All 3 Uses of
writhe
in
Beowulf - (translated by: Ebbutt)
- The struggle continued for some time, and the hall was an utter wreck within, when Grendel, worsted for once, tried to break away and rush out into the night; but Beowulf held him fast in the grip which no man on earth could equal or endure, and the monster writhed in anguish as he vainly strove to free himself—vainly, for Beowulf would not loose his grip.†
writhed = moved in a twisting or contorted motion
- Coiling and writhing he came, with head raised, and scales of burnished blue and green, glowing with inner heat; from his nostrils rushed two streams of fiery breath, and his flaming eyes shot flashes of consuming fire.†
writhing = moving in a twisting or contorted motion
- The guardian of the hoard writhed and was stunned for a moment, and then sprang at Beowulf, sending forth so dense a cloud of flaming breath that the hero stood in a mist of fire.†
*writhed = moved in a twisting or contorted motion
Definition:
to move in a twisting or contorted motion -- often of a person when struggling or in pain