tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post5533504182666438746..comments2024-03-10T20:46:19.274-04:00Comments on In the Middle: The Kristevan and Intimately Alien Grendel Appears on The SopranosCord J. Whitakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06224143153295429986noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-59446027826394373662007-01-10T11:23:00.000-05:002007-01-10T11:23:00.000-05:00Adam--thanks for the comment. I was torn about how...Adam--thanks for the comment. I was torn about how to describe Grendel from the trailer, and I guess he *is* more werewolfian than he is like the monster in "Alien." He also seems to possess a bit of a dinosaur-ish look. As befits the figure in the poem, Sci-Fi's Grendel is definitely a hybrid of sorts. If I were wanting a Grendel that followed the poem as closely as possible, he would be a kind of giant human with troll-like features and claws and his eyes would glow. Oh well. I like your etymology, as well--it fits, too, with the OE "grindan" for "grinding" or "gnashing."Eileen Joyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756965845120441308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21165575.post-68596359433479867822007-01-10T07:55:00.000-05:002007-01-10T07:55:00.000-05:00Re the Sci-Fi Channel thing. Wow. Would you say ...Re the Sci-Fi Channel thing. Wow. Would you say the montsr resembles the Alien? I'd say it has a more Werewolfy vibe going on. Although if I had to describe the monster's appearance in that Sci Fi trailer in <i>one</i> word, the word I'd choose would probably be <i>cheap</i>.<br /><br />Incidentally, this may be the place to unveil to the world my theory of the etymology of Grendel's name, an etymology that according to the recherche sources I have consulted (well, according to the Wikipedia article on 'Grendel' at any rate) seems to divide scholars. I'd argue the name is the Beowulf-poet's slightly mangled or half-remembered version of the Latin <i>Grundiles</i>. This is one of the appelations of the Roman household gods, the Lares, a strange and rather spooky bunch (one of several supernatural species that were supposed to haunt, or at least be propitiated in, the Roman home). The <i>Lares Grundiles</i> means the 'Growling Lares': a worrying sort of creature to have, uninvited, in your home. Don't you think.<br /><br />There. You Are Grendel And I Claim My Five Pounds.The Spirit of Creative Writinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08814590995293463174noreply@blogger.com