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
Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics wrote that the "epoch-making paper" stood out in considering "Beowulf" as literature. Heaney argued that Tolkien "took for granted the poem's integrity and distinction as a work of art", and showed how the poem achieved that status: Heaney called the paper's literary treatment "brilliant". He suggested that it had changed the way that "Beowulf" was valued, and that it had started "a new era of appreciation" of the poem. Tolkien's own translation of "Beowulf", published posthumously in 2014 as "", has been linked to the essay. Shippey has argued that the translation throws light on "what Tolkien really thought in