The poet alludes to the biblical story of Cain and Abel, in which the wicked Cain kills his brother and is thus expelled by God from human society. The story states that all of Cain’s descendants also became outcasts and eventually monsters. The poet establishes Grendel as a kinsman of Cain, supporting the idea that he is partly human. This allusion thus applies a Christian lens to pagan lore by viewing such monsters and “ill-favored creatures” as products of Cain’s sin.

Swamps, marshes, and bogs are often depicted as the lairs or habitats of evil creatures in stories. Such landscapes are sparsely populated by humans and full of unseen dangers from animals, disease, and the terrain. The addition of the word “fastness”—meaning secure refuge—suggests that Grendel’s land is difficult to enter, and therefore perilous to would-be adventurers.

Derived from the Old English “wald,” the noun “wold” refers to forest or wooded upland. The “winsome wold” refers to all the land of the earth, “encircled” as it is by water. This duality between land and sea directly resembles the Christian creation story laid out in the opening passages of the biblical book of Genesis.

The pronoun “He” refers to the singer, from whom the war-spirit creature hears the creation myth of the world. Such a story, full of the blessings from the “Father Almighty,” serve to further enrage the war-spirit, soon to be known as Grendel. While the people in Heorot celebrate the blessings that Hrothgar has received, the monster grows resentful and full of malice.

This expression aligns with how God is commonly referred to in Christian doctrine. It stands in opposition to the kenning in the first chapter “God-Father,” which could also refer to the Norse god Odin. Such an expression is further evidence of the inconsistency between the poet’s Christianity and the pagan lore at the heart of the tale.

Heorot loosely translates to "Hall of the Hart." A hart is a male red deer, a much larger species of deer than seen in North America. To Scandinavian and Anglo-Saxon cultures, the hart symbolizes strength, bravery, and aggressiveness.

While the poet has yet to tell us more about this “he” creature, we can infer from this passage a little bit about it. Since it is jealous and upset at hearing the joyous sounds and stories in the mead-hall, we are led to believe that it is or was once human because these feelings result from its inability to participate in the celebrations in the hall.

The meaning of the verb “save” here actually means “except.” So, Hrothgar willingly shares all the blessings he can with his people except for his life and property. Additionally, earlier in this line the text read "than men of the era / Ever had heard of." During the time this tale was told, and translated, it was common to use the word men to refer to all people. This has fallen out of favor in recent years, as more inclusive words are preferred.

Among the Geats and Danes, there were two main sources of personal worth: glory through heroic feats and honor through one's bloodline. In a fashion similar to stories in the biblical Old Testament, the poet recounts the children and heirs of Scyld. Here, Hrothgar's worth is presented through his ancestry. Additionally, such a style of introducing a story would have been a familiar approach for the poet's Christian audience.

The earlier section “List of Words and Phrases not in General Use” states that a “bairn” is a son or child. The Oxford English Dictionary clarifies this to state that a “bairn” simply refers to any offspring, a son or a daughter.

This is not the titular Beowulf. This is the son of Scyld Scyf. To avoid confusion, some later translations have shortened the name to Beow. The poet continues to tell his audience the historical context of the Beowulf epic as a means of building authenticity to his narrative.