Grendel

Grendel is the first monster that Beowulf is challenged to defeat in the game.

Background
Grendel is a demon/monster who is a descendant of "Cain's clan", Cain being the man from the story of Cain and Abel in the book of Genesis. He is also the son of a mother.

Gameplay
Twelve years before the game begins, Grendel attacks the Danish people one night in Heorot because he is constantly disturbed by their stories of good and creation. He kills the people who stayed in the hall every night and made the Shieldings (Danish) suffer greatly for twelve years until he is defeated by the player.

His first appearance is in a flashback that Hrothgar recalls to Beowulf when the player arrives in his kingdom, telling the player about what has been happening to the Danes and who Grendel is. He describes Grendel as a "man-eating monster who prowls around at night for the ruin of souls". Beowulf first encounters him the night that the player arrives in Hrothgar's kingdom, right after the welcoming banquet. While Grendel is on his way to Heorot, the player prepares to fight him. When he arrives, Beowulf is pretending to be asleep so that the player can catch him offguard. The player sees Grendel eat one of the people in the hall, and then sees Grendel heading towards Beowulf. When Grendel is close enough to the player, Beowulf jumps from his bed and tackles Grendel, making him flinch and catching him offguard. He and the player are seen in a wrestling match while wrecking the hall at the same time. When Grendel is about to die, the player tears out one of his arms and he becomes fatally wounded. Now being deprived of an arm, he retreats back to his lair to die. Beowulf keeps Grendel's arm as a trophy and hangs it over Heorot the next morning, which is later stolen by Grendel's mother.

Characteristics
Grendel has humanlike emotions when it comes to pain and suffering. He is a very strong creature and is able to carry 30 people back to his cave, which he does for twelve years.

Fighting Style
Grendel does not use any sort of weapon to fight Beowulf in the book as well as in the game. Instead, he uses hand to hand combat as he does when eating humans.