Beowulf

Slayer of Grendel

Beowulf, hero of the Old English epic, was a warrior of the Geats who sailed to Denmark to free King Hrothgar's hall from the monster Grendel, tearing off the creature's arm with his bare hands. He then dove into a haunted mere to slay Grendel's vengeful mother with a giant's sword. Returning home to rule the Geats for fifty years, the aged king met his death battling a fire-breathing dragon that ravaged his land, slaying the beast with the aid of the loyal Wiglaf.