Beowulf (15 page)
Authors: Frederick Rebsamen
 | in his great claw-hand. A glove hung on him |
 | wide and deep-fingered woven by elf-smiths |
 | death-bloodied trap trimmed skillfully |
 | with hides of dragons hell's murder-work. |
 | He hoped to stuff me in that huge corpse-bag |
2090 | cram me inside carry me from Heorot |
 | one more victimâI waited no longer |
 | stood to greet him grappled his hand. |
 | It's too long to tell how I tamed that monster |
 | gave him revenge with my good handgripâ |
 | in that high meadhall Hygelac my lord |
 | I memoried your name. He managed to escape |
 | held to life-breath for a little more time |
 | left behind him high beneath the gable |
 | his hand on the wall wandered in sorrow |
2100 | to that foul fen-mere fell to his death. |
 | For that grim battle-rush the guardian of the Danes |
 | heaped me with heirlooms horses and armor |
 | many a goldgift when morning-sun rose |
 | and benches brightened with banquet in Heorot. |
 | There was song and laughterâthe Spear-Danes' king |
 | stretched his memory for stories of childhood. |
 | At times the old one touched his harpstrings |
 | strummed the songwood sang of the past |
 | moments of heartgrief high victories |
2110 | remnants of his youth from reaches of his mind. |
 | At times he brooded bound by his years |
 | an old sword-warrior sorrowing for friends |
 | worn with winters welling with memories |
 | yearning for dead ones young hearth-fellows. |
 | In that high meadhall we held to our feasting |
 | drank from treasure-cups till dark shadow-pall |
 | sank through the light. Then sorrow came calling |
 | greedy for thane-blood Grendel's hell-mother |
 | from her cold moor-cavern mourning for her son |
2120 | dead forest-fiend. That dark-minded she-wolf |
 | avenged her monster-child vile fen-stalker |
 | killed for her offspring. It was kind Aeschere |
 | counselor for kings cold with slaughter-death. |
 | Nor could they find him when night-shadows paled |
 | bear up his body for burning on high |
 | lift him to the pyre beloved companion |
 | for funeral flames. She fetched his corpse |
 | through the dark forest-track to her deep water-den. |
 | That was for Hrothgar the hardest of griefs |
2130 | sorrows he suffered through slow winters. |
 | Then the king asked me for kindness once more |
 | begged me to plunge through that poisonous water |
 | search for the source of his soul's misery |
 | pay for that loss. He promised me treasures. |
 | I swam to the bottom of that bloodstained pond |
 | dived past hell-demons to that deep monster-home |
 | where that devil's she-wolf dragged me inside. |
 | For a while we wrestled raged through that cavernâ |
 | the mere welled with gore from Grendel's mother |
2140 | as I carved her head off in that cavern of death |
 | with a huge giant-swordâfrom hell's earth-cave |
 | I rose with my life unready for death. |
 | Then that son of Healfdene in his hall once more |
 | brought marvelous treasures to mark my victory. |
 | That king of the Danes kept his promisesâ |
 | I lost no reward for my work that day, |
 | gold for my strength, for he gave me victory-gifts, |
 | Healfdene's offspring, to my own desire. |
 | I bring them to you best of hall-kings |
2150 | give them with pleasureâmy place is in Götland |
 | my life at your serviceâlittle do I have |
 | of kin in this earthyard closer than my lord.” |
 | He bore to his guardian the golden boar-banner |
 | bright-burnished helmet hand-linked mailcoat |
 | gold-handled sword. The Geat-champion spoke: |
 | “Hrothgar gave to me this great treasure-sword |
 | a warleader's weaponâwords come with it |
 | borne from the king with this best of heirlooms. |
 | He said that Heorogar held it for his own, |
2160 | lord of the Shield-Danes, for long battle-years. |
 | Nor would he give it to his good male-child, |
 | beloved Heoroweard, though his heart was strong. |
 | Use it as you wish my young warrior-king!” |
 | Then, as I heard, to the hall came forth |
 | four war-horses well-matched and foot-swift |
 | apple-fallow steedsâhe served his king there |
 | with kind words and treasures. So a kinsman should doâ |
 | no weaving of death-nets for his dear companion |
 | no sly trickery treacherous design. |
2170 | To King Hygelac helmsman of the Geats |
 | his nephew and friend was fast in promise |
 | each man to the other mindful of gifts. |
 | To Hygd the fair one folk-queen of the Geats |
 | he bore the neck-ringâsince that bright feast-day |
 | her breast was enriched with that royal goldgift. |
 | Three horses he gave her haltered and saddle-bred. |
 | So he lived in honor Ecgtheow's son |
 | heartstrong warrior borne high to praise |
 | by pride and mind-strengthânot poisoned with ale |
2180 | did he slay his hearth-friends with hard murder-blades. |
 | He held to his strength strongest of them all, |
 | through those long life-days loaned by the Wielder, |
 | harbored it well. In the hall of the Geats |
 | as he grew to manhood no good was thought of him |
 | nor did the Geat-lord grant him renown |
 | make him treasure-gifts on mead-benches thereâ |
 | warriors believed that his worth was little |
 | no champion there. But change came to him |
 | courage and war-strength as he climbed to manhood. |
2190 | Then King Hygelac called for his giftâ |
 | to the hall was borne Hrethel's treasure-sword |
 | gold-handled warbladeâno Geatish edge-weapon |
 | was stronger in story more steeped in battle-blood. |
 | He bore that treasure to Beowulf's hands |
 | gave him seven thousand of separate domain |
 | hall and high-seat. They held together |
 | the kingdom of the Geats kept it in friendship |
 | the old homeland though Hygelac's rule |
 | was broader in kind a king's boundaries. |
T
HE
FINAL THIRD
of
Beowulf
begins at a time when Beowulf has been ruling the Geats for fifty years, at which point a nameless servant or slave, fleeing punishment for some transgression, stumbles upon a dragon's treasure and steals a cup with which he hopes to buy a pardon. The dragon discovers the theft and begins the destruction that leads to Beowulf's final battle.
The treasure was first buried by nameless nobles, who protected it with a curse referred to near the end of the poem. It was much later unearthed and enjoyed for a time by men who gradually died out, leaving the final survivor who delivers the elegy at the beginning of this section and deposits the treasure in a barrow by the sea, where the dragon discovers it. Ironically, Beowulf dies thinking that the treasure he has won will benefit his people; instead, the Geats burn or bury all of it with Beowulf. As the anonymous messenger indicates towards the end, the old curse will probably punish the Geats since they left much of the treasure undestroyed in the burial mound.
The Geat-Swede conflicts and the fall of Hygelac are presented in a natural if unchronological way at appropriate moments throughout this section of the poem in highly allusive episodes, by the poet himself, by Beowulf, and by the anonymous messenger. In the opening sentence the poet mentions the deaths of Hygelac and his son Heardred, thus bringing together two separate events in a long series summarized as follows:
Three generations of Geats and Swedes are involved in these events. After Haethcyn accidentally kills his older brother Herebeald, King Hrethel of the Geats dies of a broken heart. The Swedes then attack the Geats in Geatish territory at Hreosnabeorh, after which Haethcyn leads a punitive expedition into Swedish territory at Hrefnawudu/Hrefnesholt (alternate names for “Ravenswood”), where Ongentheow, king of the Swedes, kills him and is himself killed by Wulf and Eofor, young Geatish warriors.
The first generation is now gone. Of the Geats, only Hygelac, his young son Heardred, and Beowulf remain. Of the Swedes, there are Ongentheow's sons Onela and Ohthere, and Ohthere's sons Eanmund and Eadgils.
During a pause in the Geat-Swede conflicts, Hygelac leads an expedition up the lower Rhine into the land of Franks and Frisians (including Hugas, Hetware, and Merovingians), where he is killed as he prepares to leave, Beowulf alone escaping. Heardred is now king of the Geats and Ohthere rules the Swedes.
When Ohthere dies, Onela seizes the throne from his nephew and sets in motion a series of conflicts that leave only two principals alive: Eadgils, now king of the Swedes, and Beowulf, now king of the Geats. Fifty years later, Wiglaf, chosen by Beowulf to succeed him, wears the armor of the slain brother of Eadgils, presumably still king of the Swedes, an unfortunate situation.
