What Does Grendel Look Like? A Detailed Analysis
What does Grendel look like? This question has been asked a lot of times because of his fierce personality in the epic poem since Grendel was the main villain in the Beowulf folklore. We have gathered highly curated data on the physical features of Grendel. Read ahead to find out all about Grendel, his looks together with his role in the epic poem.
What Does Grendel Look Like
Grendel is one of those characters in history who have the most unique-looking features and there is none other like them. He was a scary-looking ogre, tall, hairy, and was surely very terrible to look at.
Grendel’s Appearance
Grendel looks something like a man but with a number of modifications. He has two long arms and two long legs. His whole body is covered with thick dark brown colored hair. There is a shade of red on his body. He is taller than an average tall man and has a sunken head.
Grendel might as well be described as having a monkey’s head on a human’s body. His descent is from humans but his physical appearance is very very different from theirs. Because of his huge size, he can devour many humans at once. It is also said that Grendel looks like that because he was not conceived naturally but through an enchanting spell.
All in all, Grendel’s appearance is quite unlike anything the literature had seen before. One of the main reasons for Grendel’s uniqueness and the popularity of the poem is because of his unique looks.
Grendel’s Color
Grendel was of dark brown color, much like the shade of brown that bears have. His body was full of hair so we can say that he had dark brown colored hair. He lived in the forest, away from all civilization so the brown color might also be because of the dirt on him.
Grendel’s Teeth
Grendel’s teeth were not like normal human teeth, since he was a monster, he had monstrous-like teeth. They were bigger than usual and deadly, showing that he wasn’t as hygienic as a human. More so like a reptile, pointed out and broadened by gaps in between them. These types of teeth helped him in shredding humans with ease when he attacked them.
In some of the visual representations of Grendel the close up show his teeth. The unusual and revolting scene to how he looks is the fact that his teeth are seen covered in blood because of the massacre he caused at Heorot. In orther words, he killed a number of people and devoured their corps, and those were all seen in the gaps of his teeth.
Grendel’s Clothing
In the epic poem of Beowulf, Grendel has been described as wearing rags only to cover his masculine parts. He had no other cloth on his body. This shows that his civility was very primitive and he had some idea of covering up his body.
Through literature and its aspects, it is not known or clarified where or how did Grendel get this much knowledge about covering himself with clothing. Even though he would not wear full clothes, he would still not roam around naked, meaning he had some coverage on him and was not exposing his huge body.
Grendel’s Height
Grendel was taller than an average man. His height would have to be above seven inches. His build was also very masculine with strong and broad shoulders and torso. His height and build were surely an asset to him, as people would get afraid only because of his enormous size and strength.
Grendel’s Build
Grendel’s image was portrayed as monster with a vast posture. He was seen as a monstrous creature next to an average human, having long arms, and a strong build up chest which was broad and heavy-structurewise.
FAQ
What Does Grendel’s Mother Look Like in Beowulf?
In the poem, Grendel is seen describing his mother as a pale, sufficiently glowing, and overweighed woman. Grendel’s mother was the second protagonist in the epic poem, Beowulf. She is also defeated by Beowulf after he defeats Grendel.
Conclusion
Grendel is a villain character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem, Beowulf. Here are some points that will sum up the article:
Grendel looked like a man but with two long arms and two long legs. His whole body is covered with thick dark brown colored hair with a shade of red on his body. He was taller than an average tall man and had a sunken head.- Grendel is the direct descendant of Cain, the son of Adam and Eve who killed his brother Abel out of jealousy.
- In the epic poem, Beowulf is a strong fighter against evil and his enemies are the three protagonists, Grendel, his mother and a dragon. Beowulf defeats all three of them and is heavily praised for his bravery and valor by the people.
- The epic poem, Beowulf is a very famous literary piece but its author and date of release have not been confirmed. The manuscript is however placed in the British Library in the United Kingdom.
- He is annoyed by noise and celebrations which is why he wipes the village out and burns the castle to the ground. The people ask Beowulf to get rid of Gredel and he helps them by defeating and ultimately killing Grendel.
The poem Beowulf has been adapted for various cinematic purposes. It is a complete package that offers action and thrill. Here we come to the end of the article. We hope you find everything that you were looking for.
