The epic of Beowulf begins with an opening scene of King Hrothgar of Denmark enjoying the fruits of his reign. The king commissions his subjects to build a grand mead hall, dubbing it Heorot. Where his most formidable soldiers can meet to drink, receive valiant rewards from their king, and enjoy tales sung by the bards. One night as the soldiers were rejoicing in the mead-hall, the jubilant noise emanating from the hall infuriated a demon-like monster named Grendel. Grendel is said to be the descendant of the biblical Cain, living in the moors of the kingdom.
As punishment for their happiness Grendel decides to petrify the soldiers every night, massacring them and their struggles to fight back. The Danes endure decades of perpetual fear, life-threatening danger, and the cold hands of death. After sometime, a youthful Geatish warrior named Beowulf garners knowledge of the damnation of the Danes kingdom, due to the murderous Grendel's plight. Upon
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In response Beowulf boastfully begins depicting an adventurous tale of his past victories. His vehemence joys the Danish soldiers, and the delight of the feast carries into the night. In consequence of the happiness of the feast, Grendel arrives to reek terror among its participants. Stoically Beowulf approaches the demon unarmed, valiantly showing that his strength is stronger than the monster, in turn who is quaking with fear from Beowulf's strength. As Grendel struggles to free himself of the hero's steely grasp, Beowulf heroically tears Grendel's arm out of his socket. Mortally wounded, Grendel retreats out of the hall into the haven of his moor to perish and die. Celebrating the Danes hang the demon's severed arm high in Heorot as a trophy of Beowulf's