Final answer:
Beowulf dives into a deep, monster-infested lake and descends for hours to reach Grendel's Mother's cave. Inside the eerily lit cave, he defeats her with a relic sword and returns with Grendel's head and the sword's hilt.
Step-by-step explanation:
The excerpt provided does not give details about Beowulf's journey to Grendel's Mother's cave. However, according to the epic poem Beowulf, the Geatish hero Beowulf travels to Heorot in Denmark to aid King Hrothgar by slaying Grendel, a monstrous creature terrorizing the Danes.
After defeating Grendel, Beowulf must confront Grendel's Mother, who seeks revenge for the death of her son. To reach her lair, Beowulf dives into a perilous, infested lake where he descends for the better part of a day before reaching the bottom.
The cave is described as being lit by a strange, eerie light, devoid of the sun's warmth. Within the cave, Beowulf battles Grendel's Mother and ultimately defeats her using a giant's sword he finds there. He then beheads the dead Grendel, whose body he finds in the cave, and returns to the surface with the head and hilt of the magical sword as trophies of his victory.
Beowulf's journey to Grendel's Mother's cave at the bottom of the lake is a significant part of the epic poem 'Beowulf.' After defeating Grendel, Beowulf sets out to find and kill Grendel's Mother. He travels through treacherous waters until he reaches the bottom of the lake where her cave is located. Beowulf battles with Grendel's Mother and is eventually victorious.