This a paper I had to do for my English IV class. We read Beowulf and had the task of writing a creative paper from the view of Grendel, telling why he did what he did. This was my take on his motives.

Victim of Magic

Bree Pillars

You've read the story of Beowulf. You've heard how the fierce Geat fighter defeated the great beast called Grendel. No matter who tells the tale, Beowulf is the hero, and Grendel is dead.

No one ever questions it. Facts are facts, right? But there's one person who wishes someone, if only one person, knew the truth.

And since you're already reading this, why can't that one person be you?

This is a story of love and hate, good and evil. This is the story of Grendel.

Long ago, in a small village, there lived a young lady named Melantha. She was beautiful, with long red hair and sparkling blue eyes. Her home was a simple cottage on the outskirts of the village. She had been raised by her father, Aloysius, after her mother died in childbirth. At the fragile age of eighteen, Melantha married the love of her life, a peaceful native named Granville.

Life was perfect for the first three years of their marriage, and soon the beautiful redhead was announcing her first pregnancy. Her husband was overjoyed, and her father built a beautiful cradle for the child.

It was little more than a month later when the army general came and drafted all able men to become warriors for King Hrothgar. Tearful goodbyes were shared, and a promise made by Granville to be back before his child's birth. With a heavy heart, Melantha watched Granville and Aloysius set forth for the king's castle.

Melantha's life seemed perfectly mundane. To the people of her village, she was a lonely daughter and wife, waiting anxiously for the return of her men. The months passed sluggishly, fall melting slowly into winter, and still she waited. It was one cold December day when a messenger came from the king's home with news for the blue-eyed woman. There had been rumors that one of the kingdom's allies was scheming to an assassination. A group of men had been deployed to foil their plans. The stories turned out to be false, but the damage had been done. Granville and Aloysius were dead.

Melantha retreated from the villagers, heartbroken and angry. The people left her to mourn, thinking her retreat was just a way of coping. In truth, the widow was plotting revenge on the king.

Finally, two months before the birth of her baby, Melantha emerged from her home. With only the clothes on her back and a few possessions, including her father's wooden cradle, she left the village she'd grown up in and headed straight for Herot, the mead hall that was King Hrothgar's pride and joy.

The young woman of only two and twenty years found a deep lake some miles from the mead hall. There, she performed a ritual that transformed her, for while she had been hiding away in her cottage, she had learned dark magic. She turned herself into a gruesome creature and dove into the water. The now monstrous woman made her home in a deep cave and used magic to keep the other residents of the lake away.

When Melantha's son Grendel was born a month later, he was not a human baby. Due to his mother immersing herself in the dark arts, he became a monster as well. He grew up to be a hideous beast, tall and broad, covered in fur and scales, his eyes blood red and his tongue forked like a snake's. Despite his appearance, he was actually a gentle being, preferring to play with the fish and crabs rather than fight with the other monsters.

As Grendel grew, Melantha continued plotting, slithering from the lake at night to observe the king's warriors in Herot. She slowly and carefully constructed a plan, something so infallible it would get her what she wanted: revenge for the deaths of the men she loved.

One day, when Grendel was fully grown and such a hideous, menacing beast that no human would hesitate a moment before attacking or running, the great sea-witch gave her son what he'd always wanted. She allowed him to go to the surface to "explore". Grendel, so ecstatic to be leaving the lake, asked no questions as his mother performed several rituals before his departure.

Once on the surface, Grendel wandered slowly, gaping at the greens and browns and greys of this other world. After a couple hours, he stumbled upon a wooden structure. The inside was bright and inviting. The human men inside were laughing, and the demon was tempted to join in the fun. At that moment, several men began fighting, and Grendel, a firm believer against violence, decided to wait until they were finished to show himself.

Hours later, when the hall was quiet and the men asleep, Melantha's son crept inside and began sniffing around, wondering what the strongly-scented liquid in the bottles was. Before he could try any, his feet moved unwillingly toward the rooms where the men were sleeping the night away. Unbeknownst to him, Melantha had cast two spells on him. One made his body invincible against weapons, and one put her in control of his body. His mind was free, but try as he might, he could not stop moving. He was forced to watch in horror as he murdered and consumed every man in Herot.

In the aftermath, he was so horrified by himself that he ran to hide. He did not go home to the lake, unable to face his mother after what he had just done. He would have been content to stay hidden forever, but the next night he returned and repeated his actions. This went on for twelve winters before Grendel finally met his match.

Beowulf was the Geats' proud prince, and he was cunning. After Grendel devoured one of his men, the fierce warrior leaped at Grendel, tearing with his bare hands. Grendel had no time to act. In moments, Beowulf had ripped off his arm, shoulder and all. Wounded, Grendel managed to retreat. He finally returned to the lake and tried to swim home, but ended up on the lake floor. As he lay there dying, he silently asked God for forgiveness, for although he had not willingly committed any crime, he was mournful for the deaths he had caused.

When Melantha found her son's body, she was furious that a mere human had managed to outwit her. She paced in her battle-hall, fuming silently. When Beowulf came after her, he found an enraged she-demon. She had only a moment to apologize to Granville and Aloysius before she was dead and in eternal torment.

This side of the tale has never been told, but a certain demon's prayer had been heard by the Almighty, and Grendel was accepted into the kingdom of Heaven.

So this is the truth, and the truth it remains, that the murders at Herot and the wrath of the sea-witch all began with a single woman with a hardened heart.