Grendel's Mother (Hag)

Background
Officially she has no known name, with many of the references to her in the original text, the Nowell Codex (est, 975-1025), referring to her as simply Grendel's mother or "Grendels modor" in old English. She is described as a descendent of the biblical character Cain, who after being cast out for familicide of his brother Abel, flees into the wilderness. It is alluded that as he had fathered various supernatural spirits and monsters, that she and her son are also monsters or at least non-human entities.

Dr. James Paz, of the University of Manchester, highlights key words in the original text in his article Æschere’s Head, Grendel’s Mother, and the Sword That Isn’t a Sword: Unreadable Things in Beowulf, "The poem refers to Grendel’s mother in a variety of ways: she is both a noble lady (OE ides) and a monstrous or warrior woman (OE aglæcwif); she is of the kin of Cain and linked to a race of giants, but is still in the likeness of a woman (idese onlicnes) and dwells in a roofed hall (hrofsele),".

It is only with the death of her son that the people of Heorot even knew of her existence, as they seem oblivious to the consequences of killing her only son. Only King Hrothgar seems aware of her possible hideout, giving Beowulf a location where she likely is based on the strange events that were likely reported to him. Before the slaying of her son, Grendel's mother is either unconcerned or preoccupied with other business to help with the initial attack of Heorot by her son. Even with the hall of Heorot being only a few miles from the mere she inhabits.

Regardless of whether they knew of her existence previously, it is clear that once she abducts King Hrothgar's counsellor Aeschere, she must die like her son. Beowulf is sent to kill her and if rescue Aeschere if he is alive. Discovering his severed head at the foot of the hill, left by Grendel's mother, Beowolf jumps into her lake to confront her. And after an intense underwater battle with Beowulf in her roofed hall, she is killed by the sword of vengeance, Hrunting. Her body is abandoned for the perceived greater treasure of her son's head.

Afterwards, she is only mentioned in Beowulf's report of the battle.

Strengths
Compared to the strength of her son Grendel, Grendel's Mother has greater raw power and speed. In addition to a proficiency in grappling, she displays a incredible skillfulness in swimming while maintaining a grip on Beowulf. The only physical weapon she carries is a "whetted" or sharpened broad knife, which she unsuccessfully tries to cut into Beowulf's shoulder with. Thus, we can conclude that while powerful, her strength does not rival meshed chain mail. While adeptness to water and the grief of her son's death may give her an added boost in power, it is clear that she is a far greater challenge to Beowulf than her son.

Weaknesses
Out of all of Beowulf's attacks on Grendel's mother, the ancient sword Hrunting was the only one to damage her skin. She is not as easily subdued by Beowulf's grappling, nor does his equipped sword do any damage to her. Not only does it pierce her skin, but the sword beheads her with one single swing.

Role in Beowulf
Grendel's mother is one of three challenges faced by Beowulf in the epic. An escalation of the threat of Grendel, with the addition of environmental advantage in the water and a burning fury for the death of her son.

She could be a representation of a cycle of violence that Beowulf perpetuated with the killing of Grendel, which lead to her abduction and murder of King Hrothgar's counsellor Aeschere in revenge, and eventually her own death at the hand of Beowulf. She would illustrate that Beowulf only added to the total dead,

Old English

 * "Grendles modor, ides, aglæcwif, yrmþe gemunde,  se þe wæteregesan wunian scolde,  cealde streamas..." (1258-1261)
 * "Com þa to Heorote, ðær Hringdene geond þæt sæld swæfun. þa ðær sona wearð  edhwyrft eorlum, siþðan inne fealh  Grendles modor." (1279-1282)
 * "Gefeng þa be eaxle (nalas for fæhðe mearn) Guðgeata leod Grendles modor;  brægd þa beadwe heard, þa he gebolgen wæs,  feorhgeniðlan, þæt heo on flet gebeah.  Heo him eft hraþe andlean forgeald  grimman grapum ond him togeanes feng..." (1537-1542)

Translation

 * "Grendel's mother, monstrous hell-bride, brooded on her wrongs. She had been forced down into fearful waters, the cold depths..." (Heaney 1258-1261)
 * "She came to Heorot. There, inside the hall, Danes lay asleep, earls who would soon endure a great reversal, once Grendel's mother attacked and entered." (Heaney 1279-1282)
 * "Then the prince of War-Geats, warming to this fight with Grendel's mother, gripped her shoulder and laid about him in a battle frenzy: 1540 he pitched his killer opponent to the floor but she rose quickly and retaliated, grappled him tightly in her grim embrace." (Heaney 1537-1542)