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This is a follow up to a painting I did last year of Beowulf tearing off Grendel's arm. I recently decided to carry on with the next part; Beowulf facing Grendel's mother.
My idea behind Grendel and his mother is that they represented the last in a lineage of an old, isolated shamanistic clan that still worshipped the Northern European pagan deities. Their continued survival and propagation (and monstrous appearance) has since depended on a combination of inbreeding and black magic. It makes for good motivation for me as the interpreter of these characters but I don't think I could instill all that in one painting. So I've dropped hints such as the burning alter which depicts the Venus of Willendorf and Grendel's body lying on a mound of the skeletal remains of his stillborn siblings.
My idea behind Grendel and his mother is that they represented the last in a lineage of an old, isolated shamanistic clan that still worshipped the Northern European pagan deities. Their continued survival and propagation (and monstrous appearance) has since depended on a combination of inbreeding and black magic. It makes for good motivation for me as the interpreter of these characters but I don't think I could instill all that in one painting. So I've dropped hints such as the burning alter which depicts the Venus of Willendorf and Grendel's body lying on a mound of the skeletal remains of his stillborn siblings.
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blsamHobbyist Artist
It reminded me of a dream I saw once, It was a nightmare: " I saw as a blue monster with too long arms and legs spreaded on the ground, he was sitting and seemed asleep. So I tried to kill it, I approached from his back then I cut one of his arm, but it grew again in a second, I hurried to cut the other arm but it grew again in second, so I ran away coz it was awake! Then I spread some of knifes collection was in an old off freezer. They were shaped in fancy decorative way, and too sharp some were curved. So I chose one, then I walked again towards it but carefully.
For sorry the dream goes blur it didn't show me what happened next but then but cops had arrived.
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The house was in a sunken town, but this house was half sanken. And inhabited!
Anyway, its a great work and story behind make it worthy.
I enjoyed being here, keep it up.
For sorry the dream goes blur it didn't show me what happened next but then but cops had arrived.
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The house was in a sunken town, but this house was half sanken. And inhabited!
Anyway, its a great work and story behind make it worthy.
I enjoyed being here, keep it up.
You are really talented.
paladinofthelanternHobbyist Writer
Now this is how Grendel's mother should look like. A huge upgrade from how she was portrayed in the movie. 
RidersofArmageddonStudent General Artist
The movie is rather cynical from the most of it, given the shame behind a masque of glory.
pmdart1408 General Artist
love the willendorf venus figure on the altar
Bat-SnakeHobbyist General Artist
*Looking between skeletons, Grendel, and mum* Damn, Grendel was a teeny baby for such a monstrosity!
And am I the only one here that noticed the tears?
My depiction isn't quite as (awesomely) nasty as this, but a bit closer to what I envision the depiction of her in "Grendel", but she's still not Jolie or lil' miss Playboy.
Film makers, y u make Mama Grendel sexy
!?
And am I the only one here that noticed the tears?
My depiction isn't quite as (awesomely) nasty as this, but a bit closer to what I envision the depiction of her in "Grendel", but she's still not Jolie or lil' miss Playboy.
Film makers, y u make Mama Grendel sexy
!?
HeartOfDeathProfessional Filmographer
beeeeyond super awesome!
Mary-OldacreHobbyist Writer
This is a really neat picture, I really like it. The only problem with this, and I'm just being nit-picky here, is that Grendel and his mother live underwater, in a deep, deep lake.
LockmanCapuletHobbyist General Artist
"Big Bertha", as my Brit Lit teacher calls her.
likeporcelinHobbyist General Artist
wow amazing depiction of grendel's mother. i love the epic of beowulf you could say im an english major lol but um i think this work of art is absoulutely amazing. she certainly looks as demonic as the book describes her and her ugly, creepy son.
damn typo Grendel*
Poor poor Grenel :'(
The debate has raged for centuries whether or not Grendel's mother was monstrous or a valkyrie type warrior woman. I've always subscribed to the notion that she was a monster. It says IN Beowulf, "she welcomed him with her claws" when he enters her lake.
Another monster would do it no questions asked.
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