Upon his descent, he encounters Grendel's mother who for fifty years has held her place of strength taking what she wishes from all who face her. The brave warrior has to fight many other monsters before he is able to face Grendel's mother. "Then she groped toward him, took the warrior in her awful grip. Yet not the more for that did she hurt his hale body within: his ring-armor shielded him about on the outside so that she could not pierce the war-dress, the linked body-mail, with hateful fingers. Then as she came to the bottom the sea-wolf bore the ring-prince to her house so that --no matter how brave he was--he might not wield weapons..." The statement explains the first encounter between Beowulf and Grendel's mother. Grendel's mother comes up in the water, grabs Beowulf, and drags him through the water to her lair. In this strange place, no water touches him and a fire blazes in the depths.
Back to the first page.
