Uploaded December 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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The second of three fully rendered illustrations I'm doing as a project for college! I wanted to showcase the grief of Grendel's Mother over the loss of her son, as opposed to her brutality and viciousness that is far more often portrayed. She is the mother of a monster, and a monster herself, yet a mother nonetheless. Before Grendel is killed by Beowulf, Grendel's Mother is not shown going on any kind of rampage; her grief and loss is what incites her to violence and a want of revenge. As for her appearance, she's described as being a 'wolfish swimmer', and a hag of the depths; instead of making her either a sexy fish lady or a standard sea monster, I took inspiration from a hippocampus and switched the horse part with a wolf, and colored her scales to appear slightly iridescent, yet desaturated with wear and age. The bright yellow-green of her bioluminescent eyes and lures tie her to my Grendel design, and, as you'll see in the next speedpaint, my design for the Dragon at the end of the poem.

Programs: Paint Tool SAI, Clip Studio Paint, WMM
Music: Bear McCreary - God of War Soundtrack: "A Giant's Prayer", "Witch of the Woods", "Memories of Mother"
Character: Grendel's Mother, from the Old English poem, Beowulf.

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https://linktr.ee/Mollish