...Beowulf!

18)
Beowulf’s fight with Grendel’s mother symbolizes a few things. If you look at the book in three sections/monsters, this is section/monster two. This fight is a little more difficult to get to and complete, being that her lair is under a lake filled with monsters and that none of his weapons work against her. Another way you could look at it is Paganism vs. Christianity where they are both shown. An underwater fight is more Pagan because humans need oxygen to breath. The fact that his “battle-torch refuses to bite” and there just so happens to be a sword from the times of the giants can be looked at as Christianity or wyrd. It could’ve been placed there by God for Beowulf to use in this very battle, and Beowulf was fated to use it and win.

19)
After the fight with Grendel’s mother, the sword Beowulf finds melts. If the previous post was correct and it was indeed fated that Beowulf was to use that holy sword in battle against Grendel’s mother, then its purpose was served. This is why the sword melts, it no longer has use.

20)
(ln. 1688…It was engraved all over and showed how war first cam into the world and the flood destroyed the tribe of giants. They suffered a terrible severance from the Lord; the Almighty made the waters rise, drowned them in the deluge for retribution.”)
This is symbolic in the Christian faith to the story of Noah’s Ark in the Bible. It rained for 40 days and 40 nights and Noah was to gather animals of both sexes to repopulate the Earth when it stopped raining. But they never really said why he needed to do this…In Beowulf this flood was to wipe out the giants, but it doesn’t say anything about any animals or people who also live on Earth. These two floods are the indeed the same. God needed to wipe out the giants, but only the giants, so he trusted Noah gather all the animals the world should have after the flood, and put them on a boat to repopulate after the flood.

21)
(ln. 1758 …”O flower of warriors, beware of that trap. Choose, dear Beowulf, the petter part, eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride. For a brief while your strength is in bloom but it fades quickly; and soon there will follow illness or the sword to lay you low, or a sudden fire or surge of water or jabbing blade or javelin from the air or repellent age. Your piercing eye will dim and darken; and death will arrive, dear warrior, to sweep you away…)
The theme recognized is The Transitory Nature of Life; the idea that life is a fleeting moment that passes and fades quickly and without warning. It reminds Beowulf not to be in search of too much pride because one day he will die without warning. So he needs to realize that at some point and plan for his afterlife as any good king does. Instead, he seeks glory and never finds enough.




22)
What is one single lonesome man to do with all the treasures of his people, killed by fate or some other occurrence? For without society, riches become un-rich and matters become un-meaningful. So what does he do? He leaves it all and wanders about, searching for meaning in his life, slowly becoming forgotten with his people already forgotten. Then eventually somebody, or something must find it. That just so happens to be a dragon. The dragon finds the treasure and wants it all to himself, for dragons are a symbol of greed. I believe the single survivor of the forgotten people is the dragon that Beowulf finds guarding the treasure. He was the only one who knew about it and there must have been a reason he survived over all of his people.

23)
(ln. 2317 …Far and near, the Geat nation bore the brunt of his brutal assaults and virulent hate…)
The dragon wreaks havoc on the Geats. The dragon is the wanderer of the forgotten people and he is mad that other nations are surviving around him and he’s all alone with his treasure. He has gone postal. This is where section/monster three comes into the story and we await another fight.

24)
(ln. 2341 …After many trials, he was destined to face the end of his days in this mortal world; as was the dragon, for all his long leasehold on the treasure.)
This reminds us of the role of a warrior in Beowulf’s society. They are to go into battle thinking, “Either he dies or I die trying to kill him!” This is what is said about the dragon guarding the treasure; his days are up and Beowulf, as a good warrior, is ready to fight for his life to end the dragon’s.

25)
The dragon burns down Beowulf’s house. This affects him directly, and he is ready to fight. This is the final battle in for Beowulf, but what is different in this fight to the fights previous is that he has a reason to fight now. When he was facing Grendel, his intentions to do so where to gain fame, glory and respect among the people. When he was to sleigh Grendel’s mother, she was just taking back her son’s arm and Beowulf wanted his trophy back. This time he’s ‘just chillin’ and his home is burnt to ashes. After 50 years of ruling the Geats he has reason to fight.

26)
(ln. 2345 Yet the prince of the rings was too proud to line up with a large army against the sky-plague…)
This is Beowulf’s tragic flaw: he is too proud. He is caught up in trying to seek fame, glory and respect that he forgets to ask for help sometimes.





27)
(ln. 2650 …As God is my witness, I would rather my body were robed in the same burning blaze as my gold-giver’s body than go back home bearing arms. That is unthinkable, unless we have first slain the foe and defended the life of the prince of the Weather-Geats…)
This is the exact role of a warrior. Every warrior should have this in mind before, during and after each and every battle. This is said by Wiglaf, son of Weohstan. He is the only warrior in the group who stands by Beowulf when all others run away. He then runs to Beowulf’s aid telling him to do what he said he would do and that he would be right behind him all the way till the end.