#hrothgar.

grendel made a stone carving of his mother that was smaller than him because it made her more approachable and him talking to the carving instead of to her directly is because he frankly doesn’t feel at ease around her

beowulf and the dragon are, if not the exact same person, similar enough in behavior and ideology to which they both clearly demonstrate the dangers of romanticizing and blindly having faith in the word of a militant hero / the teachings of a society that does not and cannot understand you

grendel only hates authority in TWAU because authority abused him and ruined his life when he was far too young to fight against it or realize he was being manipulated until it was much too late to turn back.  of course he distrusts authority.  look at what the shaper, the dragon, and his mother all did to him.

beowulf left unferth’s body out there for grendel to find because he knew grendel and unferth had a connection.  he knew it would enrage grendel.  he knew it would make grendel lose whatever faith he had left in us.  it was a trap to lure him inside.  it was intended to catch him off-guard and emotionally vulnerable.  it worked.

grendel and wealthow also empathized with each other because they were wholly unable to make any choices in their own lives / fates.  everyone around them told them what to do, how to do it  --  what their purpose was  --  and made them feel helpless.  made them feel like they couldn’t retaliate.  like they were only half-person.  subhuman.  like their identities werent their own  --  like they existed only to serve as entertainment for men and nothing more

beowulf and hrothgar are the biggest slimebags to ever walk the fucking earth.  grendel isn’t evil or greedy;  grendel is inherently gentle.  it’s the men in power who should carry the title of monster, but they don’t, and it’s infuriating