This content contains a full and comprehensive summary of the historical poem, Beowulf.
The Spear-Danes two precious Kings are so extremely fiery in battles and well straight when dealing with their subjects in the mead-hall that is meant for all kinds of feast and merriments.
Between these two king is Shield Sheafson who appears to be the first one between the two. Shield is succeeded by his son, Beow who also made a great impact while ruling over his people. Beow reigns and his death helps him in handing over to his son Halfdane, a warlord who has three sons, Heorogar, Hrothgar, and Halga, and one daughter. Halfdane's daughter whose name is unknown.
Prince Hrothgar gets upper hand among his other brother and is bestowed with opportunity to serve the Danes's land as their new king after his father last breath. Hrothgar has support from a lot of people both the young and the aged that boost his chance of becoming the king. That is where his success starts from
King of the Danes in Denmark who ascends the throne after the great king Shield Sheafson, King Hrothgar is pleased over his success as a prominent ruler of the kingdom and therefore sets up a mead-hall where his subjects will be using for any feast. The hall will be a place where lords and other great people in the land will be hanging out. He called the gigantic mead-hall Heorot.
Inside the mead-hall, the king's warriors and servants always assemble to drink and eat together as well as receiving gifts from their masters. While entertainers such as storytellers, bards, and scops will also be available to render their hilarious services.
A demon that is dwelling nearby the heorot hall, in a place known as swamplands of Hrothgar’s kingdom often feels bad about the joyous noise as it considers the noise as offensive. The demon's name is Grendel. He rigidly hates seeing or hearing making merriment either by drinking or partying together like what is happening in the mead-hall everytime. The contents of the songs that are coming to his ears irritate him more as the contents are geared towards God's praise which demons dislike.
From time to time especially in every night, Grendel makes its way to the Heorot hall to cause calamity by attacking the King's warriors, kills them and sometimes takes them as its food. In the first night that Grendel appear to terrorise the Heorot, he kills and takes always thirty people. The king and his people look helpless when discover what has befell on them from the Grendel's hands.
He returns in the following night to repeat what he does previous night This horrible torment continues for many years more than twelve, while the kingdom is powerless over the demon. No one comes to the hall again as it has become centre of dismissal for anyone.
Everywhere both inside the kingdom and outside is filled with news about the King's helplessness. Storytellers and singers use the trends to boost their businesses by telling sad stories and singing about it.
No one dares to face Grendel let alone approaching him with negotiation of ransom maybe he can stop his disastrous acts against the land.
A lot of efforts are made by Hrothgar to stop the beast from attacking them. Some people lend him several pieces of advice that including opinion to use military strategies against it. Some say he should render sacrifice to pagan gods thinking that the gods can help them out of the problem. All efforts prove abortive and are wasted.
A king from a nearby country, Geats king,King Hygelac hears of the plight that is agonising the Spear-Danes and rises to rescue them. He therefore asks his warriors to get his boat ready for the journey. His warriors wish to stop him from leaving but dare not utter such word to him. They instead prepare some warriors to go on his behalf. The men and tell reason for their visitation once they set foots on the land. The Dane think the Geats is to for war but a warrior explains that he is a Geat, a follower of King Hygelac, and the son of a noble and famous warlord named Ecgtheow.
It is declared that the leader of the warriors is named Beowulf who is Ecgtheow's son who has got information about the Deans' agony and remembers a favour that Hrothgar has done for his father in the past and sails out to lend hand to safety of the Deans in Denmark.
On getting to the kingdom, Hrothgar warmly welcome Beowulf and accedes his offer to go in battle against Grendel and set the kingdom free from its tribulations. The king organises a banquet in the luminary's honour to welcome him to the land. During banquet, one of the Hrothgar's men, Unferth reveals his lack of contentment towards the honour given to the hero but later admit after when Beowulf relates with him his past achievements.
Subsequently, at night, Grendel shows up and Beowulf goes in battle against the demon. During the fight, the demon gets mortally wounded. His arm gets tore in the shoulder runs away because he cannot withstand the defeat. This later leads to his death in the wilderness.
Hrothgar and his people are extremely happy when seeing the victorious end of the battle. In order to expressive mind that understands favour, Beowulf receives gifts and treasures from the king as a mark of honour to him.
Unknown to them, the dead demon has a mother who has discovered her son's untimely death. The mother decide to take revenge against her son's murderers in wherever they are hiding. By the time the demon appears, the Danish and Beowulf are sleeping after a long time of celebration over the victory.
At that very night when they have been overjoyed and carried away, she killed many among the warriors that are in the hall including Aeschere, who happens to be Hrothgar’s most trusted adviser. She continues attacking them until when everyone wakes up. She immediately flees to hide in a cave underneath a nearby lake when detects that the people have waken up.
Beowulf along with some warriors follows her to the cave in order to have her caught. The other warriors return to the city while Beowulf only enters into the cave to fight her. The Danish warriors create a mindset that Beowulf will not return alive but the legend's followers have a contrary mind believing in their master.
The legend and the demon start fighting against each other when they meet inside the cave. Suddenly, he sights a blade in the demon's stash of treasure, seizes it and uses it to cut her head off.
Danish warriors are amazed to see him appearing holding Grendel's mother's head. For the second time, they rejoice and give more gifts and treasures to their saviour.
Hrothgar feels bad over Beowulf's departure. In fact, it is sorrowful goodbye for the king but there is no remedy nor means to retain him. He has to return with his followers to their land Geatland where King Hygelac is ruling.
As they get back home, they meet king Hygelac and his queen, Hygd and relate how victorious their journey to Denmark is being.
Not quite long, Beowulf ascends the Geatland throne after when Hygelac, Hygd and their sons get killed in a war against Shylfings. He reigns for complete fifty years. During the fifty years, his people are protected as they are free from threaten of other countries that surround them.
Everything is going well with both the young and the old of the land.
To interrupt the peace that has been order of the day in that land, someone goes and steal a goblet that belongs to a dragon. This move angers the dragon to the extent that he goes ahead destroying every village by burning them into ashes. A lot of people are killed by the dragon but still not satisfy his anger.
Regarding his love to his kingdom, Beowulf takes seven men with himself and set off to wage war against the dragon. During the fiery battle between the beast and the king, the king gets seriously wounded but manages to dismiss the beast with assistance from Wiglaf who is one of his men. He is traumatised as the monster deeply bites him in his neck. Immediately after the dragon's last breath, the king also gives up the ghost as a result of venom of the bite.
The Geats after their King's departure bring up an gigantic funeral pyre to honour him. This is done after they have fulfilled his wish that his body should be burn before getting buried. Once the pyre has burned down, they spend ten days building an enormous barrow.
The people are so terrified fearing that their King's death will be opportune time for the enemies to make their wishes accomplished over them.
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