Grendel - Caines cynne

It is time for another post on Grendel and his gigantism, yaaay.


In this post, I am going to explore Grendel's relation with Cain, and how this affects his gigantism and his monstrosity in general. While I already posted on Grendel and Cain TWO WHOLE YEARS AGO HOLY SHIT (existential crisis), that post was more focused on the Book of Enoch and antediluvian aspects of the Cain legend.

The lads as depicted in the Speculum Humanae Salvationis (15th C) 

We are told towards the start of Beowulf that from Cain sprang all those bad things, including ogres and elves and giants and orcs and alcohol and flesh-eating bacteria, and then specifically that Grendel is himself of Caines cynne (Cain's kin). In case we still don't get it, line 1256 tells us that after Abel's murder, "then awoke many a fateful spirit, one of which was Grendel". Because of this association with Cain, Grendel often assumed giant status, relating to the Old Testament narrative of the Nephilim in Genesis.

Calm down, it's a hoax

Basically (this plotline is mostly from the Book of Enoch), God decided he needed some angels to watch over the antics of the people down on earth. These angels, sleazebags that they were, soon began to lust for the women below, and with a little encouragement from Samyaza (their leader), they go ahead and impregnate the women, and thus they become fallen angels (God creates quite a few of these doesn't he?).
The Nephilim are a result of this union between the Watchers (the sons of God) and mortal women (daughters of men, descendants of Cain), and apparently angels and mortal women make rather ugly babies, or at least, that's how the legend goes - at least in Enoch. If you have seen Noah, you may notice that the Watchers here are depicted as big stone giants - I don't know where I was going with that, but we shall leave it there.

Paradise Lost - Gustave Doré

In Genesis however, the most info we get about these Nephilim, besides their ancestry, is that they are "mighty men of old, men of renown" - Whut? Aren't they big fuck-off cannibalistic giants? In Enoch, yeah, but in Genesis, not necessarily.

And again, there has been a tiny bit of debate surrounding the word Nephilim itself - נְפִילִים - there it is in the Hebrew. In his Concordance of Hebrew words in the Bible, Strong lists Nephilim's etymology to naphal, which means "to fall", and he notes that Nephilim is "properly, a feller" or one who makes someone else fall. So...not necessarily a giant, as it is so often translated. And well, I know absolute eff-all about Hebrew, so I can't really make a greatly informed analysis here, but it may be possible that these Nephilim were not giants - rather, being "mighty men of old, men of renown", they were "gigantic" in another sense - in the sense of power. 


Another thing about Cain, is that his descendants are supposed to bear his mark - is Grendel's "mark of Cain" his gigantism, if he is a giant? Or... is it even a physical mark? According to Augustine of Hippo, quite the influential figure for Anglo-Saxon Christianity, those marked by Cain were pretty much just...Jews. Yerp. Augustine also believed that if they renounced Judaism and went over to Christ, they would be grand.

So... this leaves the possibility that Grendel showed no physical mark (or at least not make him automatically monstrous) and that he could (if he so wanted) seek redemption.

Wife of Cain

Okay, first of all, the suggestion that Grendel's mother is Cain's wife is a ridiculous one (but hey, what can we expect from yahoo answers), but I have decided that if in the very unlikely event I start a death metal band, it will be called Wife of Cain. WIFE OF CAAAAIN.

And yes, I downloaded a font to make my dreams more solid. It's a slow study day. It's almost as illegible as some Anglo-Saxon manuscripts. 

Back to the issue at hand then... well first things first, Cain is obviously not Grendel's wife because...well...time. For us measly human beings, we perceive time as linear, and Cain could not have existed both for numerous generations before the Flood and the many many years after the Flood that Beowulf is set. Cain, you are NOT the father! If that's not a condescending paragraph then I don't know what is! Please accept it as the lowest form of humour. But you must admit, that would make for a great Jeremy Kyle episode, eh? I think it could even push for a two hour Christmas special.

*facepalm* Cain by Henri Vidal

As a side note, do you know how hard it is to find a decent artistic depiction of Cain where he's not bating the shite out of Abel or walking into exile? 

Now, to start taking things a bit more seriously. The issue on the table today is Grendel's relationship to Cain, and whether or not she is descended from him as Grendel is. 

Firstly, Grendel's mother is never described with such devilish language as Grendel is. Grendel, throughout the poem, is called Godes andsaca ("God's adversary"), a feond on helle ("enemy from hell"), he is fag wið God (not what you're thinking, but "hostile with God"), he is helle hæfton (a "captive of hell"), and when he finally dies, him hel onfeng ("hell received him"). I mean, he has a pretty strong connection with hell here, and it seems he's not on the very best of terms with God (although I imagine raping and pillaging put the Danes not too far down the naughty list also). Grendel is a bad guy, he commits serial murder for no exact reason, except that he was possibly feeling a bit left out or the scop's mainstream music choices just weren't to his taste, but basically he is like Historic Denmark's high school shooting perpetrator. 

The story of a mother's struggle to control her son, spawn of Cain, eotan

On the other hand (not Grendel's other hand anyway, harharr), such language is never used of Grendel's mother - she is called sinnige ("sinful, guilty"), sure, but that's about as far as the narrator calls her that has any relevance to God. She doesn't commit rampant murder like her son does, and her only crime is to avenge him...which in Old Norse society was not a crime - she follows the rules of wergild, an eye for an eye sorta thing - but that's about it. 

As to her relation to Cain...well, we know Grendel is related, because it is said twice in the poem, and referenced once more. Whereas Grendel's mother, although we are told se þe wæteregesan wunian scolde cealde streamas siþðan camp him wearð to ecgbanan angan breþer fæderenmaege ("She who dwelt in terrible waters and cold streams since Cain raised the sword against his brother, his father's kin"), once Cain is mentioned, the narrator says þanon woc fela geosceaftgasta wæs þaera Grendel sum ("from him awoke many spirits, Grendel among them"). Edward B. Irving argues, “the total effect of this passage, illogical as it may seem, is to suggest that Grendel is a lineal and faithful descendent of Cain in a way that his mother is not . . . she appears in no theological context” (Rereading Beowulf 71). Of course, this is up for speculation, but it does seem rather odd that the poet says Grendel was among his descendants, yet doesn't say his mother is. 

Again on line 1352, when we are told that the Danes knew about two figures mooning about the marshes, Hrothgar tells us of Grendel's mother, then of Grendel, and only says Grendel walked in the tracks of the exile (Cain). If he meant for Grendel's mother to be related to Cain, could he not have just said so, the way he is constantly telling us that Grendel is? Come on, man, stop beating around the god-damn bush!

Sticking to this paragraph, WHY THE HELL DID HROTHGAR FAIL TO MENTION ABOUT GRENDEL'S MOTHER? Well...one possibility is because she was not a monster and therefore not a threat to Heorot. Either that or Hrothgar is a fucking dope. But I am going with the former, because hey, let's give him a bit of credit. Sure, the poem is full of some unbelievable things, but I think Hrothgar's a guy I could trust.

So....how is Grendel related to Cain? Well...there's quite the possibility that there is a father. I mean, that's how reproduction works right? And seen as all the evidence (in my humble opinion) points towards Grendel's mother being human, then I don't see how there couldn't be a father....except...if...wait.. maybe it's an immaculate conception... and Grendel is Christ, and Beowulf represents the Jews. Oh god, I think I'm definitely onto something here, shove over Frederick Klaeber. On a more serious note... no, she isn't analogous to the Virgin Mary, and no, I don't think she impregnated herself (unless she's a komodo dragon). So yes, I think there's quite the possibility that a father exists. I know Seamus Heaney calls them "fatherless creatures" whose "ancestry is hidden in a past of demons and ghosts", but if there's one thing I try to express in my blog-posts it's "ixnay on the anslatorstray", because what is said is:

no hie fæder cunnon, hwæþer him ænig wæs acenned dyrna gasta

Which I will now use my super translating skills (yep, don't trust me either, I'm one of them *theme music to The Twilight Zone*) as "They do not know the [or 'a'] father, or whether any mysterious spirits were born before him". So, it's possible. This, coupled with the fact that Grendel's mother is never explicitly mentioned in any theological contexts, suggests that a paternal link to Cain could well exist.

See, Grendel has a hunk of a daddy in Gunnarsson's adaptation

Then, on top of all that (yes, even more is coming, God hilpeþ þu), there's the whole thing about the melting of the giant-sword. Well, it only melts after Beowulf beheads Grendel. It could have just conveniently been waiting for him to behead him before Grendel's mother's blood decided to set in, but...no. No? 
On top of this, after Grendel is beheaded, the water in the mere goes a bit 2012 apocalyptic on us - the water turns bloody and turbulent - ". . .the turbulent water saw blood drifting up, a churning foam; the spreading stain was dark, lake-wide" (Chickering) - much like a scene from Jaws. And yes, this is sometimes attributed to Grendel's mother's death also, but good woman herself, M.W Hennequin notes that the mere does the same thing the night Grendel returns home to die - “There the lake water boiled with blood, terrible surgings, a murky swirl of hot dark ooze, deep sword-blood". 

And one last thing (I promise....for any of ye still left reading...ie, nobody), she is never described as an eoten ("giant", or possibility of "blood-thirsty one" - see Signe Carlson). Both her and Grendel are called micle, "large" or "great" (literal or metaphorical), yet a few lines later Grendel is described as being the one who is "bigger than any other man" and "misshapen/ wretched-looking" and it is only about Grendel that it is wondered hwæþer him ænig wæs acenned dyrna gasta. 


Just saying.

Grendel and Cain

Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain's clan, whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts (Beowulf, trans Seamus Heaney)

I'm finally going to talk about Grendel, who is probably more interesting to most people than Grendel's Mother (except when she's Angelina Jolie, of course). There's lots of different views on Grendel, mostly whether he's human or beast or human-beast or a bipedal dragon (seriously). I haven't quite made my mind up about Grendel - I do know I am sympathetic to his character, but I'm not certain how human he is. I don't think I can be quite so certain about Grendel as I am with Grendel's Mother, but I'm sure within the next year of studying my arse off I will have a better idea!

So...what we know about Grendel from his first introduction is that he is of Cain's clan, or at least lives with the feckers. From Cain also sprang the orcs and the elves and the giants (or as translated by Edwin Morgan (presumably while on an intense high), "kobolds and gogmagogs, lemurs and zombies"....eh, sure). So, for the purposes of this post, we'll say he is of Cain's descent, because let's face it, I wouldn't be writing this otherwise.

Cain slaying Abel, by Peter Paul Reubens

We all know Cain - he's the feen who killed Abel, his brother, for some reason or another, and thus became the first murderer and the first to fall under a curse. As a punishment, he was exiled and so were all who descended from him, and bore the "mark of Cain" (not necessarily a physical mark).

So, as one theory goes, the sons of God (conflicted ideas of whether these are men of Seth or the "Watchers") mated with the daughters of men (Cain) and produced the Nephilim, a race of giants who inhabit the earth in Genesis. However, there are conflicting ideas about this theory - it never says directly that the Nephilim were the offspring of the sons of God and daughters of men. Grendel being a giant, and being a descendent of Cain, means he is possibly connected to the Nephilim, but, the only problem here is that these giants were washed away in the Great Flood of Cork in 2014...or whatever time frame it was that Noah was around.

HOWEVER, fear not ( I know you were), another door lies somewhat ajar here. There are some roads leading from the statement in Genesis about the earth having to open her mouth and receive Abel's blood, quite the cannibalistic image. This is also repeated in the Old English Geneis A; "Feud occurred for the kin of men, since the earth first swallowed Abel's blood". In the Book of Enoch (aka I Enoch), a book which, judging what the good old Bede says, was somewhat popular with the Anglo-Saxons, it is said that the race of giants born from the daughters of men "devoured one another's flesh and drank the blood from it". It is possible that Beowulf was written in a time in Anglo-Saxon England when everyone from Ælfric to Bede and Wulfstan were freeaaking out about blood and laying down prohibitions about drinking it (this was mostly to do with animals in case you are wondering), along with major issues such as eating while taking a dump. Bede himself said that consuming blood was the greatest sin of the giants. And, finally getting to the point...Grendel also consumes blood - so in this way, he is linked to the Genesis giants and Cain.

The Great Flood, by Bonaventura Peeters

Yes, but still, the Great Flood. Well, apparently, Ham (or Cham), son of Noah, was the first person to be cursed after the Flood, as he inscribed secrets into stone and metal to preserve them from the Flood: "When the Flood was over he sought them out with the same curiosity for sacrilegious things with which he had hidden them, and transmitted the seeds of perpetual wickedness to later generations" (Book of Cassian). Similar episodes can also be seen in a number of Irish works, including the Middle Irish Sex aetates mundi, which states that Cham is the "heir of Cain after the Flood, and from him sprang leprechauns, and giants, and horseheads, and in general every unshapely form that men have", which is extremely, in a too-good-to-be-true way, really similar to the line in Beowulf about "ogres and elves and evil shades - as also the giants" (Alexander's trans). I really love that leprechauns and horseheads bit though. Kind of makes me wonder why I didn't study ancient Irish texts...too feckin' late now though.

The Fall of the Rebel Angels by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

According to Andy Orchard (who I owe much thanks to in this post: Thanks, man), there is another possible link in the sword that is found in Grendel's mere, the one Beowulf uses to finally kill Grendels Mother. In the Book of Enoch we are told about "The Watchers" or "Grigori", the fallen angels who are credited with teaching metalwork and weapon-making to men: "And Azâzêl taught men to make swords, and knives, and shields, and breastplates, and made known to them the metals of the earth and the art of working them . . . And there arose much godlessness, and they committed fornication, and they were led astray, and became corrupt in all their ways." (I Enoch, Chapter 8). Such an inscription on a metal sword depicting the Flood and the giants may also be linked to Cham's inscription on the metals and stone of the earth. Although, a bit of a weaker link, but I am clutching at straws here!

So, with texts like the Book of Enoch floating about (a latin translation from Britain dating from around the possible time of Beowulf) and these numerous Irish texts with similar features, it's not impossible that Beowulf, and in particular the story of Grendel was influenced by them. Either way, it makes for some interesting reading (in my warped mind at least)

Grendel  by Robert Ingpen