Beowulf is the greatest and most important work of literature in the Old English language, unmatched in its mythical grandeur and scope. It tells the story of the heroic Beowulf and his battles, first with the monster Grendel, who has destroyed the great hall of the Danish king Hrothgar, then with Grendel's avenging mother, and finally with a dragon that threatens to destroy his homeland. Through the combination of myth and history, Beowulf vividly revives a twilight world where humans and supernatural forces coexist, and celebrates the endurance of the human spirit in an ephemeral world.