How does Beowulf defeat Grendel?
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Beowulf
Beowulf preparing to cut off the head of the monster Grendel, illustration from Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race, 1910.
In the Old English poem Beowulf, the hero defeats Grendel by engaging him in hand-to-hand combat without the use of weapons. During their struggle, Beowulf grips one of the monster's hands with such immense force that Grendel is only able to wrench himself free by tearing his own arm off at the shoulder. Mortally wounded by this injury, Grendel flees back to his swamp, where he eventually dies. Beowulf subsequently displays the severed arm in the mead hall of Heorot as proof of his victory.12