What is Beowulf (hero)?
'''Beowulf''' is the hero of the [[Old English language|Anglo-Saxon]] poem ''[[Beowulf]]''. He was the son of Ecgþeow, a banished warrior of the Wægmundings. Ecgþeow had killed a man from another [[clan]] and had to flee to the [[Denmark|Danes]]. The Danish king Hroðgar accepted him as one of his warriors. The king also paid to repay the blood feud that was threatening Ecgþeow. When King Hroðgar came upon difficulties because his land was raided by the [[giant]] Grendel- a descendant of [[Cain]], and cursed-, Ecgþeow's son Beowulf came to help him with twelve warriors. During the night, Grendel arrived to attack the sleeping men. Grendel gruesomely slaughtered one man before anyone awoke, but Beowulf attacked him. Beowulf had earlier decided to fight without his [[sword]] because he thought it would be shameful to fight with unequal weaponry. He, however, outmatched Grendel in strength and tore off his arm. Grendel fled back to his cave, where he died and his arm was fixed to the wall like a trophy. During the following night, Grendel's Mother arrived and Beowulf had an even harder fight against her, as she stole back her son's arm and retreated to her underwater cave. Beowulf followed her and spent a day sinking to the bottom of the lake, and they fought it out a while before Beowulf saw a sword, which conveniently was the only sword that could possibly kill Grendel's mother. He stabbed her with it, and she died. The sword dissolved and he found and beheaded Grendel's body. He brought back the head as a trophy. Beowulf was greatly rewarded for both of these feats, and he and his men were showered in glory and riches. All the gold was presented to their king, and Beowulf was rewarded with a great sword, land, a hall, and the [[throne]] of the Geats when the current king dies. Later on in life, Beowulf ruled over his native Geatland for 50 years until a [[dragon]] attacked after a golden goblet was stolen from its cave by a slave. He travels to its cave and successfully slays it, but is severely injured in the m