone else has also, they will tell you that "the mark of Cain" was a big deal in season 10 of the television show. This mark would make anyone a killer whom enjoys the pleasure of murdering multiple people. Scholars have argued about many details about Grendel in many decades prior to its release. Another fun fact for any gamers out there, Grendel was portrayed in the video game The Wolf Among Us by Telltale Games. I am a huge fan of the choose your own story games and this is one of my favorites because it involves all of the old fables.
For this option of my story, I would like to tell the story from Grendel's perspective. I would write a backstory for Grendel and try to explain why he is so pained by joy. In my research, I did not truly find a reason for his rage and agony. Writing in his perspective could have so many possibilities because he is not a character who completely thinks for himself. His mother has some control over him, which doesn't make him the biggest entity of fear. He is just the one most present.
Grendel's Mother
It might be possible that the reason Grendel's mother is so evil is because she was never actually given a name. His mother is also one of the descendants of Cain. The mother attacks Beowulf out of revenge for her son's death. One of the scholars defends his idea that she was "accepted and adhered to the heroic ethic of the blood-feud," and was seen as a heroic figure. There are many books and articles about Grendel and his mother, debating a number of details that are obscure due to the ambiguity of a couple words in the original poem.
For this option, I could also write in the perspective of Grendel's mother, which would contain a good amount of Grendel's story due to the fact she is his mother. In my theory, I believe that she either brainwashed or tortured Grendel into thinking that joy is a bad thing and anyone who experiences it should be killed. I am not sure if this is because they cannot be happy their-selves or not, like in the movie Trolls. I could write that it is out of jealousy. I believe that Grendel's mother was just a puppet master and Grendel would not have been so bad if it were not for her.
Third party
For this option, I could write this story in a new perspective in the eyes of a character that was never mentioned. He would be a member of the town and could witness all of the events first hand. I think that this option might be the most fun, because he could also try to psychoanalyze the monsters and figure out why they are so angry. He could also be turned off from Beowulf's smugness from slaying so many monsters.
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| Marvel's depiction of Grendel in their comic books |
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