Monsters run free in the epic poems of distant centuries; horrible, evil fantasy creatures that illustrate all that is bad in the world and represent the tribulations that the epic hero had to overcome. The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf is no different. Some are born and give life to legends, such as that of the fire-breathing dragon, while others are linked to the Bible. In studies, Beowulf's monsters are explained and will continue to be analyzed as symbols of countless different ideas. In relation to each other and in relation to the hero of the epic, Beowulf's monsters represent humanity's ever-present flaws and the monstrous feelings or behaviors that take control of the mind in a moment of weakness, ultimately leading to the fall. Like all monstrous creatures, Grendel is presented as an unnatural being, a demon, a “wanderer in the dark” (86). As a demon, Grendel is of biblical origin, or perhaps he was given the biblical genealogy of the House of Cain in a later Christian readaptation of the “pagan” story. Being of the line of Cain, Grendel shows a direct lineage in his mirroring of Cain's fatal fall: jealousy. For killing his brother Abel out of pure jealous rage, Cain's clan was banished by the Creator, who "had outlawed / and condemned [his descendants] as outcasts" from society to reside only in the miserable company of other monsters (106 - 7). IN a world where mead was the center of society and the source of both wealth and community, Grendel is left on the outskirts and unwelcome within the warm walls. For years he lurked alone, listening to "the din of the loud feast...in the hall" (88-9), walking the marshes night after night, forced to listen to the music, the stories, the laughter that taunted him, until he... at the center of the card... looks before he dies, ordering Wiglaf to bring him his share, so he can feast his eyes one last time (2745-2750). However, where the monsters of the text are considered evil forces of the fall of man, Beowulf is honored in death. Perhaps instead of advocating the Christian influence of the soul as the sum of deeds and salvation attainable only through repentance, the anonymous writer aspires to the idea of ​​a balance between good and evil within a person. A pendulum of sorts swings between the two, creating a belief system in which, if a person's goodness throughout their life exceeds their evil, they are good, honorable, and free from the fall of the monsters they have faced. Works Cited "Beowulf". The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt and MH Abrams. 8th ed. vol. 1. New York: W. W. Norton, 2006. 34-100. Press.