The Mothers Mother In The Tale Of Grendel's Mother

Most readers know of the tale of the hero Beowulf, who successfully slayed Grendel and took the monster’s arm home as a trophy for celebration. However, many readers’ knowledge of the tale ends there. The character of Grendel’s mother is rarely mentioned and often glossed over. However, her character provides substantial information into the author’s struggle between Christian and Pagan beliefs and showcases the conflict in delivering these messages accurately. How is Grendel’s mother portrayed as a character, and how much does morality motivate her actions? Why did the author of Beowulf choose to include another monster, and what makes conquering her different from conquering her son? One thing to consider is that Grendel’s mother is a woman. One can interpret this one of two ways; some may think that the author may have wanted

Unlike Grendel, who was merely a bitter monster who could not partake in the mead hall’s festivities, Grendel’s mother has more of a motive to kill; she merely wants to avenge her son’s death. In the same way that Hrothgar and Beowulf avenged the deaths of the poor civilians that Grendel had killed, Grendel’s mother tries to obtain due justice for her son. This is certainly not uncommon for literature of this time, and it puts Grendel’s mother and Beowulf on more of an even playing field when it comes time for them to duel. Unlike in his battle with Grendel, Beowulf struggles when battling Grendel’s mother. While “the strongest of warriors [Beowulf] stumbled and fell” when in altercation with Grendel’s mother, there is no sign of true struggle from his battle with Grendel. This justifies the revenge motive of the poem; because Grendel’s mother had a true motive for killing the civilians, she is a stronger character and more evenly matched with Beowulf, unlike Grendel who killed for the sake of