“...‘Health to Hrothgar! I am Hygelac’s kinsman and serve in his fellowship. Fame-winning deeds have come early to my hands. The affair of Grendel has been made known to me on my native turf.

The sailors speak of this splendid hall, this most stately building, standing idle and silent of voices, as soon as the evening light has hidden below the heaven’s bright edge.

Whereupon it was urged by the ablest men among our people, men proved in counsel, that I should seek you out, most sovereign Hrothgar.

These men knew well the weight of my hands.

Had they not seen me come home from fights where I had bound five Giants-their blood was upon me-cleaned out a nest of them? Had I not crushed on the wave sea-serpents by night in narrow struggle, broken the beasts? (The bane of the Geats, they had asked for their trouble) And shall I not try a single match with this monster Grendel, a trial against this troll?”

“...A breach in the giant flesh-frame showed then, shoulder-muscles sprang apart, there was a snapping of tendons, bone-locks burst. To Beowulf the glory of this fight was granted; Grendel’s lot to flee the slopes fen-ward with flagging heart, to a den where he knew there could be no relief, no refuge for a life at its very last stage, whose surrender-day had dawned. The Danish hopes in this fatal fight had found their answer.

He had cleansed Heorot. He who had come from afar, deep-minded, strong-hearted, had saved the hall from persecution. He was pleased with his night’s work, the deed he had done. Before the Danish people the Geat captain had made good his boast, had taken away all their unhappiness, the evil menace under which they had lived, enduring it by dire constraint, no slight affliction. As a signal to all the hero hung up the hand, the arm and torn-off shoulder, the entire limb, Grendel’s whole grip, below the gable of the roof.”