Bibliography
Course Hero. "Grendel Study Guide." Course Hero. 2 Dec. 2016. Web. 8 June 2023. <https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Grendel/>.
In text
(Course Hero)
Bibliography
Course Hero. (2016, December 2). Grendel Study Guide. In Course Hero. Retrieved June 8, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Grendel/
In text
(Course Hero, 2016)
Bibliography
Course Hero. "Grendel Study Guide." December 2, 2016. Accessed June 8, 2023. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Grendel/.
Footnote
Course Hero, "Grendel Study Guide," December 2, 2016, accessed June 8, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Grendel/.
| Character | Description |
|---|---|
| Grendel | Grendel is a monster whose ongoing isolation drives him to wage war on the humans in Hrothgar's kingdom. Read More |
| Hrothgar | Hrothgar is the powerful and violent king of the Danes who later tries to establish peace and rid his kingdom of Grendel's presence. Read More |
| Grendel's mother | Grendel's mother is barely verbal, but she is fiercely protective, with a clinginess Grendel finds repelling. Read More |
| The dragon | The dragon is an ancient serpent, weary of time and knowing all things past and future, including his own death to come and other creatures' thoughts; he jealously guards his precious treasure of gold and jewels. Read More |
| Hrothulf | Hrothgar's nephew, Hrothulf, wants to rule the kingdom, and the young man's ambition to take the throne leads to tension with his uncle. |
| Ork | Ork is the oldest of Hrothgar's priests, and his encounter with Grendel, whom Ork knows only as the "Great Destroyer," affirms his beliefs about the gods. |
| First priest | The first priest is one of three who disagree with Ork's assessment of his meeting with the "Great Destroyer," questioning whether it even really happened; the priests are more concerned with their reputations and positions than with seeking truth. |
| Second priest | The second priest is one of three who disagree with Ork's assessment of his meeting with the "Great Destroyer," questioning whether it even really happened; the priests are more concerned with their reputations and positions than with seeking truth. |
| Third priest | The third priest is one of three who disagree with Ork's assessment of his meeting with the "Great Destroyer," questioning whether it even really happened; the priests are more concerned with their reputations and positions than with seeking truth. |
| Fourth priest | The fourth priest arrives after Ork has a conversation with the "Great Destroyer." The priest believes Ork's meeting happened, and he blesses Ork and takes the meeting as a sign of hope. |
| The Shaper | Grendel calls the court's minstrel the Shaper because his songs and stories influence Hrothgar and his men in profound ways; through these stories, the Shaper creates the reality in which the court lives. |
| The stranger | The stranger who arrives from a foreign land is never named, but the source material for the novel indicates this hero is Beowulf; he humiliates Grendel during battle and tears off his arm with his bare hands, and Grendel slinks away to die alone from his wounds. |
| Unferth | Unferth, Hrothgar's great hero at court, confronts Grendel during one of his first attacks on the meadhall; Grendel mocks Unferth's ideas about heroism. and humiliates him by refusing to kill him when Unferth follows Grendel to his cave. |
| Wealtheow | The young and beautiful Wealtheow, given in marriage to an aging Hrothgar, brings joy to the court and becomes an object of Grendel's fascination. |
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