Evert Gorter and François Grendel (Dutch physiologists) approached the discovery of our present. A new "Master's Edition" hardcover, published. Throughout Grendel, the Shaper and his beautiful though fictional systems are presented as an alternative to the cynical, fatalistic outlook of the dragon. ” He. John Gardner’s work is often classified as postmodernist. 99/month or $24. Grendel is a novel by John Gardner that was first published in 1971. Search all of SparkNotes Search. Villains are not born, they’re created. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. The date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating is for the. ” (42) This is known as the hero’s call to adventure. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Beowulf is told from a third-person omniscient point of view. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Grendel observes Hrothgar, noting how drastically his face has changed over the years. The scream sounded ugly compared to the Shaper’s beautiful music. He will not budge. A few nights later, Grendel raided Hart again. She carries him to her "hall," a cave protected from the water. #2,045,568 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books. Grendel knows it is because spring has come and the ram is now fueled by lust. 4. PLUS. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of Grendel and what it means. After twelve years of continued aggression, the great Geatish warrior Beowulf comes across the ocean to rid the Danes of the beast. R. The narrator also comments on the action, usually to draw out moral implications: “Behavior that’s admired / is the path to power among people everywhere” (ll. Chapter 1. The change is noticeable in the shape of the text on the page: beginning in. A great hero who slew a dragon. Iago Vs Grendel Analysis 968 Words | 4 Pages. Analysis. 99/year as selected above. Time and again, Grendel’s intellect is overcome by the emotional response he has to the Shaper’s art. A summary of Part X (Section10) in John Gardner's Grendel. A great dragon lurks beneath the earth, jealously guarding its treasure, until one day a thief manages to infiltrate the barrow, or mound, where the treasure lies. SparkNotes SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4. The idea that violence and shame would make Hrothgar calm seems contradictory. This adaptation, filmed in Iceland, is faithful to Beowulf’s tone, but makes many changes to the story. While Grendel's psychology is not explored in detail in Beowulf, there is a sense. The watchman guides Beowulf and his men from the coast to the mead-hall, Heorot, where he takes his leave. Back More. A Tale of Two Cities Death of a Salesman Of Mice and Men The Kite Runner The Outsiders Menu. Beowulf and Grendel, 2005. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Gorter and Grendel's membrane theory (1920) Diagram of the arrangement of amphipathic lipid molecules to form a lipid bi-layer. One of the central themes of Beowulf, embodied by its title character, is loyalty. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Grendel’s mother, like her son, is a mysterious humanoid creature. In the vast span of time, the entirety of mankind’s history registers little more than. Point of view Grendel narrates in the first person, conveying his inner thoughts and observations; occasionally he narrates from the point of view of another character. Speed Speed. It was but now that I never more for. Grendel kills it again and again, feeling under threat “by. Set in a dystopian future rather than the past, this adaptation makes many changes to the poem’s story. Its. In Denmark 507 A. Grendel finds himself in the presence of a huge, red-golden dragon that lives in a cave filled with gold and gems. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4. Her son has returned to their cave mortally wounded, one of his two arms (or claws) ripped from its shoulder socket and hanging, now, beneath the roof of Hrothgar's mead-hall. And he is on the alert for wrongs to be righted. Lines 607-836. Yet he, the old Shaper, might make it true, by the sweetness of his harp, his. The strange stirrings in the winter air in this chapter, however, suggest that we are moving into a new phase of the novel. com A Geatish hero who comes across the sea to rid the Scyldings of Grendel. I know only that it had a strange effect on me: it no longer filled me with doubt and distress, loneliness, shame. But his words are also an incantation. Moved Permanently. A furious dragon seeking revenge for treasure stolen from him. Beowulf Summary and Analysis of Lines 1-193. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. She enters the poem as an “avenger” (l. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of Grendel and what it means. Analysis. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of Grendel and what it means. Self-reliance can even be applied to politics: Emerson argues that we should quit governing ourselves by political parties and instead have each man govern himself by intuition. Summary. ”. Grendel the outcast has, symbolically. It is also an example of metafiction, a work of fiction based on another work of fiction. . Moved Permanently. At the end of the poem, Beowulf goes to fight the dragon, anticipating that it will be his last battle. I feel my anger coming back, building up like invisible fire, and at last, when my soul can no longer resist, I go up—as mechanical as anything else—fists clenched against my lack of will, my belly growling, mindless as wind, for blood. Literary Context: Gardner and Postmodernism. Such is His mystery: that beauty requires contrast, and that. Prelude of the Founder of the Danish House. 4. Yet he, the old Shaper, might make it true, by the sweetness of his harp, his. Spark Notes: Grendel (Sparknotes Literature Guides): Amazon. Beowulf receives praise for his victory from all the men. Yet I was swept up. Two middle-aged women, Mrs. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. If the ideas of art were beautiful, that was art’s fault, not the Shaper’s. Perfect for acing essays, tests,. John Gardner. Study Guide; No Fear Translation; Mastery Quizzes; Flashcards; Summary Summary & Analysis Lines 1–300 Lines 301–709 Lines 710–1007 Lines 1008–1250. 1258), seeking redress for the death of her son at Beowulf’s hands. Her sisters Rita and Anna also married white men, and her sister Minnie has passed away recently due to a “peculiar wasting illness. The American Revolution seemed unlikely or impossible at the time, but in hindsight it appears “inevitable. Wiglaf conforms perfectly to the heroic code in that he is willing to die attempting to defeat the opponent and, more importantly, to save his lord. Modthryth’s story is told in order to contrast her cruelty with Hygd’s gentle and reasonable behavior. Chapter 4. Grendel (SparkNotes Literature Guide) by John Gardner Making the reading experience fun! Created by Harvard students for students everywhere, SparkNotes is a new breed of study guide: smarter, better, faster. However, after years of being attacked by Grendel with no way of stopping him, Hrothgar seems resigned to. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Chapter 3. He builds a great mead-hall, called Heorot, where his warriors can gather to drink, receive gifts from their lord, and listen to stories sung by the scops, or bards. Chapter 10. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with. 3154-5). “Grendel” by John Gardner details the life of Grendel, a monster, who observes and interacts with the human world. Objective – Spark Tutorial. Director: Sturla Gunnarsson. Grendel anticipated a battle, but the king asked for a truce and offered Hrothgar gifts. Previous section Lines 1008–1250 Quick Quiz Next section. E. Summary. Educated Summary. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “Long Way Down” by Jason Reynolds. King Hrothgar of Denmark, a descendant of the great king Shield Sheafson, enjoys a prosperous and successful reign. At find-more-books. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4. Here is an example: The driver dared to drive in ice. Chapter 5 Summary. Beowulf is speaking these words as he nears the end of his life, after he has defeated the fiery dragon who guarded an ancient hoard of treasure. It is Orestes, the son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, who killed his mother in order to avenge her murder of his father. Grendel. Search all of SparkNotes Search. There is no conviction in the old priests’ songs; there is only showmanship. Grendel is based on the sixth-century Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, a work in which Grendel is a grotesque, violent monster who terrorizes a small community of Danish warriors. The dragon claims that time is like a black hole, eventually destroying everything in the universe. The main action of Grendel takes place in the last year of that war, but the novel skips back in time in order to illuminate the origins of the conflict as well as Grendel’s personal history. In the first scene, Wealtheow welcomes Hrothulf to Hart. Beowulf does appear to be the fulfillment of the Scyldings’ prayers for a Destroyer to come and rid them of Grendel. The snakelike face indicates from the beginning that Beowulf is someone that Grendel should fear. Which quote from Beowulf contains a kenning used to rename one of the two main characters. Can you guess what happens next? Grendel starts "scripting" the dramatic adaptation of real events again. When he was eleven years old, who did John Gardner accidentally kill? His father. More a palace, Heorot is decorated with gold and fine tapestries. Grendel is annoyed by the animal’s mindless. Grendel. The dragon is a mighty and glamorous opponent, an appropriate match for Beowulf. Summary. 3 of 5. The sky. While the Shaper sings to celebrate the boy's arrival, Grendel spots more sinister intentions in the new arrival. Some readers have seen them as symbols of different flaws in the pagan Northern European warrior code. In this regard, Wiglaf appears as a reflection of the young Beowulf. In the early part of the century, writers such as T. John Gardner’s work is often classified as postmodernist. Her son has returned to their cave mortally wounded, one of his two arms (or claws) ripped from its shoulder socket and hanging, now, beneath the roof of Hrothgar's mead-hall. A few months shy of his twelfth birthday, Gardner inadvertently killed his younger brother Gilbert in a gruesome accident, running. Grendel sees the priests’ rituals as mere showmanship. Although she is smaller and weaker than. Active Themes. Notable Cast: Gerard Butler, Stellan Skarsgård. 2 of 5. Beauty!First, he fights Grendel when he attacks the hall of Heorot. Beyond the mead-hall, the world is cold and dark, getting darker the further you go from the hall. Suggestions. Grendel (1971), for example, features the nearly abstract woodcuts of Emil Antonucci,. The Dragon. Wiglaf acts because he follows the warrior code of loyalty to his lord. Hrothgar was a great warrior in his time, but now he's an old king and can't seem to protect his people. The protagonist and narrator of the novel. A summary of Chapter 4 in John Gardner's Grendel. The Danish King offers a reward for the death of the creature, attracting to Herot the brave Geat warrior Beowulf (Ray Winstone) that seeks for glory. Beowulf introduces himself and requests to speak to the king. This is more than an awkward moment for the hosts. 4 out of 5 stars. Hrothgar tries to attribute the boy’s malaise to the trauma of losing his father, but he also suspects that. A summary of Part X (Section1) in John Gardner's Grendel. Choose an astrological sign and follow it through its associated chapter. 4. The Shaper would tip his whitened head, blind eyes staring at the. Modthryth’s story is told in order to contrast her cruelty with Hygd’s gentle and reasonable behavior. Spring, for example, the time when cold weather retreats and new vegetation appears on the earth, has become a. Chapter 10. . Quotes related to Isolation within Grendel. “The King of the Gods is the ultimate limitation,” he keens, “and His existence is the ultimate irrationality. This epic poem was written in Old English and, like other Old English epics, celebrates the daring feats of a hero, as Beowulf defeats Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon. Chapter 2. Grendel sees the priests’ rituals as mere showmanship. Need help on characters in John Gardner's Grendel? Check out our detailed character descriptions. Near the end of the poem the poet reveals that, because of an ancient spell, Beowulf would have been condemned to. 24-5). Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Beowulf, a warrior, lands in Hrothgar’s kingdom and kills Grendel but then must contend with Grendel’s mother who comes to enact revenge for her son’s murder. And the fact that Grendel remembers his face from a forgotten dream hints that Grendel may know. The protagonist and narrator of the novel. The play opens on the scene of an abandoned farmhouse. Full Book Quiz. Grendel, a large bearlike monster, has spent the last twelve years locked in a war against a band of humans. A man-eating monster descended from the Biblical Cain. She caused him pain in the same way that the Shaper’s songs once did. Founding Brothers Summary. E. In Grendel, he is a lonely creature who seeks an understanding of the seemingly meaningless world around him. After first visiting the humans, Grendel asks ___ why Grendel cannot have someone to talk to. I was sickened, if only at the waste of it: all they killed—cows, horses, men—they left to rot or burn. 1355), and their hoards of. When Hrothgar’s brother, Halga, is murdered, Halga’s fourteen-year-old son, Hrothulf, comes to live at Hart. Slowly, the Geatish warriors who had fled from the battle straggle back to the barrow to find Wiglaf still vainly trying to revive their fallen leader. Its plot and characters come from the 6th-century Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. . 99/month or $24. Important Quotes Explained. A summary of Chapter 3 in John Gardner's Grendel. Behind my back, at the world’s end, my pale slightly glowing fat mother sleeps on, old, sick at heart, in our dingy underground room. The Shaper represents the power of art and imagination to change people’s perceptions about themselves and the world in which they live. Hrothgar The aging king of the Danes welcomes Beowulf's assistance in facing the menace of Grendel. As an outsider, Grendel observes and provides. In-depth Facts: Narrator Grendel. Trace Gardner’s use of “cartoon” imagery throughout Grendel. I know only that it had a strange effect on me: it no longer filled me with doubt and distress, loneliness, shame. Take a quiz about the important details and events in Plot Overview of Grendel. Read a summary of the battle with Grendel in Beowulf. Rising action Grendel’s attack on Heorot, Beowulf’s defeat of Grendel, and Grendel’s mother’s vengeful killing of Aeschere lead to the climactic encounter between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother. —There woke from him. S. Grendel stumbles into Hart with the corpse in his hands, yelling “Mercy! Peace!” The corpse expands in significance, becoming not only a symbol of man and Grendel’s twinned fate,. I knew very well that all he said was ridiculous, not light for their darkness but flattery, illusion, a vortex pulling them from sunlight to heat, a kind of midsummer burgeoning, waltz to the sickle. Twelve Angry Men takes place within a single setting: a New York City jury room in 1957. Grendel laughed as man after man attacked him, shouting about honor, Hrothgar, and God. ”. 99/month or $24. 733-5). Grendel recognizes the great power that comes with such a skill. Writer and artist Matt Wagner is returning to the origins of his best-loved creation, the masked assassin Grendel. Beowulf (/ ˈ b eɪ ə w ʊ l f /; Old English: Bēowulf [ˈbeːowuɫf]) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. Grendel is oddly protective of his space and attempts to shoo the goat away, although the goat remains standing after Grendel rolls a tree at it and. Character Analysis Hrothgar. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4. In Grendel, heroism, beauty, patriotism, and political eloquence ultimately provide little solace in a violent, chaotic world. After defeating the monster, Grendel’s mother attacks the hall, causing Beowulf and his band of warriors to hunt her down; he ultimately kills her in her lake lair. Hildeburh is a princess who loses all her male relatives because her husband’s family is feuding with her brother’s family. How, in Grendel’s estimation, do the Geats appear when they first arrive in Denmark? 19 . When two hunters from different bands came together in the woods, they would fight until the snow was slushy with blood, then crawl back, gasping and crying, to their separate camps to tell wild tales of what happened. Page 26. When Beowulf hears tales of the destruction wrought by Grendel, he decides to travel to the land of the Danes and help Hrothgar defeat the demon. Grendel warns the goat to get away, but it won't obey; it just keeps climbing up the rock. Beowulf lies awake, watching, as Grendel kills and eats one of the warriors. The dragon claims that time is like a black hole, eventually destroying everything in the universe. Grendel tries to scare it away, eventually howling so terrifyingly that the water nearby freezes, but the ram doesn’t react. He has arrived to help the Scyldings; for 12 years, a mighty man. Chapter 9. 99/month or $24. 3154-5). Search all of SparkNotes Search. Chapter 8. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. Grendel begins as a curious young mind that is. He wanted the beauty and order of the story, even if he had to be the outcast. Get all the key plot points of Ralph Waldo Emerson's Self-Reliance on one page. Jay Rudd, "Gardner's Grendel and Beowulf: Humanizing the Monster," in THOTH, Spring/Fall, 1974, pp. Under welkin he walked, till the wine-palace. . The house is in disarray, with various activities interrupted, such as dishes left unwashed and bread prepared but not yet baked. One can argue that this structure relates to the theme of the epic in that each monster presents a specific moral challenge against which the Anglo-Saxon heroic code can be measured. She caused him pain in the same way that the Shaper’s songs once did. Cranky and vulgar and undeniably funny, the dragon’s characterization draws from sources as diverse as traditional Christian and Asiatic mythology, Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, and the works of J. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “Maid” by Stephanie Land. Important quotes from Chapter 7 in Grendel. In the author's note at the end of the novel, A. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1990. Section 1. Director: Sturla Gunnarsson. Grendel laughed as man after man attacked him, shouting about honor, Hrothgar, and God. His night-work pleased him, his deed and its honor. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4. The humans tried to attack him bravely, but their weapons were useless against the dragon’s charm. com you can find used, antique and new books, compare results and immediately purchase your selection at the best price. I hammer the ground with my fists. Grendel Study Guide. The alliteration helps emphasize the descriptive nature of the words. This stylistically and thematically postmodern novel is an example of a metafiction—fiction about fiction. 99/month or $24. And the fact that Grendel remembers his face from a forgotten dream hints that Grendel may know. Behind my back, at the world’s end, my pale slightly glowing fat mother sleeps on, old, sick at heart, in our dingy underground room. Summary and Analysis. Grendel’s Mother. I feel my anger coming back, building up like invisible fire, and at last, when my soul can no longer resist, I go up—as mechanical as anything else—fists clenched against my lack of will, my belly growling, mindless as wind, for blood. An essay connecting Grendel with Chaucer's The Nun's Priest's Tale. Ah, ah, it must be a terrible burden, though, being a hero. Four chooses small, fast trainees like Tris, Christina, and Will, while Eric chooses the bigger. The poet chooses to relate much of this struggle from Grendel’s. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. 99/month or $24. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4. Grendel’s mother lives with Grendel in a cave in a vast underground realm. He is frustrated by the stupidity of an old ram. A study guide to the popular novel offers a plot summary, a review quiz, and an examaination of important quotations, along with analysis of the key themes, motifs, characters, and symbols in the work. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. Mollie Burkhart, a full-blooded Osage woman, is married to a white man named Ernest Burkhart. Point of View. She is a lady I have watched with the greatest admiration. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of Grendel and what it means. After establishing the novel’s linear plotline in Chapter 1 —namely, the twelve-year battle between Grendel and the Danes—Chapter 2 takes us an unspecified number of years into the past to tell the story of Grendel’s first exposure to the human world. Imitating an epic, heroic style, Grendel tells of how Hrothgar’s brother was murdered and so his young nephew Hrothulf came to live at Hart. I hurl a skull-size stone at him. When the Geats first arrive, Grendel remarks on his first impression of Beowulf. The rivalry between Unferth, a Danish warrior, and Beowulf has formed a subplot of the story since Beowulf’s first appearance at Hrothgar’s hall, when Unferth challenged the hero’s claims. After twelve years of continued aggression, the great Geatish warrior Beowulf comes across the ocean to rid the Danes of the beast. Beowulf (/ ˈ b eɪ ə w ʊ l f /; Old English: Bēowulf [ˈbeːowuɫf]) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. At the center of each kingdom is a mead-hall, a place of warmth, laughter, friendship, storytelling and celebration. Whereas Beowulf is essentially invulnerable to Grendel and his mother, he is in danger from the beginning against the dragon. Grendel, an outsider who spurns society, and Beowulf, an outsider who joins the Danes in fellowship, battle. Wears it as a bib. What is the sign’s relevance? What does it come to signify in Grendel as a whole? 5. He was the mightiest man of valor in that same day of this our life, stalwart and stately. Lines 1-193. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1990. Suggestions. Discover the Summary and Analysis of Grendel by John Gardner with bartleby's free Literature Guides. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Why is the use of grotesque, exaggerated humor appropriate in the novel?Beowulf’s second combat is with Grendel’s mother. In his youth, Grendel explores his vast underground world with childlike abandon. The dragon provides Grendel with a glimpse of the true nature of time, which the dragon is able to see stretching out toward both its beginning and its end. Beowulf is divided into three main parts, each of which centers on the hero’s struggle against a particular monster—first Grendel, then Grendel’s mother, then the dragon. R. 99/year as selected above. Summary: Chapter 12. Grendel observes that winter will soon arrive; he has been raiding the meadhall for 12 years now. A detailed description and in-depth analysis of Grendel in Beowulf. Amidst the general veneration of treasure, though, come some discordant notes. 2 of 5. Grendel is sick of the scent accompanying the dragon’s protective charm. Imitating an epic, heroic style, Grendel tells of how Hrothgar’s brother was murdered and so his young nephew Hrothulf came to live at Hart. 649 Words3 Pages. I listened, felt myself swept up. 99/year as selected above. Tolkien. Death of a Salesman Frankenstein Pride and Prejudice Romeo and Juliet The Catcher in the Rye Menu. What happened in Beowulf vs Grendel? King Hrothgar, the ruler of the Danes, is troubled by the rampages of a demon named Grendel. BEOWULF spake, bairn of Ecgtheow: “Sorrow not, sage! It beseems us better friends to avenge than fruitlessly mourn them. Every night, Grendel attacks King Hrothgar's wealthy mead-hall, Heorot, killing Danish warriors and sometimes even eating them. In the original Beowulf epic, Grendel displays nothing but the most primitive human qualities. For day after day, he heard rejoicing loud in the hall: there was music of the harp, and the clear song of the scop, who sang of creation, the beginnings of men far back in time. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of Grendel and what it means. Grendel is thought to symbolize. Edinburg, Texas: Pan American University School of the Humanities, 1983 . The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. John Champlin Gardner was born in Batavia, New York, on July 21, 1933, to John Champlin, a dairy farmer and lay Presbyterian preacher, and Priscilla Gardner, an English teacher. Here, “bone-house,” meaning “body,” is an example of a “kenning. 1984 Brave New World Don Quixote The Handmaid's Tale Things Fall Apart Menu. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of Grendel and what it means. The listed critical essays and books will be invaluable for writing essays and papers on. He compares a tree to his uncle: A tree gives life to. Grendel’s first description of the dragon includes many common features that come to mind when thinking of dragons except for one: his eyes. Before he even encounters humans and sees how they fear him, he embraces his identity as a hideous monster. Beowulf does appear to be the fulfillment of the Scyldings’ prayers for a Destroyer to come and rid them of Grendel. 4. Chapter 1. Get access to this full Study Guide and much more! 6,350+ In-Depth Study Guides. Summary. No total vision, total system, merely schemes with a vague family resemblance, no more identity than bridges and, say, spiderwebs. He notes that the weak humans observe the rituals, while the strong ones ignore them. Find all books from John Gardner. Take a quiz about the important details and events in Chapter 10 of Grendel. The tribe has taken its name from Scyld Scefing, a mythological hero who, many years earlier, reached their shores as a castaway babe on a ship mysteriously laden with. Beowulf characters include: Beowulf, Grendel, Hrothgar, Unferth, Wiglaf, Grendel’s Mother, The. Though laughing, Grendel felt empty and imagined himself going on killing without difficulty indefinitely. The next chapter opens with what might be a part of the Shaper's song. After establishing the novel’s linear plotline in Chapter 1 —namely, the twelve-year battle between Grendel and the Danes—Chapter 2 takes us an unspecified number of years into the past to tell the story of Grendel’s first exposure to the human world. For this reason, some readers have seen Grendel’s mother as an embodiment of ancient Northern European society’s tendency toward unending. The ram doesn’t move. Instead, Beowulf grips Grendel’s arm with the strength of 30 men and rips it off his body all the way from his shoulder. 99/year as selected above. The play opens with Pythia, the priestess of Apollo, preparing to perform her morning prayer. Many readers have seen Beowulf ’s monsters as embodiments of evil, representing the idea that evil is a mysterious, inhuman force. This is more than an awkward moment for the hosts. . 1.