In Beowulf, why does the author have Beowulf rip Grendel's arm off? Is having that much brute strength really realistic? He's fighting a demon. Realism doesn't really matter. So, why did Beowulf fight Grendel with his bare hands anyway? Well, on the long trip there, it had to have been boring. So Beowulf must've been fantasizing about fighting Grendel with his bare hands. So for some reason he decided he would hold Grendel in a chokehold and watch the life go out of Grendel's eyes, like the manly man he was.
When Beowulf and his men arrived, they waited in the spot where Grendel liked to go on his killing sprees. They waited for a long time, and everyone but Beowulf fell asleep. Then Grendel came, and ate one of his men. So Beowulf lept from the ground and begun to brawl with Grendel. His men tried to help, only to discover that swords and spears had no effect on Grendel. So, After a long, bone - crushing fight, Beowulf won by ripping Grendel's arm off.
Grendel, mortally wounded, ran into a cave and died of blood loss. Beowulf wins his fight with Grendel with sheer strength, tactics, and quite a bit of stupidity.
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