When Did Beowulf's Fight With His Mother

Based on Beowulf’s fights with Grendel and his mother, Beowulf’s character can best be described as strong, courageous, and heroic. In his fight with Grendel, Beowulf demonstrated strength when he single-handedly defeated Grendel, a monster that almost matched him with strength and power. Beowulf also demonstrated courage and heroism when he killed Grendel’s mother despite almost all odds against him. Before facing Beowulf, Grendel had almost no opposition in his rampage. He was powerful enough to grab and kill many men at once, as well as mercilessly kill a seasoned warrior. When Beowulf faced Grendel, the tide instantly turned. When Beowulf held Grendel in a handgrip, it was so firm that “the monster’s whole body was in pain, […] sinews split and the bone-lappings burst”

(55). When Beowulf faced Grendel’s mother in the mere, the odds were not in his favor.

None of Beowulf’s weapons were useful, he barely avoided a crushing death from Grendel’s mother’s knife, and was attacked by the mere’s beasts and monsters by all sides. However, Beowulf fought on. In order to continue fighting, Beowulf relied “on the might of his arm. […] Life doesn’t cost him a thought” (107). By killing both enemies with only strength and courage, Beowulf displays many characteristics found in a hero. He is strong, persistent, and fights not caring about his life. In his fight with Grendel, Beowulf holds him in a handgrip so strong that the monster’s “sinews split.” Doing such a task requires enormous power, since sinews, which is a firm tendon that connects a bone to another bone, is very difficult to break. The ability of Beowulf to break Grendel’s arm with only a handgrip demonstrates his strength and power to overcome any obstacles. Beowulf sees Grendel as an obstacle that must be destroyed to satisfy his duty and obligations. That is why he crushed and defeated Grendel very efficiently and brutally. Similarly, Beowulf uses the same mindset when he attacks and kills Grendel’s mother in her

lair. When Beowulf used “the might of his arm” instead of surrendering and giving up, he shows a sense of determination and an urge to succeed. This type of thinking stems from Beowulf’s warrior ways and his sense of honor and duty. In his mind, success and pride only matters, and in order to achieve that success and honor, one must be courageous and strong. By being a hero to the Danes and killing off two of their most hated enemies, Beowulf earned his success and his reputation, fulfilling a sense of duty he needs to live.