Meanwhile, the sword
Began to wilt into gory icicles,
To slather and thaw. It was a wonderful thing,
The way it all melted as ice melts
When the father eases the fetters off the frost
And unravels the water-ropes. He who wields power
Over time and tide: He is the true Lord.
– Beowulf, Seamus Heaney (trans.)
Lines 1605-1611: The sword used by Beowulf cut Grendel’s mother’s head off is melted by her blood.