Beowulf (hero) facts for kids

Beowulf is a legendary hero from an ancient Old English poem. He was the son of a warrior named Ecgþeow. His father had to leave his home, but King Hroðgar of the Danes helped him.

Later, King Hroðgar faced a big problem. A giant, scary monster named Grendel was attacking his people. Beowulf, with twelve brave warriors, traveled to help the king.

Beowulf Fights Monsters

Grendel attacked the king's hall at night. Beowulf fought the monster without a sword. He was incredibly strong and ripped off Grendel's arm! Grendel ran away and died in his cave. Beowulf put Grendel's arm on the wall as a trophy.

The next night, Grendel's Mother came for revenge. She was even tougher to fight. She took back her son's arm and went to her underwater cave. Beowulf followed her deep into the lake. He found a special sword there. This sword was the only weapon that could defeat Grendel's Mother. Beowulf used it to kill her. He also found Grendel's body and cut off its head.

Beowulf brought Grendel's head back as another trophy. King Hroðgar gave Beowulf many rewards. Beowulf and his men were famous and rich. He gave all the gold to his own king. Beowulf received a great sword, land, and a hall. He was also promised the throne of his people, the Geats, when their current king died.

Beowulf Becomes King

Beowulf became king of his homeland, Geatland. He ruled wisely for 50 years. One day, a dragon attacked his land. A slave had stolen a golden cup from the dragon's cave. Beowulf, though old, went to fight the dragon himself.

He managed to kill the dragon, but he was badly hurt. The dragon bit him in the neck, and its venom was deadly. As he was dying, Beowulf chose a young warrior named Wiglaf to be the next king. Wiglaf was the only one of Beowulf's warriors who stayed to help him fight the dragon. Beowulf was then honored with a special burial. He was burned on a large fire, called a pyre, with all the gold he won from the dragon.

In Adaptations

The story of Beowulf is very old. Many books and movies have been made about him.

• In 2007, a movie about Beowulf was released.