[lines 194-224a in section III and 8th line from the bottom of folio 134r to 4th line from the bottom of folio 134v on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD]
Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here.
{Beowulf hears about Grendel and decides to travel from his home in Geatland (southern Sweden) to Heorot (in northeast Denmark) to see if he can help out.
}
By now the story of this dreadful tragedy, of the nightly suffering Hrothgar and his people were enduring, had spread far and wide. They had heard about it too across the water in the land of King Hygelac of the Geats, for a long time faithful allies of the Danish kingdom. But only one of them, the greatest and bravest of all princes-- Beowulf he was called-- decided that this evil beast of the night must be punished for all his wrongdoing, that Heorot must be cleansed of this wickedness and Hrothgar and his people saved at last, even if Beowulf had to give his own life to achieve it. Family and friends, Ecgtheow, his father, and his uncle, the good King Hygelac himself, all of them did what they could to dissuade him from this reckless, perilous mission. But all advice, all omens, only whetted Beowulf's determination to go to Denmark and slay this monster of the night. He ordered a strong and seaworthy ship to be fitted out for the quest, and handpicked fourteen of the fiercest warriors he knew. Out of the sheltered fjord they rowed this sturdy warship, and set sail for Denmark, riding the wind-whipped waves over the sea.
In brisk breezes the ship fair flew along, plowing the storm-tossed ocean, until at last the shadow of land along the horizon became the rearing cliffs and capes of Denmark. Soon Beowulf and his ring-mailed thanes were leaping ashore, each one thanking God most fervently for his safe arrival.
[lines 791-819a in section XII and 8th line from the top of folio 147r to 13th line from the top of folio 147v on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD]
Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here.
{At this moment Beowulf and Grendel are fighting and Grendel is howling and screaming and wishing to escape but Beowulf has grabbed Grendel's arm and is using his incredible hand-strength to hold on to him.
}
--- So they fought on, this Grendel now fear-soaked, his strength failing him, and brave Beowulf, fist still clenched around the monster's arm and knowing he had only to cling on and not let go to banish to hell forever the damned one, God's and his own worst enemy. Outside, they clearly heard the monster's demon scream, his hideous, howling screech. The sound of it chilled every listener to the bone, yet hope gladdened them too, for these they knew were not human cries but rather the strident sobbing of the beast in agony and terror.
Seeing Grendel thus pinioned by the Geatish hero, thus tortured and weakened by his pain, Beowulf's companions-in-arms drew their swords and sprang now to his side to help him in his fight, to finish if they could this murderer's wretched life. They were not to know, Beowulf's battle-friends, that no man-made sword, no steel, could pierce this cruel creature's enchanted hide. Only naked strength could end his unnatural life. Grendel understood this, and he knew he was weakening, that his end must be near. He could think of no possible way to escape. Greathearted Beowulf, sensing his sagging strength, still had the beast by the arm; now he twisted it and turned it until the shoulder muscles split apart, the tendons snapped, the bone joints burst, and Grendel's arm was ripped and wrenched, bleeding, from his body.
[lines 1537-1569 in sections XXII and XXIII and 5th line from the bottom of folio 163v, through folio 164r to 4th line from the top of folio 164v on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD] Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here. Note: there is a discussion of the word eaxle in line 1537a on my page on Shoulder Grabbing vs. Hair Pulling
{At this moment Beowulf has just failed to hurt Grendel's mother with the sword Hrunting and he tries to wrestle her as he had done with Grendel.
}
--- Beowulf hurled himself at Grendel's mother, grabbed her by the shoulder, and threw her bodily to the ground. But in a moment she repaid him fully, grasping him with her horrible hand-hooks, so that he stumbled and fell, too weary now to save himself. At once she was astride him. He was at her mercy. She snatched up her dagger. Now she would avenge her boy, her only son. With a scream of triumph she struck, but the mail-shirt shielded him from the sharp-edged blade, from the deadly point. Again and again she stabbed and slashed, but Beowulf's blessed battle-shirt did not fail him. Without it, the Geat hero would certainly have been slaughtered there and then. But God, looking down, saved him, and gave him the victory.
Summoning the last of his strength, Beowulf threw her off and leaped to his feet, and there above him on the wall he saw hanging an ancient war-trophy, a giant sword, so huge, so heavy, that only a giant could wield it in battle-play. But this death-defying champion, this Geatish hero, was boiling with war-fury. Like this, he was as strong as any giant, and he knew it. He sprung to the wall, caught up the sword by its hilt, and whirling it once above his head, the blade singing out its death-song, he brought it down on her neck, cutting clear through bone and flesh in one blow. Her death-agnoy was swift, and when it was done, she lay at his feet, stilled by death, Beowulf's giant sword hot with her fiendish blood. It was over; it was done. The monster-mother was united in death at last with her monster-son.
[lines 1584b-1590 in section XXIII and 7th line from the bottom of folio 164v to first half of the last line of folio 164v on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD]
Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here.
{At this moment Beowulf has just discovered Grendel's lifeless body lying in the cave.
}
--- He saw too where Grendel himself lay, stiff in death, his lifeblood long ago drained from him. There was one more task for this giant sword. Beowulf, the fiercest of champions, finished the task and severed Grendel's hideous head with a singled swipe.
[lines 2672b-2708a in sections XXXVI and XXXVII and 8th line from the bottom of folio 189A197r, through folio 189A197v to 3rd line from the top of folio 189r on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD]
Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here.
{At this moment, Wiglaf has just run into the flames to be by Beowulf's side and the dragon has charged at them both, incinerating Wiglaf's shield.
}
--- In that billow of fire the youngster's shield was at once burned, reduced to cinders, and his mail-shirt was melted away in the heat as if it had simply never been there. So the young kinsman leaped in behind the old king's shield. New strength surged into Beowulf's heart as he saw now that he was not alone in his fight. He sprang up once again from behind his shield and struck at the fire-snorting snake with all his might. But his iron blade snapped. That ancient sword of sternest steel, which had never before failed him in battle, failed him now and left him at the mercy of the pitiless monster who came down upon him for the third time.
Now was the demon-dragon's chance, and he took it. Seething with war-hatred he opened his bitter jaws and seized the champion by the neck. The serpent's fangs bit deep into the flesh, and beowulf's lifeblood poured from him. Wiglaf, that young hero, was as good as his word. His courage did not fail him now. He summoned all his strength and sprang forward into the dragon's fire to defend his lord. His hands and head were burned as he came through it, but he was not to be put off, this brave warrior. He would do his duty. Wiglaf did not aim for the scaly head of the beast but went instead for the soft throat, stabbing deep into it with his sword, a thrust so powerful that the dragon was forced to loosen his grip on Beowulf, so stunning that the fiery flow was suddenly stemmed and stanched forever. Coming again to his senses, the great king seized his moment, whipped out his battle-sharp dagger, and drove it to the hilt into the dragon's body. So together the two heroes downed the dragon. They did not stop stabbing him till an end was made of him, till his last gasp of life, the last death-breath, was over and the monster was still.
