Beowulf manages to rip Grendel’s arm off at the shoulder, and Grendel runs off into the night. He finds himself at the edge of a cliff, staring down into its dark, murky depths. A host of animals gather around Grendel, seeming to condemn him, and the novel closes as Grendel whispers to them, “Poor Grendel’s had an accident. . . . So may you all.”