11. A Tale of Two Creatures

Chapter 11 continues the theme of moon-creatures as thieves of sunlight by analyzing an Old English riddle. Riddle 29 of the Exeter Book describes how a horned creature made off with sunlight and concealed this booty in its home, until another creature arrived on the scene and reclaimed its possession. Pettit identifies these as a crescent moon and the morning sun, arguing that they bear comparison to Grendel and Beowulf respectively.