Beowulf, one of the oldest English epic poems recorded, detailed the values of the Anglo-Saxons; specifically, the importance of courage and boasting of one’s accomplishments in the Heroic Code.
John Gardner’s philosophical novel Grendel (1971) is a twist on Beowulf, describing the world through the perspective of the main antagonist, Grendel. Although Grendel is originally described to be descended from the biblical Cain (which is an anachronism, since much of the bible wasn’t popularized until after Anglo-Saxon culture faded), in Gardner’s version, Grendel is closely mirrored to humans, having similar emotions, being able to understand their language, and being quite intelligent (In fact, Grendel is closely related to Frankenstein’s monster in this sense–they’re both relatively harmless, like a clean slate, but the animosity from humans leads them down a path of evil).
Before discovering humans, Grendel suffered from severe boredom and the repetitive nature of life. However, after discovering humans, which he quickly understands are intelligent creatures and adapt to different situations, he attempts to communicate with humans, but realizes that he is seen as a monster. However, instead of trying again, he essentially stalks the mead hall, and is mesmerized by the Shaper, an old man with a harp, capable of spinning stories that unite the men. More specifically, the Shaper’s ability to rewrite the history of what happens enthralls Grendel, who is conflicted because the beautiful stories of creation from the shaper contradict the barbaric behavior of the men.
A song that the shaper sings about Grendel, calling him an evil creature and a descendant of Cain, causes him incredible pain and confusion. Grendel seeks to learn more about the shaper from a dragon, who can see the entire timeline of the universe, protecting a pile of gold/treasure in a cave. The dragon is extremely philosophical, and explains the concepts of importance and expression–essentially, the difference between animate beings and inanimate object is that while both have “importance” (matter in the universe), animate beings have a center that allows for expression; cutting off the head of an animal kills it, but the democracy of atoms in a vegetable can be subdivided and retain the same properties.