Echoes of MonstrsitiesBeowulf

Echoes of Monstrosities Every society has demons and monsters that the members of that society are fearful of. Those fears are only reflections of the society that are seen in that monster. In the long epic poem, Beowulf, there are three monsters that reflect aspects of Germanic warrior society. Grendel is portrayed as a vicious flesh-eating monster, yet the Germanic warrior fear of loneliness resides within him. Grendel’s mother harshly revenges the death of …

…expressed in Germanic society. Grendel represents the fear of becoming the wanderer, the lonely warrior. The fear that is expressed in Grendel’s mother is the fear of the monstrosities that linger on the inside. The Dragon is the fear of the warrior’s destiny and mortality. These monsters are scapegoats that the society creates. Without the monsters, Germanic warriors would have nothing to fight against; therefore, the code of blood revenge would be non-existent.