فصل سوم

CHAPTER THREE

There was a new atmosphere of cheerfulness and hope in Heorot Hall now that Beowulf was there. The drinking and laughter continued until it was time for Hrothgar and his queen to leave the Hall.

Hrothgar knew that Grendel would come that night, and he wished the hero good luck:

This is the first time I have let anyone else defend Heorot Hall. Guard it well tonight, and be careful of the enemy.’

God had given the Danes someone who could protect them from the demon. Beowulf left his armor with a soldier, and told him to look after it well. Then he prepared for sleep, saying proudly: ‘I will not use any weapons in the battle with Grendel. He is very strong, but with God’s help I will overcome him.’

Beowulf lay down, and his Geats rested as well. No one expected that Beowulf would ever return to his own country, but God was preparing a victory for him. The Geats would win because of the strength of one man alone.

Suddenly Grendel came out of the darkness. He opened the iron door of the Hall and entered the great building. He was full of hate. Once inside, Grendel moved secretly and quickly past the guards who were asleep. Grendel thought he would kill many men that night, but his days of murder were coming to an end.

Beowulf was watching the demon in the darkness. Suddenly the demon took hold of a man who was sleeping. He bit into the man’s body, and the blood flowed everywhere. Then he moved towards Beowulf.

Beowulf leapt up from his bed and began to wrestle with the demon. The demon struggled against the warrior, but Beowulf held on to him tightly. Grendel tried to escape, but he could not free himself from Beowulf’s grasp. Man and demon were locked together in the fight, and the noise of their battle could be heard all over the Hall. Suddenly Grendel gave a great cry - it was the cry of the defeated. The man had beaten the demon.

Beowulf did not want to let Grendel leave the Hall alive. His men were awake now, and they rushed to help their hero with their swords. They did not know that the demon could not be hurt by any sword. He had magic against human weapons.

Now Grendel began to weaken. Beowulf still held on to him, and the demon was in agony. The injuries that Beowulf gave him were terrible. He pulled the demon’s arm and shoulder off. At last the demon fled the Hall. He disappeared into the darkness, but he was dying and he knew it.

The next morning warriors came from everywhere to discuss the battle. They saw the traces of his blood on the ground outside the Hall. They saw the place where the demon had dived into the water and drowned. His soul had gone to Hell. The warriors praised Beowulf’s courage. They said there was no braver man than him in the whole world.

One of the king s minstrels began to compose a poem in honor of the Geat warrior. The poet told the story of Sigemund the dragon-killer, and compared Beowulf to that hero.

King Hrothgar came into the hall with his queen Wealhtheow. He looked at the remains of Grendel’s arm and shoulder, and then he spoke the following words:

‘We must thank God for this victory. A little while ago, it seemed that this house would always run with the blood of Grendel’s victims. But God brought Beowulf here, and Beowulf has achieved something that we Danes could not do.’

He turned and spoke directly to the Geat hero:

‘I now think of you as if you were my son. I will give you all the wealth that you want. I hope that God will always protect you and reward you.’

Now Beowulf replied to the king:

‘We have survived this great adventure. I wish, all the same, that you could have seen his body here in the Hall. I wanted to use my strength to make him fall down, and then to squeeze the life out of him. He escaped me, however, and God allowed it to happen. The demon left his arm and shoulder here with me, and that was a heavy price to pay for his freedom. He will soon be dead because of that injury, if he is not dead already. Then he will go before God and receive judgment for his wickedness.’

Unferth looked at the demon’s arm and shoulder, and he was quiet. He could not criticise Beowulf for anything now.