Gay or Nay?

            I decided to approach Grendel in a way that challenges the normative hetero-sexist interpretation. I think that it is arguable to say that Grendel may be gay. I’m not arguing that he fits neatly into any category like pansexuality, bisexuality, demisexuality, asexuality, or homosexuality, whether or not he is romantic or aromantic, I am simply putting forward a case for Grendel and any homoerotic tendencies he may have.

            What first stood out to me was the way that Grendel interacted with Wealhtheow after invading her bedroom. He spreads her legs apart and plots how he will kill her. He decides that he will “hold her over the fire and cook the ugly hole between her legs” gleeful at the prospect of “squeezing out her feces” (109) with his fists. Though he ended up sparing her life, he left the hall “concentrated on the memory of the ugliness between her legs (bright tears of blood) and laughed” (110). Wealhtheow and her femininity disgusts Grendel, he literally runs away thinking about how ugly the thing he saw under her dress was, that thing being her vagina. He doesn’t spare any thoughts that reveal a sense of intrigue over her genitalia, simply, her vagina is a hole and it is ugly.  

            The way that Grendel interacts with Beowulf is much different. When Grendel first encounters Beowulf he gets the impression that Beowulf has a “gentle voice” and that his smile has “some magician-power” (154). Grendel goes into great detail describing Beowulf’s muscular physique, something that he seems to take great interest in. In fact, Grendel was so impressed by Beowulf’s musculature that he felt that he could “drop into a trance just looking at those shoulders,” sleek and “rippled with power.” As Beowulf talks, Grendel finds himself getting too distracted by “merely looking at his mouth” (155) to even listen to what he was saying. Getting distracted by Beowulf seems to be somewhat of a trend for Grendel as he yet again finds it hard to focus when he is faced with Beowulf’s “gleaming shoulders” (164) as he peeks into the hall after Wealhtheow makes a speech to Beowulf. Beowulf’s body undeniably intrigues Grendel.

            Whereas the feminine physical form seems to disgust Grendel, the masculine physical form is one he greatly admires. He thoroughly catalogs both forms; pulling Wealhtheow’s legs apart to observe her vagina and visually surveying Beowulf intensely on more than one occasion. If he keeps getting distracted because Beowulf’s body is just so magnificent that he can’t stop looking at it and thinks that vaginas are just ugly holes, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched that Grendel may have some homoerotic proclivities.

So what do you think? Is Grendel Gay or nay?