Following this extremely aggressive battle, Beowulf eventually defeats and kills Grendel. This defeat draws comparison to the modern hero, as the villain is typically killed or dead by the end of the story. However, it is the act following the death that disturbs modern audiences. Beowulf retrieves the arm of the dead Grendel after the battle, describing its use as: “Clear proof of this could be seen in the hand the hero displayed high up near the roof” (Beowulf 832 – 834). The idea that Grendel’s body should be placed high atop a building in order to tell of Beowulf’s victory and Grendel’s defeat is very different from our century’s heroes. The villains of today’s literature seem to be destroyed by accident or by less violent means. One can recall the typical deus ex machina of an enemy falling off a cliff or being killed by another person than the hero. Although there is typically a celebration or some form of excitement for the villain’s end, we still don’t remove appendages.