So now Hrothgar seeks revenge, just as Grendel's mother does. The warriors discover that she has stolen Grendel’s arm as well. The watchers ashore interprets this as a sign of Beowulf's death of the hands of Grendel's mother. The two begin to wrestle, but neither gains the upper hand in this combat. The sword melts to its hilt after Beowulf uses it to decapitate the corpse of Grendel, which lies nearby. Beowulf looks around and sees dead Grendel, so he immediately cuts monster's head off to present it to Hrothgar. As a loyal lord, it's Hrothgar's obligation to avenge Aeschere's death. A light appears, and Beowulf looks around, his sword held high in readiness. Beowulf then ventures into her cave under a lake, and engages in fierce combat with Grendel's mother. Read Fitt 24 and you will find what Beowulf did immediately after killing Grendel’s mother. In the longer term, of course, what he does is live through the rest of his life. She reaches for him, but his armor protects him. After Grendel is killed, Grendel's mother attacks Heorot in revenge. When he reaches the bottom of the lake, Grendel's mother is waiting for him. Grendel's mother, unknown to the Danes or Geats, is plotting to avenge the death of her son.After the celebrations are over in Heorot and everybody is asleep, Grendel's mother appears out of her dwelling place, the swamp. He tries to cut her, but his sword can't cut her. He then becomes king and lives peacefully for fifty more years. Beowulf vs. Grendel’s mother When Beowulf kills one of the creatures on the journey to meet Grendel’s mother, I feel like he’s just warming up. Devastated with grief over the loss of his friend and counselor, Hrothgar summons Beowulf and explains what has occurred. He gathers a group of 14 warriors, sails to Denmark and vows to Hrothgar and his queen that he shall kill Grendel or die. The sword that Beowulf uses to kill Grendel's mother is the sword that he discovers in her lair once he gets there and faces almost certain defeat at her hands. Beowulf goes to the lake where his men have been killed and goes into the water. Some critics feel that Grendel's mother receives inadequate consideration in the poem. This was because Beowulf … She enters the hall where the warriors are sleeping. Beowulf seizes the huge sword and swings it in a powerful arc. He returns to Heorot with a greater trophy, the head of the ogre, as well as the hilt of the magic sword. then Beowulf began boasting about how he killed her. Hrothgar says he must depend on Beowulf a second time, and offers him treasure to kill Grendel's mother and end the feud. The blade slices cleanly through the Grendel’s mother’s neck, and she falls dead to the floor, gushing with blood. After a feast, everyone leaves the hall except Beowulf and his warriors, and all but Beowulf fall asleep. As soon as he does that, the lake becomes stained with blood. She nearly kills him until he sees an ancient sword, with which he kills her, and beheads the dead Grendel. He spies Grendel’s … By the time he arrives at the hall, she is gone. The hero is exultant. He takes Grendel's head and swims back to his men, four men carry it back. Also I think the journey described to get to her is significant. Hrothgar asked Beowulf to battle Grendel’s mother because the king believed he was the only man capable of dealing with such monsters. Grendel's Mother's Attack. I’m so nice that I’ll include a translation of Fitt 24 with this answer.