Comments on: Grendel: Another View

By: DWA

DWA — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:54:29 +0000

Just went over this one, and I’d have to agree that “Beowulf” (the Heaney translation is, now, the only one I have read) isn’t a crypto Rosetta Stone.

In her book “Still Living?” which may be out of print now (but I think is available on Amazon), Myra Shackley goes over the hairy-hominoid file. Not to recount a work with which you all may be quite familiar, but she gives thumbs way up to a number of possibilities. Western European relict hominoids? Not so much.

And I found her argument pretty persuasive. For what that’s worth.

By: dogu4

dogu4 — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 04:41:30 +0000

Interesting perspective. I enjoyed reading it. But then I enjoy reading all sorts of re-examinations of our history with new eyes and new understanding.
The Beowulf story, like a lot of other archetypic stories from other cultures seem to be foundational stories encoded into adventure sagas that explain how it is that the community gained its identity by sticking together during adversity and its need for heroic bravery and sacrifice. That it includes fantastic monsters of all description is naturally to be expected since so many monsters exist in our instinctive minds: fear of being devoured by snakes, eagles, big cats and lumbering bears and many other fantastic constructions out of our altered consciousnesses. If one has never examined the hallucinations that are common to both shamans and modern day fellow-travellers, one would not be aware of just how rich the subconscious menagerie is…and how consistently conformational it is to our real world animals…or at least the ones that use to prowl in our midst.
The Grendel/relic hominid type of connection seems particularly salient. Maybe because I’ve read too much stuff about BF but it is striking how often the motif returns and how solidly placed in the nearly historic time of legend. In studying old landscapes I am often impressed by the mosaic nature of change in a landscape, suggesting possible refuge for animals well beyond the time of their ideal habitat’s passing, surviving glacier and climate change and human incursion.
I really loved the 2005 Sturla Gunnarsson version best of all. To each their own, but the fascination goes beyond and beneath mere style and taste.

By: DARHOP

DARHOP — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:52:53 +0000

I just read Grendel by John Gardner. And Grendel himself felt that he was part human. He spoke the human language. Grendal was a very lonely beast. Poor thing, he just wanted friends. He was returning a person he found to the village trying to make friends, and the villagers attacked him. That’s when Grendel was like fine, you shall all make good meals.

By: folcrom

folcrom — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 02:38:15 +0000

With regards relict hominids of the “Grendal” persuasion, have we heard any news from Norway?

The Norwegian geography includes a huge section of high plateau (A large proportion of Norway in fact), which is pretty much unpopulated and underused.

Could relict hominids survive in the Highlands of Norway? Have we heard any news from Norway in this regard?

By: Judy Green

Judy Green — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 21:33:49 +0000

An outstanding commentary, Matt, and one that absolutely makes sense to me and puts the question to rest for me as to whether Beowulf was a bigfoot creature. Thank you and thanks, Loren, for putting it on this website for us all to read.

By: CamperGuy

CamperGuy — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:00:29 +0000

In my opinion Grendel is a wonderful creation of literature with no actual basis as a cryptid.

By: bill green

bill green — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:32:41 +0000

very interesting new article about the grendel. thanks bill green

By: eireman

eireman — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 13:19:41 +0000

I would dare say the story of Beowulf serves literature and not history. As Beowulf is the embodiment of the archetypal “Hero,” so too is Grendel its antithesis. We know much about Beowulf; he is described in glorious detail – almost too much so. I found him whiny and self-serving and bereft of many characteristics we associate with a selfless hero of the people. On the other hand, Grendel is likely vague and amorphous in the tale on purpose. His very vagueness elucidates terror by playing on mankind’s biggest fear: the unknown. He is the monster in the shadows. The very first “Nightmare on Elm Street” was frightening because we didn’t know Freddy. We didn’t know what he looked like very well. He stayed to and was represented by the shadows, which distorted his visage further. One memorable scene is as he chases a girl down an alley and his shadowy arms stretch out like the tentacles of some Kraken. Perhaps in this same way, Grendel is a vague expression of nightmares beyond description, leaving us, the reader or listener, to fill in the blanks with our own worst thoughts.

By: springheeledjack

springheeledjack — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 05:48:42 +0000

I agree with the comments on Grendel. I have read the thing multiple times–in a variety of translations.

My impression of Grendel is that he is a humanoid thing of immense strength and I think that is where cryptos find the possible link to wild men–I agree that there is no real proof to support that, but it’s also not to great a leap to come to that conclusion either.

On the other hand, Grendel’s mother is even more of a monstrosity–she I think is even more grotesque or odd—that leads me to think more of the spawn of Loki from Norse Mythology—so in that light, Grendel may represent more of an abberation and a monster.

Again, there is nothing in the texts to support directly the idea that Grendel was indeed a BF, but it has always been an interesting idea.

Personally, I liked Michael Crichton’s interpretation in the 13th Warrior–as a tribe of underground dwellers attacking Heorot (Sp?) and representing Grendel, his mother and the dragon all in one. I liked the movie better than the book (a rarety for me), but it was an interesting take on the whole Beowulf Saga.

By: Ceroill

Ceroill — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 05:30:23 +0000

Very interesting, Loren, thanks for sharing it with us.