The final part of the Anglo-Saxon story of Beowulf.
Video: Beowulf - Part 3
Storyteller: You have heard how Beowulf defeated Grendel with his bare hands and how the Danes nailed Grendel’s arm above the door of Heorot. But as they celebrated, the Danes didn’t know that another monster was making for Heorot. A monster seeking vengeance: Grendel’s mother.
Grendel’s mother: Who killed my son? Who killed my son? I will kill the man who killed my son. I will kill them all. See. The lights of Heorot!
FX: Inside Heorot
Hrothgar: Tomorrow Beowulf will return to Geatland with our gratitude and our love. We will sleep well tonight friends, for at last we know that we are safe.
FX: Applause. Cheering
Grendel’s mother: The lights go out in Heorot. I am ready. Who killed my son?
Storyteller: Grendel’s mother smashed down the door of Heorot. With one hand she grabbed a Danish thane, with the other she pulled down Grendel’s severed arm. Then she ran out into the night and was gone.
In the morning Hrothgar inspected the damage.
Hrothgar: I thought all this was finished. What was it? What was it that did this?
Thane: My Lord, Grendel has a mother. They say she lives in a cave under a lake. It was she who came last night.
Hrothgar: And all our thanes are safe?
Thane: No, my Lord. One is missing.
Hrothgar: Who?
Thane: My Lord - I cannot say it.
Horthgar: Say it! Who did she take?
Thane: Ashhere, my Lord.
Storyteller: Ashhere was Hrothgar’s closest friend. The two were like brothers, so the king’s eyes filled with tears. He knew that he would never see his friend again.
Hrothgar: Bring me Beowulf. Bring me Beowulf now!
Storyteller: When Beowulf heard about the attack he wasted no time.
Beowulf: My Lord, I will find Grendel’s mother and defeat her.
Hrothgar: It won’t be easy; they say she lives in a cave at the bottom of a lake.
Beowulf: My Lord, I will find her. I promise.
Storyteller: That night the Danes and the Geats rode together, searching, hunting. All night they rode and at daybreak they came to a deep lake. By the shore they saw huge footprints, each one splashed with blood.
Hrothgar: Ashhere. My poor friend…
Beowulf: Have no doubt, my Lord, I will avenge Ashhere’s death.
Storyteller: Beowulf put on his helmet and an armoured shirt made by the finest craftsmen in all of Geatland. Hrothgar offered him a sword.
Hrothgar: Beowulf, they say this sword has magical powers. Take it now - it is yours.
Beowulf: Thank you my Lord. With this sword I will kill the monster or die trying. Pray for me.
Storyteller: And with that, Beowulf dived into the lake and swam down into the deep. In a cave at the bottom of the lake, Grendel’s mother was waiting.
Grendel’s mother: He is coming. The one. The one who killed my son. I know it. I can feel it. He is swimming towards me. Keep swimming, I am ready for you!
Storyteller: Suddenly, the monster grabbed Beowulf in her vicious claws. Beowulf tried to use his sword but he was trapped in the monster’s grip. He couldn’t breathe. He was starting to drown.
Beowulf: [Thoughts] So this is how it ends? Drowned in the grasp of a sea monster.
Storyteller: The monster dragged Beowulf into her cave and suddenly there was air. Beowulf could breathe and the air gave him strength. He wrestled free from the monster’s grasp but Grendel’s mother leapt on Beowulf again, slashing at him with a short sword. Now it was Beowulf’s turn to strike. He swung Hrothgar’s sword at the monster’s head -
FX: Grendel’s mother laughs
Storyteller: - but Grendel’s mother laughed…
Grendel’s mother: Your sword cannot hurt me. No weapon can break my skin!
Storyteller: Then Beowulf saw a massive sword in the corner of the cave - it looked like it had been made for a giant. It was too huge for any ordinary person to lift, but Beowulf gripped the handle. He swung the sword through the air…
FX: Loud swishing
Storyteller: …and struck at the monster.
FX: A colossal thud. A howl and then silence
Storyteller: Hrothgar and the others waited on the shore of the lake.
Hrothgar: Let us go back to Heorot. Beowulf is dead.
Thane: Don’t give up hope, my Lord. Let us wait a little longer…
Hrothgar: There is nothing to wait for. No one could stay under water for that long! Beowulf has been killed.
Storyteller: Then a sound broke from the surface of the lake, the sound of someone gasping for air.
Hrogath: What is it? I can’t see…
Thane: My Lord, it is…Beowulf!
Storyteller: Beowulf! Back from the deep. And he had won. The monster was dead.
FX: The cheering of the thanes. Fades to waves and seagulls
Storyteller: That night there were celebrations in Heorot and then the following day Beowulf and his men boarded their ship and said goodbye to Hrothgar and the Danes. And so Beowulf sailed for Geatland, where one day he would be king, and his brave deeds would be told in stories around the fire, on dark winter nights.
6. Beowulf - Part three
Ensure you watch the Beowulf drama to assess its suitability before sharing with your group.
The Danes and Geats celebrate but outside on the moor another creature is lurking: Grendel's mother. She smashes down the door of Heorot, seizes Hrothgar’s closest friend - Ashhere - and retrieves Grendel’s arm before escaping. Hrothgar is distraught at the death of Ashhere. He calls for Beowulf and the Geat promises to find Grendel's mother and defeat her.
A search party tracks Grendel's mother to a lake where she lives in an underwater cave. Hrothgar gives Beowulf a sword which, he tells him, has magical powers. Then Beowulf dives into the lake.
Beowulf is seized by Grendel's mother and dragged into her cave. Hrothgar's sword is powerless against her but Beowulf sees another, so big it looks like it must have been forged for a giant. He lifts the huge sword and strikes at his foe…
Waiting beside the lake Hrothgar and the others are losing hope…when suddenly Beowulf surfaces, gasping for air…
Resources
Illustrated transcript. document
Download / print the illustrated transcript (pdf)
Song: 'The revenge of Grendel's mother' (Vocal)
Joyful celebrations ring out in the cold night air
Grendel the monster is dead and gone
But something still lurks out there…
That night in the swamp a monster was prowling
Another great troll, fearsome and tall
Full of revenge for the loss of her son
Grendel’s mother approached the hall.
Who killed my son?
Who killed my son?
I will thrash him and beat him!
And crush him! Defeat him!
Who killed my son?
With a great roar, she entered the hall
Killed all the soldiers asleep in her in her path
Beowulf awoke to see her departing
Followed her back to her home in the marsh.
Who killed my son?
Who killed my son?
I will thrash him and beat him!
And crush him! Defeat him!
Who killed my son?
Beowulf put on his helmet and armour
Took a deep breath, knew he had to be brave
Jumped into the bog of murky green water
Fearlessly swam till he came to a cave.
Who killed my son?
Who killed my son?
I will thrash him and beat him!
And crush him! Defeat him!
Who killed my son?
Out of the shadows rushed Grendel’s mother
Blazing with fury she let out a cry
Beowulf discovered his own sword was powerless
Summoned his strength and cast it aside.
You killed my son!
You killed my son!
I will thrash you and beat you!
And crush you! Defeat you!
You killed my son!
Beowulf looked round, desperately searching
Knew in a moment that he would be dead
Grabbed the troll’s sword
Swung it round blindly
Lifted it high…
And cut off her head!
You killed my son…
You killed my son…
Joyful celebrations ring out in the cold night air
And now nothing lurks
Out in the marsh anymore.
Sequencing activity. document
Sequence the events of the story in the correct order (pdf)
More from this series
4. Beowulf - Part one. video
The Danes are terrorised by a monster called Grendel and Beowulf - a prince of Geatland - is determined to help them.
5. Beowulf - Part two. video
Beowulf arrives in Denmark with his warriors, ready to fight the monster Grendel.
7. 1066 - Year of the three kings. video
Edward the Confessor, Harold II, William of Normandy...all kings of England in 1066.
