r of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God, punished forever for the crime of Abels death (20-24). In the Bible, Genesis 4:15 says, and The Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him shall kill him. Grendel put confusion and fear into the people of the village, causing the people to become so scared that they strayed away from God. Grendel was formed from Hell and will never know Gods grace, love, or mercy. In John Gardners Grendel, Gardner portrays Grendel as a monster that strived for the slightest bit of positive attention, but received no acceptance instead. And without knowing Gods love, none of his creatures will ever see Heaven, but will spend eternity after death in Hell.Grendels cave is clearly a symbol of Hell, portraying a dark and torturous place, where the stench of blood and the odor of death are all around and never ceasing. Grendels home is not the Hell that is usually thought of when someone mentions Hell. It is on earth, but is so hideous that it is compared to Hell itself. That demon, that fiend, Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild marshes, and made his home in a hell, not hell but earth (Beowulf 16-19). Grendels cave lay under a massive swamp filled with fire and snakes. In the book of Matthew, Hell is described in numerous passages as being a pit of fire and brimstone where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (New International Version Bible. Matthew 8:12). Again, in Revelation, Hell is described as being a lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death (Revelation 20:14).The epic poem Beowulf contains a clear theme of good versus evil. Such words as Heaven, Hell, devil, and soul appear as part of the poets natural vocabulary. The poet made natural man as Christian as he could without introducing doctrinal matters (Chickering 273). Grendel struggles for Gods love, but never achieves this goal. Moreover, Grendel dies in pain and agony only to continue hi...
