Battle with Grendel- Hand-to-hand combat between Beowulf & Grendel, this battle is mythological in nature, it shows superhuman strength in which Beowulf has. His motive is revenge against the monster for his heinous crimes against Beowulf's kinsmen.
Battle with Grendel's Mother- Sword fight combat between Grendel's Mother & Beowulf in her underwater lair. This battle is also mythlogical in nature, even though he used a weapon (sword) to defeat he, this shows Beowulf mortality & his deterioration of strength. Beowulf's motive is spiritual, he is trying to destroy evil at its root source.
- Battle with the Dragon- Full armored combat between Beowulf & the Dragon. Beowulf has to use armor & weapons to kill the Dragon, this shows Beowulf's age and declining health. This battle, for Beowulf, is realistic in nature, he uses no mythological features. Beowulf dies in the battle because his motives are greedy, he's after the Dragon's treasure.