Beowulf Reading Notes

• Wrath of Grendel- Grendel terrorized the town of Herot and the citizens for 12 years but the king, Hrothgar, was never touched because he was protected by God
• Coming of Beowulf- Beowulf heard of the terror in Herot and chose 14 men to travel with him to kill the beast; Beowulf believed that fate had brought him to Herot to defeat Grendel and bathe in riches
• Battle with Grendel- As Grendel tried to sneak into the village at night he was startled when Beowulf was awaiting him.They fought and Beowulf ended up tearing Grendel's arm off but he escaped only to die of his wounds. Later that night Grendel's mother killed Hrothgar's best friend in an act of revenge
• The Mother's Lair- Grendel's mother lived in a lair that was dark and mysterious.The lair was in an enchanted lake covered by trees.
• The Battle with Grendel's Mother- Beowulf decided to swim down the lake and fight the creature but only because he knew that it would bring him more fame and glory. He vanquished Grendels' mother and took her head as a trophy.
• The Last Battle- Beowulf, years later, was king of his land and heard of a dragon causing trouble so he chose to set out to fight it for MORE FAME. Beowulf soon discovered that his weapons were useless and was about to be killed but one of his kinsmen, Wiglaf, joined in and helped him defeat the dragon. During the course of action though Beowulf was mortally injured.
• The Spoils- Wiglaf ran into the tower where the dragon lived and was met with a more treasure than he could dream of but when he came back his lord was dying. Before Beowulf died he gave Wiglaf his armor, helmet, rings and then he died.
• The Farewell- Beowulf asked for a giant monument to be built for his funeral and so it was done. His twelve closest kinsmen spoke at his funeral offering praise to the fallen king.