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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tonguez" data-source="post: 8123344" data-attributes="member: 1125">No, I dont agree with that at all and would argue that the complete opposite is going on - the depiction of real world targets as Monsters allows them to be dismissed as irredeemably evil and thus worthy of slaying.In the case of Beowulf the poem is set during the second Christianisation of England and itself shows evidence of Christian-Pagan syncretism. Nonetheless the general push in the poem is for the listener to embrace Christian values.The role of Grendel and his Mother in the poem is to represent the antagonism of the Pagan who stands in opposition to the Christian values sweeping the nation. Justification for their purge comes from their portrayal as Evil non-human beings, descended from the murderer Cain.As stated though in the poem no concrete description is given of Grendels mother but never once is she called a monster. The terms used are Merewif (Water-Wife) and Ides aglaecwif (Lady Potent-Woman). Ides means Lady (in the formal noble sense and is the same as the Norse Desi) but debate remains regarding Aglaecwif  due to past scholars translating the word as Wretched or Monster-Woman.  That translation is the one that persist but the problem is that Beowulf is (with the Dragon) also described as Aglaecen - its doubtful the Beowulf poet was describing Beowulf as a wretched monster, so the better translation of potent warrior/advesary makes more sense. Grendels Mother is more than human, potent in her own right, associated with water/the sea and opposed to Christian conversion, but she isnt called a monster except in later translations.</blockquote>

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