. This condition would be considered schizophrenia among humans, but seeing as this is a trait held by most monsters in Grendel’s world, it’s nothing but normal for Grendel to be experiencing this. What makes Grendel abnormal is that he, contrary to other monsters descended from Cain including his mother, finds the voices nauseating and wishes he could be free of them. Grendel was rather babied by his mother, being the youngest of all his brothers, none of whom make an appearance in Beowulf. His mother always cared for him most of all, and pitied him for being unlike the rest of their extended family (all of Cain’s descendants). Grendel needs the raw flesh of living beings to stay alive, as much as he hates himself for it. Despite having