He believes that he has somehow offended God. Interestingly, Beowulf's initial reaction is a feeling of guilt. In a parallel that cannot be missed, the dragon does the same, in a slightly different way, to Beowulf. Raiding at night, the dragon reminds the reader of Grendel, the monster who haunted Hrothgar in his old age and changed the Scylding king's fortunes. He originally discovered the secret entrance to the barrow by chance, just as the fugitive does. The dragon's motivation is vengeance even though the poet makes it clear that the fire-breathing reptile, like the deceased warriors, has no use for the cup or any of the rest of the treasure. There will be no more songs from the scop. The chain-shirts can no longer protect their owners because the warriors will fight no more battles. He tells us that the stewards sleep who once burnished battle-masks. They took the metals from the earth, and the Keeper now returns the treasures to it. He speaks of the mutability of time and the loss of the good men, heroes, and princes, who no longer have any use for the treasure. One sole survivor, who is called the "keeper of rings" (2244), hid the treasures in the high barrow-hall and soon died.Īs poetry, one of the most moving passages in the epic is the Keeper's invocation as he leaves the gold and other items in the barrow (2247-2266). The ancient treasures in the hoard once belonged to a regional tribe of warriors almost the entire tribe was killed in battle some 300 years previously. The problem starts when a fugitive, apparently a runaway slave, stumbles across the dragon's treasure-trove. The dragon is the final test for Beowulf, a test of his wisdom as well as his courage. Fortunes, however, do change, as Hrothgar predicted. After Heardred's death, Beowulf did become king and ruled his people well for 50 years. Queen Hygd offered Beowulf the throne after her husband (Hygelac) died, thinking that her young son (Heardred) was unable to protect the kingdom Beowulf refused but served the young king faithfully. Beowulf could have become king sooner but was more loyal than ambitious. 361-62.) At this point, we only know that the king and his heir have been killed in separate conflicts. (For a chronology of the Geats' feuds, see Chickering, pp. Time is out of joint as the poet reveals the events leading up to Beowulf's becoming king. As Hrothgar warned, and as the Beowulf poet reminds us throughout the epic, all glory is fleeting. The passing of time brings changes to the lives of the Geats as it does to everyone. The mutability of time is central to Hrothgar's sermon (1700-84), and it provides the framework for the final third of the poem. Courageous and determined, if not quite the man he once was, the old warrior sets off. Always conscious of weapons and tactics, Beowulf prepares by ordering a new shield, made of iron, since the dragon-fire would make short sparks of his usual linden-wood. He remembers victories against Grendel and Grendel's mother, as well as a heroic escape from Frisia after Hygelac was killed. Although he is now an old man, Beowulf believes that he can defeat the dragon by himself. Before long, however, the aging warrior focuses on his responsibility as protector and prepares to face the monster in battle. When Beowulf hears of the dragon's night raids, the king initially wonders if he could have angered God in some way, bringing this trouble to his people. A lone Geat fugitive, apparently a servant or slave escaping a cruel master, has stolen a single flagon from the hoard, outraging the dragon and inciting him to vengeance. For 300 years, the dragon has peacefully guarded a treasure-trove, originally the riches of a now-defunct tribe but long hidden in a "high barrow-hall, / towering stone-mound" (2212-13). To everyone's alarm, however, a terrifying dragon begins to stalk the countryside at night, destroying homes - including Beowulf's great hall - with his fiery breath. Beowulf becomes king of the Geats and rules well for 50 years. His son, Heardred, inherits the throne, with Beowulf's support, but is also slain.
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