Section XXI
Hrothgar laments the death of his beloved counselor Æschere and describes the monsters' dwelling.
12 argumentative units
- 01Hrothgar laments Æschere's death
Hrothgar announces the death of his beloved counselor Æschere and emphasizes what an exemplary warrior and companion he was, describing him as essential to protecting themselves in battle.
- 02Grendel's mother as Æschere's murderer
Hrothgar reveals that Æschere was killed by a death-spirit in Heorot, though he cannot determine where the creature went after the killing.
- 03The mother's revenge for Grendel
Hrothgar explains that the monster who killed Æschere is Grendel's mother, seeking vengeance for Beowulf's killing of Grendel the previous night, and that she has now established her unrelenting hatred.
- 04Account of the two monsters from vassal reports
Hrothgar recounts what his vassals and hall-dwellers have reported seeing: two mighty creatures inhabiting the moorlands, one with the appearance of a woman and one of a man-like form, far larger than any mortal, formerly called Grendel.
- 05Uncertainty about the monsters' origins
Hrothgar admits that it is unknown whether these creatures had evil-going spirits as ancestors or what their parentage might be.
- 06Description of the monsters' desolate dwelling place
Hrothgar provides a detailed account of the fearsome, inaccessible landscape where the monsters dwell: wolf-haunted moorlands, wind-beaten cliffs, and dreadful marshes with underground streams.
- 07The mysterious mere and overhanging forest
Hrothgar describes a mysterious lake surrounded by frost-covered forests whose depths are unknown and from which no one can discover the bottom.
- 08The supernatural fire-flood portent at night
Hrothgar reports that at night a fire-flood portent can be seen rising from the mere, which no living person is wise enough to comprehend.
- 09Even hunted deer refuse this place
Hrothgar provides evidence of the place's uncanniness by noting that even hunted stags will not seek refuge there, preferring to surrender their lives on the shore rather than venture into the forest.
- 10Description of rising waters and dark weather
Hrothgar describes how waters surge upward from the place toward the sky, and how unpleasant weather and winds cause the air to grow gloomy and the heavens to darken.
- 11Hrothgar's appeal to Beowulf for help
Hrothgar directly appeals to Beowulf as his only hope for aid, urging him to seek the dangerous dwelling-place of the sin-laden monster if he dares.
- 12Hrothgar offers treasure as reward
Hrothgar promises to reward Beowulf generously with ancient treasure and well-twisted jewels if he succeeds in this dangerous quest.