Beowulf’s Monsters: A Lesson in Perspective
As the old adage goes, “History is written by the Victors” and future generations are inadvertently forced to accept the victor’s version as the actual course of events and the decisive factual chronology. But the fallen have tales of their own and their virtues are often vilified in order to befit the legend of the ‘hero’. I have been particularly struck by the continued repercussions of varying perspectives accumulated over the ages when I came across a podcast which provided an exposition of the epic poem Beowulf. Beowulf is believed to have been composed around the 7th century and chronicles the exploits of the Geat warrior Beowulf, particularly his slaying of three monsters which turned him into a legend. My interest is in these aforementioned monsters who, when viewed with impartial hindsight, tend to be creatures that are worthy of sympathy and were nothing more than the victims of a hard bargain. Let’s start with the most famous of them, Grendel.
The poem indicates that Grendel is a descendant of Cain and was born a monster due to the curse of his ancestors. Thus, his life was decided for him before he was born. He was an outcast amongst his own kind and found refuge in the forest near Heorot, the great mead hall of Danish King Hrothgar. He craved the silence and found solace in it amongst the songs of the nocturnal beings. His peace was disturbed by the revelry of king Hrothgar and his men in Heorot. In order to preserve his domain, Grendel sought to teach these crude revelers a lesson. He went on a killing spree and this incursion was what made him a monster: an antagonist worthy of a hero’s quest. The Geat warrior Beowulf was their savior and his legendary battle with Grendel transcended him into a hero.
My interest is not in the celebrated warrior, rather his hapless nemesis. Grendel’s space was invaded by man and his peace was ruined by their selfish celebrations. Grendel killed only as a warning so that he can keep his domain and not due to any predisposed malice towards man. He is a figure worthy of great sympathy for his monstrous figure was something he was cursed with before he drew his first breath and his actions were just a reaction prompted by the “monstrous” activities of men.
Grendel’s plight has been shared by numerous downtrodden communities throughout history and in the modern era, their ways marginalized and their customs deemed barbaric. The ones who enslaved, plundered and eradicated these supposed monsters went on to become lauded heroes. Colonialism, slave trade, cultural imperialism and extremist ideologies all function as derivatives of this phenomenon. The mythological poem of Beowulf shows an acute representation of the plight of ‘ monsters ‘ wherein their assault against humanity was incited by wrongs committed to them in the first place i.e. these monsters did not seek out conflict. Grendel, as discussed above, was merely protecting his domain; his mother, the second monster, was just seeking revenge on her son’s killer; and finally, the third monster, the dragon, was plundered of his gold and was thus only exacting revenge on the thieves. Although these poems are fraught with allegory and metaphors, their message has reverberated since and the actions mirrored by the so-called victors of years to come.
I have always held a fascination for perspective and the raw power it possesses to distort the very fibers of truth, morality, and justice. The fallen were branded ‘ heretics’ and the ‘ different’, barbarians! In our competitive world plagued by burgeoning populations and uneven distribution of resources, perspective is the weapon of choice in the war for betterment. The common man is thus left in a quandary on whose version is the truth and we tend to side with superior thereby handing the victors the free reign to determine who the monsters are and to write out history.
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