This is a great question because it addresses two primary components of Anglo-Saxon philosophy: the battle between good and evil, and the role of God in the conquests of the armies.
Christianity was a new idea when this poem was composed, and this poem intertwines Christian concepts of good and evil with ancient Scandinavian mythology and lore.
Grendel, called a descendent of Cain, is a monstrous personification of evil. Christianity teaches that evil (darkness) cannot stand goodness (light.) When the soldiers sang their joyful triumph songs, Grendel's nature compelled him to destroy their happiness and celebration.
Heorot was a place of light (the whole hall was covered inside and out with gold), while Grendel dwelt in darkness. The scop tells that the the joy and light are from the Almighty, while Grendel's hellish abode reeks of fiends and goblins and monsters that forever oppose the will of the Lord.
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