Beowulf (3140–3170). "Beowulf" begins with the story of Hrothgar, who constructed the great hall Heorot for himself and his warriors. In it, he, his wife Wealhtheow, and his warriors spend their time singing and celebrating. Grendel, a troll-like monster said to be descended from the biblical Cain, is pained by the sounds of joy. Grendel attacks the hall and kills and devours many of Hrothgar's warriors while they sleep. Hrothgar and his people, helpless against Grendel, abandon Heorot. Beowulf, a young warrior from Geatland, hears of Hrothgar's troubles and with his king's permission leaves his homeland to assist Hrothgar. Beowulf and
The dragon (Beowulf) monster than a symbol." In "From Homer to Harry Potter: A Handbook on Myth and Fantasy", Matthew Dickerson and David O'Hara argue that the "Beowulf" poet added the figure of the dragon to "the pot...that is ladeled out of by most modern fantasy writers"; they argued that both numerous works with villainous dragons, as well as literature with benign dragons like the "My Father's Dragon" books and the "Pern" series by Anne McCaffrey, were influenced by "Beowulf"s dragon. Dickerson and O'Hara further elaborated that through its dragon, "Beowulf" turned the "notion of having a monstrous evil (and not mere human