Scholars have long debated whether or not Beowulf is a Christian allegory or a wholly pagan work with only a smattering of Old Testament allusions. This debate has lasted for the entire length of the epic. In biblical analysis, Cain’s image is often utilized as a metaphor to denote disorder and the presence of evil. Because God ordained the brother’s sacrifice, Cain kills his brother Abel because of jealousy. The repercussions of his actions force God to chase him off the garden. Fratricide, the murder of one’s brother, is considered the most heinous crime in the Anglo-Saxon world. Brotherhood and kinship played a vital role in this society and culture. Hence Grendel’s participation in acts such as murder in this particular society was highly condemned. Grendel and the mother are said to be descendants of the Cain lineage. Cain is considered a character endorsed by evil; there are similarities between him and Grendel that justify they both share the same characteristics hence assimilating Grendel’s actions.
Grendel and Cain have a lot in common; first, it is said that Cain drank his brother Abel’s blood after murdering him. Grendel is known to participate in the same act after killing his victims. Cain and his descendants had magical powers, such as changing their shape and bright flashing eyes, attributed to their ancestors. These supernatural abilities are also present in Grendel’s lifespan. He has the power to immobilize the swords of the fighters. The most striking auspicious similarity between Grendel and Cain is that they are both social misfits forced to live their lives in the shadows due to their circumstances. They are both banished from their homes and are left to wander.
Heorot, the mead hall in Beowulf, symbolizes tranquility in the story. The warriors assemble here to celebrate in a spirit of fraternity and unity. Grendel is furious by the festivities and laughter he hears during the events while alone in his cave. Hence it can be assimilated that Grendel is a monstrous outsider who is angered by the fact that other people are happy. Another instance of hatred is when he demonstrates it to morally upright individuals. Grendel’s jealousy of the warriors is reminiscent of Cain’s jealousy of his brother, Abel, after God approved his burnt sacrifice. The occurrence intertwines into our society in the current century, where individuals resemble Cain’s heart of jealousy as they are not open to offering opportunities to others; they only yearn to make it alone.
Through his descendant Grendel, Cain’s figure served as a particularly significant link in uniting ancient belief with the new faith. Cain was the first rebel against the Lord and the first killer on earth. The newly converted Anglo-Saxons viewed Grendel as sprung from Cain, the arch-enemy of the social order because he ravaged Lord Hrothgar’s Hall and slaughtered his thanes. Exile and acceptance are only a few steps away from each other, as the story’s monsters remind us. A person’s exile is a sign of God’s displeasure, not only because they have left society but also because they have left God. Society will thrive under God’s watchful eye if society succumbs; it is a sign of God’s disapproval. Following this, the norms that govern exile are assigned moral rather than ethical (related to human virtue rather than coded anarchy prevention) value to their regulations. God’s presence yields Prosperity and success in society; hence, people should seek divine intervention for profitable growth.
Grendel’s banishment differs from others in that it prevents him from establishing a permanent residence somewhere else. In exile, Grendel has no hope of glory or atonement. Two of his father’s misdeeds were passed down to Grendel. Like Cain, he is a restless wanderer who roams late when everyone else is fast asleep or gathered with loved ones. Due to this, he lacks peace within him, and those close, transforming to murder as the favor of God had left him. Disparity breeds resentment and even acts of inversion among those who are exiled, making the situation more dangerous than being separated from one’s peers. He is forming a recursive pattern to withhold in response to the crisis.
Grendel’s relationship with Cain in the Bible implies something else about him: there was a humane character. Examination of him did outline that probably it was the monster in Grendel that did influence his doing. Otherwise, Grendel was a substantive character filled with some goodness in him. In Cain, all evil-doers, demons and elves, and angry spirits of the dead trace his birth. However, it is the opposite for Grendel, for despite him being a monster, he acquires characteristics such as kindness and empathy. Ultimately, humans are quick to judge than take the initiative to enroll on a positive side. This mode chases even the minimum amount of godliness in human beings as they are not being promoted to be better as they are only condemned for their evil deeds.
Grendel is described as a hellish monster, dismal and ravenous, savagely cruel, with gruesome tracks as he comes shirting through the shadows. His actions dehumanize his victims, including hungering for a sleeping warrior, sucking the blood out of his veins, and devouring enormous pieces (Puchnert al. 50). When it comes to the demonic entity, it is more like a collection of negative traits than an actual person; Grendel appears as spirit and mist in the fens, but human in his encounter with men. As the Danes raid other ships, this may mean he’s grabbing humanity from them both literally and figuratively. The only way to become human is to alter one’s perception of space by acting like them and joining their domain. Being a human or exiled monster depends solely on one’s location regarding civilization, and there is no such thing as a differentiation.
The story is slanted in favor of the society, with those within it validating it by excluding the misfits. The narrative of Cain and Abel has haunted us and dogged us from our inception since its formulation in a decade. In an analysis of Beowulf, individuals frequently forget that Cain’s fall was precipitated by a slight from God, made for arbitrary and unexplained reasons. Grendel, like his father, was put aside by society’s God’s banished to the shadows where he and his kind could not remind them of something genuinely monstrous: how to like these “monsters” are to themselves, and what this suggests about their humanity. Our role as individuals is to consider what we call horrific or terrible if it also implies us. People should not be quick to judge and condemn as we are all imperfect; hence, others’ miperfection should not be a key to pushing them off. Not every person is righteous, as some are only masked by external goodness, slightly different from their inner beings.
Work cited
Puchner, Martin et al. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 4th edition 2019.