Chapter
1: Grendel and Daneland
Billy Jr. and Joanie continued
arguing while their dad was unpacking
the tent. Suddenly, a pack of wild coyotes began howling in the
distance, and a mountain lion let out a piercing scream. The
children ran over to Marie and wrapped their arms around her waist.
"Mommy, it's Grendel! He's
going to eat us!" Joanie screamed.
"Calm down, kids. Your dad
will take care of this. Bill,
you said you had a plan, so I think right now would be a good time to
tell them your story."
"Alright, if both of you promise
to sit here quietly and quit fighting,
I will tell you what really happened to Grendel," Bill said.
Billy Jr. and Joanie sat down
and nodded their heads.
Bill began, "It all started a long time ago in
a place called
Daneland...
There was an honorable and mighty king named Hrothgar. He was a
respected man, and his people were very prosperous. One day he
decided to build a place called Hart Hall for his people to gather and
be happy. The very evening Hart Hall was completed, King Hrothgar
arranged for an enormous feast to celebrate. Everyone was having
a good time, and the band played their instruments louder as the night
passed. Far away in the woods, there was a swamp where a nasty
creature named Grendel lived."
Suddenly, the coyotes began
howling much louder than the first time,
and they sounded closer to the campsite. The children's eyes grew
very large, and they once again grasped their mother's waist.
"The joyful music in Hart Hall woke this disgruntled beast. He
became very angry that the despicable
townspeople disturbed his sleep with their happy music in their
glamorous hall. Grendel hated everything glamorous and beautiful
because he himself was terrifying and ugly.
The sight and smell of him made some of the most valiant warriors
tremble with terror. He had hair like thick wool from head to
toe. His teeth were bigger than a tiger's, and his fingernails
were sharper than a sword. His eyes were red, and his skin was
tougher than steel. Grendel also carried a bag on his shoulder to
transport the people he was going to eat... and little boys and girls
who
disobeyed their parents."
"Is Grendel here? I
promise we'll listen next time!" Joanie
pleaded.
"He might be here. I told
you he doesn't like it when you argue
with your brother. Just listen to the rest of the story, and
don't worry because I can beat up Grendel if he comes here. I
know karate!" Bill joked. He continued...
"Grendel began walking toward Hart Hall, determined to destroy any
person there. He waited until the music stopped and the men fell
asleep. Suddenly he ripped the door from its hinges. He
killed fifty warriors before most of them woke up. A few grabbed
their swords and charged toward Grendel, but their efforts were
ineffective. He stuffed his bag full of
bodies and carried several other wounded men back to his swamp.
Grendel let
out a wicked howl to celebrate his victory. The next morning, the
people of Daneland wept with great sorrow. They knew the old
beast Grendel had killed many of their warriors because there was a
trail of blood that led to his swamp. King Hrothgar warned the
rest of his men to keep watch in case he decided to come back.
That very night Grendel returned to Hart Hall to spill more
blood. He killed
the watchmen before they heard his footsteps. Once again the
wretched beast snatched up the bodies of dozens of warriors and carried
them away. The people of Daneland no longer gathered in Hart Hall
out of fear. Grendel attacked by night for weeks, and each
morning the people noticed that friends or family were missing from
their homes. Every time there was a trail of blood leading into
the woods that were controlled by Grendel. King Hrothgar and his
fellow warriors were powerless against this fierce beast."
"Is there a swamp in these
woods? How did the king stop him?"
Billy Jr. nervously asked.
"Well, you and your sister go
get some wood out of the truck so we can
start a campfire, and I'll tell you the rest of the story. It's
getting dark, and we don't want any monsters to sneak up on us," Bill
said
as he hammered the last tent stake into the ground.
Author's
Note: I changed the story
by reducing the overall time frame in which these events
occurred. In the original story, Grendel attacked Hart Hall
several days after it was built, and I decided to have the attack take
place that evening. I also limited Grendel's fury to just a few
weeks rather than twelve years as in the original story. Another
major difference is my frametale. The original story does not
include a family of four that goes camping and a father who decides
tell his children about Grendel. It is simply a background story
about the Danes' struggles with this beast. I also took out many
of the details about the Danes, Hart Hall, King Hrothgar, and Grendel's
swamp. I did not mention anything about Grendel visiting Hart
Hall every night; instead, I chose to have him begin taking people from
their homes after the hall was deserted. I also excluded
Grendel's fear of King Hrothgar's sacred throne. The original
version was over 1200 words long, and I managed to cut out
approximately two-thirds of it (excluding the addition of the
campers). Next, I will introduce Beowulf to the story and retell
the battle that took place between him and Grendel.
Image Information: Grendel by Matt Hall
Bibliography Information: "How Grendel the Ogre Warred with the
Dane Folk" by H. E. Marshall, from Stories of Beowulf Told to the
Children (1908). Web Source: The
Baldwin Project
