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Samantha Voicheck

Mrs. Hudak

English III

12 February 2019

Written in the Stars: The Emotional Implications of Zodiac Signs in Grendel

How much does a modern reader know about zodiac signs? How much does that reader

need to know about the science of astrology? It depends on who is asked and what they have

read. In 1971, John Gardner published his take on the timeless Beowulf, focusing on the

perspective of one of the monsters of the epic poem. His work was titled Grendel, and in its

twelve chapters he hid references to each zodiac sign, one per chapter. These references are

easily missed but make a huge impact on the story, specifically on the emotions of the main

character. Although Gardner alludes to all twelve signs, he only literally mentions the symbols of

a few, the most notable being Aries: the ram, Gemini: the twins, and Pisces: the fish. These signs

set the tone for their respective chapters and Grendel exemplifies the signs in each. By showing

what zodiac traits Grendel identifies which in each chapter, Gardner creates a more complete

picture of the character Grendel. In his novel Grendel, John Gardner utilizes the physical

symbols of zodiac signs —Aries, Gemini, and Pisces— to convey the inner feelings and

emotions of the titular character.

In chapter one, Gardner uses a reference to the first zodiac sign, Aries, to demonstrate

Grendel’s passionate, short-tempered, and aggressive tendencies. As the ram, Aries is a fire sign,

and it represents traits such as courageousness, passion, impulsiveness, and aggression

(Faragher). At the beginning of this chapter, Grendel is infuriated by a ram that is doing nothing:

“I stamp. I hammer the ground with my fists. I hurl a skull sized stone at him” (Gardner 5). This
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quote demonstrates how Grendel is overly aggressive with an extremely short temper, resorting

to violence almost instantly. Grendel is provoked by the fact that the ram exists and lashes out

irrationally and immediately. Impulsivity and aggression are the biggest weaknesses of Aries,

and it is obvious that Grendel exhibits these traits in this section. In another example, Grendel is

overtaken by rage and yells into the void, “‘Dark chasms!’...‘seize me! Seize me to your foul

black bowels and crush my bones!’... I [He] stand there shaking from head to foot, moved to the

deep-sea depths of my [his] being, like a creature thrown into the audience with thunder”

(Gardner 10). Grendel demonstrates tremendous passion and is completely overtaken by his

emotions and hate for the world, to the point where he starts to shake uncontrollably. Passion is

uncontrollable feeling and, just like Aries, Grendel emotes that here flawlessly. Grendel is a

perfect model of Aries in this chapter, with his emotion-filled outbursts of rage and

impulsiveness, but Grendel does not feel like this for long.

In chapter three, Gardner mentions twins to refer to Gemini, showing how Grendel feels

curious, but also more alone than ever at this point in the novel. The Gemini is an easily

adaptable and curious sign but is scared of being alone and confined (Panikian). Throughout

chapter three, Grendel observes and explains how cruelly and brutally the humans are acting.

Grendel watches all the humans’ moves from afar, judging and learning from them (Gardner 30).

He tells the story of the barbaric conquering and pillaging that led to Hrothgar’s rule as king,

which shows how, instead of ignoring the humans or murdering them on sight, Grendel chooses

to watch them work, live, and play. This is crucial to the Gemini because curiosity and a love of

learning are the main pillars of their sign. Then, after looking out at the many towns and

kingdoms of the humans, Grendel lets out a terrible sound of despair: “The sound went out,

violent, to the rims of the world and after a moment it bounced back up...harsh and ungodly
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against the sigh of the remembered harp-like a thousand tortured rat-squeals crying: Lost!”

(Gardner 45). Grendel allows himself to feel lost and broken in this solitary moment, showing

the fear of being alone, which upsets Gemini deeply. Gemini thrive on interaction, which is why

Grendel can never walk away from the humans. Instead, he watches from afar to not feel so

alone, but here, he feels the full extent of his solitude and loathes it as much as any Gemini.

Gardner uses the symbol of Gemini to solidify the mood of this section, full of curiosity and

knowledge, but also nerves and lonely feelings, making this a great example of zodiac use in

Grendel.

Gardner uses the most imaginative, sad and fearful zodiac sign to finish his novel and

show Grendel’s Pisces traits. The Pisces is symbolized with a fish and is the last zodiac sign in

the astrology calendar. It is an intuitive, fearful and emotional sign, with a deep wish to escape

reality (Gat). In chapter twelve, Grendel struggles to find the reality when he is battling the fierce

Beowulf: “I jerk my head, trying to drive out illusion. The world is what it is and always was.

That’s our hope, our chance. Yet even in times of catastrophe we people it with tricks. Grendel,

Grendel, hold fast to what is true!” (Gardner 169). Pisces is the most imaginative zodiac sign,

and Grendel is struggling with that in this quote. Pisces tend to ideate a new reality when the

current one is going wrong, and Grendel is doing just that to avoid the realization that he is going

to die. After regaining a grip on the truth, Grendel is frightened by death when he cries, “My

heart blooms terror. Will the last of my life slide out if I let out breath?” (Gardner 173). A fatal

flaw of Pisces is what is felt after the imagination wears off and only reality is left: fear. It is easy

for Pisces to become completely overwhelmed by fear, even if just moments before they were at

their peak. Grendel demonstrates this when he finally has to come to terms with death. This
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Pisces reference is one of the most powerful and influential of the novel, which is why Gardner

saves it for the last chapter, where Grendel dies and the story ends.

Despite the titular character’s feelings being a crucial focal point in the novel, Gardner

uses the zodiac signs to do much more than just detail his character Grendel. John Gardner’s

blatant zodiac allusions are constantly overlooked, but this element gives the novel a necessary

flow and structure, while also providing a much deeper meaning. The astrology of Grendel ties

the twelve chapters together with a common thread, aiding to create a cohesive, meaningful

story. Garder utilizes the fluidity of the zodiac cycle to show the fluidity of Grendel’s feelings

and traits, which creates a more complete titular character, but also gives the novel a more

complete story and structure.

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Works Cited

Faragher, Aliza Kelly. “The Personality of a Gemini, Explained.” Allure, Allure Magazine, 2

Feb. 2018, www.allure.com/story/gemini-zodiac-sign-personality-traits.

Gardner, John. Grendel. Alfred A. Knopf , 1971.

Gat, Annabel. “Pisces, The Fish.” Broadly, VICE, 1 June 2015,

broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/d3ggm7/pisces.

Panikian, Alice. “10 Reasons You'll Never Forget A Gemini, For Better Or Worse.” Elite Daily,

Elite Daily, 26 May 2015, www.elitedaily.com/life/youll-never-forget-a-gemini/1008749.