Grendel appears in the Nowell Codex as a character in the poem Beowulf. Grendel, condemned as the Biblical Cain's descendent, is "harrowed" by the sounds of singing that arrive every night from King Hrothgar's mead-hall of Heorot. The sounds drive him from the sea onto land, where he attacks and kills men until caught by Beowulf, who slays him with his sword. In some versions of the story, Grendel is the son of Satan. This interpretation comes from the fact that when he is killed, he returns to haunt the mead-hall. However, this is not stated in the original text. Grendel simply becomes extremely hostile upon being banished from the water, killing everyone in his path until captured by Beowulf. There are other characters in the poem who may be considered descendants of Cain, but they are not explicitly identified as such. It is possible that the writers of the Nowell Codex intended to make Grendel the son of Hrothgar, but failed to do so clearly. Or perhaps they felt it wasn't important for modern readers to know this detail. Even though Grendel is never mentioned by name again after the poem begins, this does not mean he has no further role to play.