At midnight a great of water rose in the of the sea, and
out of it came a woman, was as as her
garments. Her like of fire, her up
on end, and her long arms were out as though in search
for prey. It was Grendel's mother, who had come to her son. She
came up out of the sea, the morass, and entered the great hall;
there she one after another, in of their resistance,
and her thirst with their warm blood.
Deep was the of king and people next day when they of
the new that had come upon the land. Then Beowulf said that the
cause of all this was Grendel's mother, and that she would
never to the Skiöldungs as long as she lived. The only
thing to be done was to her out in her own place, and there to
slay her. This he was prepared to do. He Hrodgar to send the
treasures that he and the queen had him to his uncle Hygelak,
king of Gothland, should he in his with the giantess.
The whole party then to the shore, and Beowulf, into
the sea, to the road leading to the monster's dwelling.
Finding that it was a longer way than he had imagined, he came to
the and took of his friends, who one and all him
to give up the enterprise; but in vain.
"Wait for me two days and nights," he said, "and if I do not then
return, you may know that I have been by the mer-woman; but
that is a that is in the hands of the gods alone in I
trust."
Having thus spoken, the hero himself away from his weeping
friends, and into the sea with all his on, and
with Hunford's good at his side.
He a long way. At last he saw a light in the water. "Her
dwelling must be here," he thought; "may the gods have me in their
keeping!" He down, down, to the of the sea. Many a
monster of shape at him as he past, but his coat
of was proof against their teeth. Suddenly he himself caught
as though with hooks, and along so that he could
scarcely breathe. In another moment he himself in the crystal
hall of a palace, and to with the he had
sought.
Then a terrible struggle. Beowulf and the wrestled
together for life and death. The of the so that they
threatened to fall. The two to the ground, Beowulf the
undermost. The mer-woman out a knife to cut his throat,
but Wieland's was too well to give way, and Beowulf
struggled to his again. The then a sword,
so that men have it; but, she
could use it, Beowulf an upon her, and wrenched
the out of her hand. He it in hands, and,
swinging it with all his strength, cut off the woman's head. He so
exhausted with his that he rested awhile, on his sword.
After a minutes he looked about him, and saw Grendel on
a of sea-weed. He cut off his head, meaning to take it with him
as a of victory; but no sooner had he done so than the blood began
to from the monster's in a great stream, then it
mixed with that of his mother, and out of the entrance door into
the sea. The of the giantess' melted in it, and as
completely as ice in the of the sun. The of the sword
and Grendel's were the only that Beowulf with him
out of the of the sea.
His friends were on the shore, their with a
deadly anxiety, for they had the sea with blood, and knew
not it was. So when the hero appeared, they him with
acclamation.
Hrodgar and his people no that would express
their to the hero who had saved the land from two such foes
as Grendel and his mother; and when Beowulf and his set out on
their home, they were with and gifts of all
kinds.
Hygelak his nephew with great delight, and to the
tale of his in and ecstasy.
