Grendel begins by saying that the dragon changed nothing and everything for him. The knowledge of what he calls his doom and futility becomes a smell to him, infecting everything, like the aftermath of a forest fire. Also, the dragon has put a spell on Grendel so that no blade can touch him. Grendel now feels more isolated by this new invulnerability, but at first he thinks of it as an advantage.
Grendel describes the beginning of his war against humans at the height of summer. He does not think of it as a war at first. Originally he only kills stragglers. As he approaches the meadhall this time, though, listening to the Shaper's song about the great harvest God has scent the Scyldings (or the Danes), the dragon's infectious smell causes him to.....
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