Beowulf · Chapter
XXIV: Beowulf Is Double-Conqueror explained
Beowulf discovers a giant's sword in Grendel's mother's lair, uses it to kill her, and then beheads the already-dead Grendel.
What happens
Beowulf discovers a giant's sword in Grendel's mother's lair, uses it to kill her, and then beheads the already-dead Grendel. The sword melts from the monster's poisonous blood. Beowulf returns to the surface with the hilt and Grendel's head, greeted with joy by his men. They carry the head to Heorot, presenting it before Hrothgar and the court.
Themes in this chapter
Heroism and Valor
Beowulf's fearless descent into the mere and his decisive victory over Grendel's mother exemplify heroic courage.
Good versus Evil
The battle against the monstrous mother and the beheading of Grendel symbolize the triumph of good over evil.
Fate and Divine Providence
The melting of the sword is compared to God's power over frost and tides, suggesting divine control over Beowulf's fate.
Characters to notice
- Beowulf
Finds and wields the giant sword, kills Grendel's mother, beheads Grendel, and returns triumphantly to Heorot with the head and sword hilt.
- Grendel
Already dead from the earlier fight, his head is severed by Beowulf and brought to Heorot.
- Grendel's Mother
Killed by Beowulf with the giant sword; her poisonous blood causes the blade to melt.
- Hrothgar
King of the Danes, awaiting Beowulf's return; the head of Grendel is presented before him and his court.
- Higelac
Referenced as Beowulf's lord ('Higelac's vassal') during the fight.
Key passages
“He grasped then the sword-hilt, knight of the Scyldings, Bold and battle-grim, brandished his ring-sword, Hopeless of living, hotly he smote her, That the fiend-woman's neck firmly it grappled, Broke through her bone-joints, the bill fully pierced her Fate-cursèd body, she fell to the ground then”
Beowulf seized the giant sword and, expecting to die, struck Grendel's mother with such force that it cut through her neck and bones, killing her instantly.
Beowulf's desperate but decisive blow against the monster.
“The sword-blade began then, The blood having touched it, contracting and shriveling With battle-icicles; 'twas a wonderful marvel That it melted entirely, likest to ice when The Father unbindeth the bond of the frost and Unwindeth the wave-bands”
The giant sword melted like ice in spring when it touched the monster's poisonous blood, a marvel attributed to God's power over nature.
The supernatural melting of the weapon underscores the otherworldly nature of the foes.
“Four of them had to carry with labor The head of Grendel to the high towering gold-hall Upstuck on the spear, till fourteen most-valiant And battle-brave Geatmen came there going Straight to the palace”
Four men struggled to carry Grendel's head on a spear, and fourteen Geats bore it to Heorot.
The physical effort required to transport the trophy emphasizes Grendel's monstrous size.