Beowulf- CHAPTER XXIV

 

CHAPTER: XXIV

BEOWULF IS DOUBLE-CONQUEROR

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SYNOPSIS

• The discovery of the Sword
• The duel & defeat
• Recall of Grendel's acts of terror
• Double vengeance
• Hopeless friends & comrades
• Power of the Creator

ANALYSIS

This passage from Beowulf focuses on the moment when Beowulf uses a giant sword to defeat Grendel's mother and then takes revenge on Grendel's lifeless body. Here's a line-by-line analysis of the passage:

Lines 1-2:
"Then he saw mid the war-gems a weapon of victory,
An ancient giant-sword, of edges a-doughty,"

• Beowulf finds a weapon among the treasures ("war-gems"). It is a massive, ancient sword forged by giants, with strong, sharp edges, symbolizing power and heroism.

Lines 3-4:
"Glory of warriors: of weapons 'twas choicest,
Only 'twas larger than any man else was"

• The sword is described as a weapon of great renown among warriors, the best of its kind. Its immense size makes it impossible for any ordinary man to wield, emphasizing its supernatural origins.

Line 5:
"Able to bear to the battle-encounter,"

• The sword is so large that no normal man could carry it into battle. This highlights Beowulf's exceptional strength, as he is able to wield it.

Lines 6-7:
"The good and splendid work of the giants.
He grasped then the sword-hilt, knight of the Scyldings,"

• The sword is described as the remarkable craftsmanship of giants, mythical beings. Beowulf, a warrior (knight) from the Scylding tribe, takes hold of the sword, ready to use it in battle.

Lines 8-9:
"Bold and battle-grim, brandished his ring-sword,
Hopeless of living, hotly he smote her,"

• Beowulf, described as fierce and determined, brandishes the sword. He strikes Grendel’s mother in a desperate, intense attack, not expecting to survive the encounter.

Lines 10-11:
"That the fiend-woman's neck firmly it grappled,
Broke through her bone-joints, the bill fully pierced her"

• The sword strikes Grendel’s mother’s neck, severing her bones. The blow is fatal, piercing her deeply and ending her life.

Lines 12-13:
"Fate-cursed body, she fell to the ground then:
The hand-sword was bloody, the hero exulted."

• Grendel’s mother, cursed by fate, falls to the ground, dead. The sword is bloodied from the attack, and Beowulf rejoices in his victory.

Lines 14-15:
"The brand was brilliant, brightly it glimmered,
Just as from heaven gemlike shineth"

• The sword glows brilliantly, like a gem shining from heaven. This radiant imagery suggests divine approval or a sense of triumph in the moment.

Lines 16-17:
"The torch of the firmament. He glanced 'long the building,
And turned by the wall then, Higelac's vassal"

• The sword’s brightness is compared to the "torch of the firmament," symbolizing the sun or a heavenly light. Beowulf, described as "Higelac’s vassal" (referring to his loyalty to his lord), looks around the hall after killing Grendel’s mother.

Lines 18-19:
"Raging and wrathful raised his battle-sword
Strong by the handle. The edge was not useless"

• Still filled with fury, Beowulf lifts the sword once more, its edge proving effective in battle. He is preparing for another act of vengeance.

Lines 20-21:
"To the hero-in-battle, but he speedily wished to
Give Grendel requital for the many assaults he"

• Beowulf now turns his attention to Grendel, seeking to exact vengeance for the numerous attacks Grendel had inflicted on the Danes.

Lines 22-23:
"Had worked on the West-Danes not once, but often,
When he slew in slumber the subjects of Hrothgar,"

• Grendel repeatedly killed the West-Danes, especially when they were asleep in Hrothgar's hall, making his attacks especially cruel and dishonorable.

Lines 24-25:
"Swallowed down fifteen sleeping retainers
Of the folk of the Danemen, and fully as many"

• Grendel killed fifteen Danes in their sleep, devouring them, and carried off another fifteen as prey. This emphasizes the horror of his reign of terror.

Lines 26-27:
"Carried away, a horrible prey. He gave him requital,
Grim-raging champion, when he saw on his rest-place"

• Beowulf, now described as a "grim-raging champion," seeks revenge for the men Grendel killed. He finds Grendel’s lifeless body lying in the hall.

Lines 28-29:
"Weary of conflict Grendel lying, of life-joys bereaved,
As the battle at Heorot erstwhile had scathed him;"

• Grendel, already dead and deprived of any joy in life, lies lifeless after his battle with Beowulf at Heorot.

Lines 30-31:
"His body far bounded, a blow when he suffered,
Death having seized him, sword-smiting heavy,"

• Grendel’s body had been thrown around violently during his fight with Beowulf, and death finally claimed him through the heavy sword-blows inflicted earlier.

Line 32:
"And he cut off his head then."

• Beowulf decapitates Grendel’s corpse, completing his act of vengeance and symbolically ensuring that Grendel’s threat is permanently ended.

Lines 33-34:
"Early this noticed
The clever carles who as comrades of Hrothgar"

• The Danes, Hrothgar's men, observe the aftermath from the shore as Beowulf emerges victorious. They are described as "clever carles" (experienced warriors).

Lines 35-36:
"Gazed on the sea-deeps, that the surging wave-currents
Were mightily mingled, the mere-flood was gory:"

• The warriors see the waves of the lake disturbed and filled with blood, indicating that a violent battle had taken place beneath the water.

Lines 37-38:
"Of the good one the gray-haired together held converse,
The hoary of head, that they hoped not to see again"

• The older, gray-haired warriors begin to discuss Beowulf’s fate, doubting whether they will see him return alive after his encounter with Grendel’s mother.

Lines 39-40:
"The atheling ever, that exulting in victory
He'd return there to visit the distinguished folk-ruler"

• They do not expect Beowulf, their heroic "atheling" (noble warrior), to survive and return victorious to greet their ruler, Hrothgar.

Lines 41-42:
"Then many concluded the mere-wolf had killed him."

• Many of the warriors assume that Grendel’s mother (referred to as the "mere-wolf") has killed Beowulf, given the violent turmoil they see in the water.

Line 43:
"The ninth hour came then."

• This is a reference to the passage of time. It’s the ninth hour of the day, which in early Christian contexts corresponds to about 3:00 p.m.

Lines 44-45:
"From the ness-edge departed
The bold-mooded Scyldings;"

• The bold-hearted Scyldings (the Danish people) leave the edge of the headland, likely giving up hope of seeing Beowulf again.

Lines 46-47:
"The gold-friend of heroes
Homeward betook him."

• Hrothgar, referred to as the "gold-friend of heroes" (a generous leader who rewards his warriors), returns home, assuming that Beowulf has perished.

Lines 48-49:
"The strangers sat down then
Soul-sick, sorrowful, the sea-waves regarding"

• Beowulf’s men, who are referred to as "strangers" (since they are Geats), sit down, filled with sorrow and grief, as they watch the sea.

Lines 50-51:
"They wished and yet weened not their well-loved friend-lord
To see any more."

• The Geats hope, but do not expect, to see their beloved leader Beowulf alive again.

Lines 52-53:
"The sword-blade began then,
The blood having touched it, contracting and shriveling"

• The sword that Beowulf used to kill Grendel’s mother begins to shrink and melt after coming into contact with her blood, suggesting that it possessed magical properties.

Lines 54-55:
"With battle-icicles; 'twas a wonderful marvel
That it melted entirely, likest to ice when"

• The sword melts away like ice touched by heat, an incredible and supernatural event.

Lines 56-58:
"The Father unbindeth the bond of the frost and
Unwindeth the wave-bands, He who wieldeth dominion
Of times and of tides: a truth-firm Creator."

• The melting of the sword is compared to the way God, "the Father," controls nature, releasing the bonds of frost and unwinding the waves. This imagery connects the event to divine power, affirming God’s dominion over all things.