Beowulf is the protagonist of the eponymous poem, said to be the oldest in English literature. His legend centers around his killing of the giant Grendel, bested empty handed with only the help of some of his men, and Grendel's mother, bested alone by wielding a sword made for giants and virtually unusable by a human due to its size. After becoming king and living 50 years in peace, Beowulf's battle loving spirit was set ablaze one last time when he faced a fire dragon in his last fight.