| Grendel | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Grendel |
|
First Appearance |
Beowulf (epic poem) |
|
Original Publisher |
Unknown |
|
Created by |
Unknown |
Origin[]
Grendel as depicted in Conquest #1.
Grendel was a powerful troll-like monster that terrorized the great hall of Heorot, provoked by the singing of the men who lived there. He came in the night, while everyone was sleeping, and ate the warriors of Heorot. The warriors, in turn, were helpless against the strength and impenetrable hide of Grendel. Eventually, Grendel drew the attention of the Geat hero Beowulf, who came to hunt down the monster. Beowulf and Grendel engaged in a battle that shook the great hall, but eventually Beowulf managed to rip Grendel's arm off and the monster fled to the marshes from which he came and died.
Later, his mother came to Heorot to avenge her son. While she was even more powerful than Grendel himself, she too was hunted and killed by Beowulf. Both Grendel and his mother apparently lived in a cave at the bottom of a lake, where the remains of their victims could be found.
He is also described as a descendant of the Biblical Cain and "a creature of darkness, exiled from happiness and accursed of God, the destroyer and devourer of our human kind."
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- Beowulf (c. 700–1000 AD)
Public Domain Comic Book Appearances[]
- Conquest #1 (Famous Funnies): The tale of Beowulf with Grendel presented as a dinosaur in this adaptation.
- Jumbo Comics #50: The time traveler, Stuart Taylor aids Beowulf in his battle with Grendel