(Finn) was, exclaimed, 'What little speck do I see here?'" Finn, aided
by his fairy dog, slew the water monster. On Finn, aided by his fairy
dog, slew the water monster. On the following night a bigger monster,
"the father", came ashore, and he also was slain. But the most
powerful enemy had yet to be dealt with. "The next night a Big Hag
came ashore, and the tooth in the front of her mouth would make a
distaff. 'You killed my husband and son,' she said." Finn acknowledged
that he did, and they began to fight. After a prolonged struggle, in
which Finn was almost overcome, the Hag fell and her head was cut
off.[174]

The story of "Finlay the Changeling" has similar features. The hero
slew first a giant and then the giant's father. Thereafter the Hag
came against him and exclaimed, "Although with cunning and
deceitfulness you killed my husband last night and my son on the night
before last, I shall certainly kill you to-night." A fierce wrestling
match ensued on the bare rock. The Hag was ultimately thrown down. She
then offered various treasures to ransom her life, including "a gold
sword in my cave", regarding which she says, "never was it drawn to
man or to beast whom it did not overcome".[175] In other Scottish
stories of like character the hero climbs a tree, and says something
to induce the hag to open her mouth, so that he may plunge his weapon
down her throat.

The Grendel story in _Beowulf_,[176] the Anglo-Saxon epic, is of like
character. A male water monster preys nightly upon the warriors who
sleep in the great hall of King Hrothgar. Beowulf comes over the sea,
as did Finn to the "Kingdom of Big Men", to sky Grendel. He wrestles
with this man-eater and mortally wounds him. Great rejoicings ensue,
but they have to be brought to an abrupt conclusion, because the
mother of Grendel has meanwhile resolved "to go a sorry journey and
avenge the death of her son".

The narrative sets forth that she enters the Hall in the darkness of
night. "Quickly she grasped one of the nobles tight, and then she went
towards the fen", towards her submarine cave. Beowulf follows in due
course, and, fully armoured, dives through the waters and ultimately
enters the monster's lair. In the combat the "water wife" proves to be
a more terrible opponent than was her son. Indeed, Beowulf was unable
to slay her until he possessed himself of a gigantic sword, "adorned
with treasure", which was hanging in the cave. With this magic weapon