beowulf is the first surviving epic written in the english language though its author remains mysterious the circumstances of the poem's creation are hotly debated by scholars many also believe the story was conveyed orally before it took the form of a manuscript since the only existing copy dates back to the late 10th century originally composed in old english the epic draws from early germanic legend and is set in pagan scandinavia it recounts the saga of beowulf a gay warrior who defends the danish kingdom and then his own from various bloodthirsty monsters the poem opens on harathgar the king of the danes who plans to celebrate his reign by building a grand hall called hayorot when the hall is finished horothgar holds a large feast that attracts the attention of grendel a monster descended from the biblical cane grendel attacks during the night leaving horothgar and his thanes to discover the bloodshed the next morning this marks the beginning of grendel's reign of terror twelve years pass and news of grendel's campaign against the danes spreads to another tribe the gayats beowulf a gayot thane decides to help the danes selling to denmark with his best warriors king kharothgar gladly accepts beowulf's help to honor beowulf's arrival harothgar holds another feast at hayorot during the celebration ethane named um engages beowulf in a boasting match accusing him of losing a swimming contest the beowulf corrects him with a story of his heroic victory in the contest prompting the danish queen washthao to award him the ceremonial mead cup beowulf tells the queen he will either kill grendel or be killed harothgar is moved and promises beowulf all of his gold if beowulf should defeat the monster beowulf and his warriors spend the night in heorot sure enough grendel arrives gobbling up one of beowulf's men beowulf fights grendel unarmed managing to catch the monster's arm in a death grip writhing in pain the monster tears away leaving his arm in beowulf's grasp grindel slinks off to his lair where he dies overjoyed at the defeat of grendel the danes nail the creature's arm to the walls of hayorot as a trophy bathing beowulf and his men in riches they hold another feast for beowulf where herothgar's minstrel composes songs honoring beowulf as the greatest hero in danish history however once the revelers are asleep grindel's mother arrives seeking revenge she manages to snatch one of herothgar's counselors and retreats to her lair herothgar points beowulf in the direction of the monster's lair and beowulf persuades the king to accompany him there upon arriving beowulf takes a sword from unworth and dives into a deep lake when he reaches the bottom beowulf finds grendel's mother waiting to attack he uses unfurthest sword but finds it useless against the creature and wrestles with the monster until he spots another sword which he uses to slice off grendel's mother's head before leaving he notices grendel's dead body and cuts off his head too meanwhile the danes have given up all hope of beowulf's safe return but to their shock beowulf surfaces carrying grendel's head and the hilt of his sword which melted in the heat of grendel's blood the men bring beowulf back to hayarot where yet another celebration takes place before returning home to gayat land beowulf promises an alliance with herothgar forever which the king gratefully reciprocates beowulf and his men returned home regaling the great king and queen heolock and heed with tales of their victory impressed with beowulf's bravery hitlock gives him half the kingdom when heolock is killed in battle beowulf becomes king of the gayats in the 50th year of beowulf's reign a new monster begins to terrorize his kingdom a fire-breathing dragon seeking revenge on a gayot servant who stole a golden cup from its lair which houses an ancient treasure trove finding the cup missing the dragon goes on a fiery rampage destroying beowulf's great hall with a heavy heart beowulf decides to face the dragon alone knowing this battle may be his last the servant who stole the cup leads him to the dragon's lair where beowulf attempts to defeat the beast but is outmatched all of his warriors flee except one wheeloff who vows to stay by beowulf's side together they face the dragon but just as beowulf manages to behead the monster the dragon bites him sending a lethal poison through his body with his dying breath beowulf tells wheeloff that he should inherit the dragon's treasure wheeloff returns to the gates with the news of their king's death declaring that no one should inherit the treasure and scolding the warriors who fled for their cowardice throwing the monster's body into the sea the gayats placed the treasure trove inside beowulf's funeral mound mourning the ablest of all world kings you