I. Beowulf_ an Anglo-Saxon poem. II. The fight at Finnsburh_ a fragment. (Old English (ca. 450-1100)) 26938 downloads.pdf

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Title: I. Beowulf: an Anglo-Saxon poem. II. The fight at
Finnsburh: a fragment.

Editor: James A. Harrison
Robert Sharp

Release date: January 1, 2006 [eBook #9701]
Most recently updated: April 11, 2021

Language: English, Old English

Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9701

Credits: Karl Hagen and PG Distributed Proofreaders

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK I. BEOWULF:
AN ANGLO-SAXON POEM. II. THE FIGHT AT FINNSBURH: A
FRAGMENT. ***

Contents

Preface to the Project Gutenberg Edition of Beowulf

This text is a revised and corrected version of the fourth edition of
Harrison and Sharp in its entirety. It comes in two basic versions.
The base version (available in 8-bit (Latin-1) text and HTML)
presents the original text as printed. It preserves the source-text's
idiosyncratic use of accented vowels with the exception of y-
circumflex (ŷ), which is replaced by y-acute (ý) to fit within the
Latin-1 character set. Manifestly unintentional errors in the text
have been corrected. In general, this has only been done when
the text is internally inconsistent (e.g., a quotation in the glossary
does not match the main text). Forms that represent deliberate
editorial choice have not been altered, even where they appear
wrong. (For example, some of the markings of vowel length do not
reflect current scholarly consensus.) Where an uncorrected
problem may confuse the reader, I have inserted a note explaining
the difficulty, signed KTH. A complete list of the changes made is
appended at the end of the file. In order to make the text more
useful to modern readers, I have also produced a revised edition,
available in Unicode (UTF-8) and HTML. The file you are reading
is this revised version. Notes from the source text that indicate
changes adopted in later editions have been incorporated directly
into the text and apparatus. Further, long vowels are indicated with
macrons, as is the common practice of most modern editions.
Finally, the quantity of some words has been altered to the values
currently accepted as correct. Quantities have not been changed
when the difference is a matter of editorial interpretation (e.g.,
gæst vs. gǣst in l. 102, etc.) A list of these altered quantities
appears at the end of the list of corrections. Your browser must
support the Unicode character set to use this file. To tell if your
browser supports the necessary characters, check the table of
vowel equivalents below. If you see any empty boxes or question
marks in the "revised" columns, you should use the basic version.

Explanation of the Vowel Accenting

In general, Harrison and Sharp use circumflex accents over
vowels to mark long vowels. For ash, however, the actual
character 'æ' represents the long vowel. Short ash is rendered
with a-umlaut (ä). The long diphthongs (ēo, ēa, etc.) are indicated
with an acute accent over the second vowel (eó, eá, etc.).

Vowel Equivalents in Different Versions:

Orig. Revised Orig. Revised
ä æ Ô Ō
Ä Æ û ū
æ ǣ Û Ū
Æ Ǣ ý ȳ
â ā Ý Ȳ
 Ā eá ēa
ê ē Eá Ēa
Ê Ē eó ēo
î ī Eó Ēo
Î Ī ié īe
ô ō ió īo

I. BĒOWULF:
AN ANGLO-SAXON POEM.

II. THE FIGHT AT FINNSBURH:
A FRAGMENT.

WITH TEXT AND GLOSSARY ON THE

BASIS OF M. HEYNE.

EDITED, CORRECTED, AND ENLARGED, BY

JAMES A. HARRISON, LL.D., LITT. D.,

PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH AND MODERN LANGUAGES,

WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY,

AND

ROBERT SHARP (PH.D. LIPS.),

PROFESSOR OF GREEK AND ENGLISH,

TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA.

FOURTH EDITION. REVISED, WITH NOTES.

GINN & COMPANY

BOSTON—NEW YORK—CHICAGO—LONDON

Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1883, by

JAMES ALBERT HARRISON AND ROBERT SHARP

in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

DEDICATED

TO

PROFESSOR F. A. MARCH,

OF LAFAYETTE COLLEGE, PA.,

AND

FREDERICK J. FURNIVALL, ESQ.

FOUNDER OF THE "NEW SHAKSPERE SOCIETY,"

THE "CHAUCER SOCIETY," ETC., ETC.

PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION.

The favor with which the successive editions of "Bēowulf" have
been received during the past thirteen years emboldens the
editors to continue the work of revision in a fourth issue, the most
noticeable feature of which is a considerable body of explanatory
Notes, now for the first time added. These Notes mainly concern
themselves with new textual readings, with here and there
grammatical, geographical, and archæological points that seemed
worthy of explanation. Parallelisms and parallel passages are
constantly compared, with the view of making the poem illustrate
and explain itself. A few emendations and textual changes are
suggested by the editors with all possible diffidence; numerous
corrections have been made in the Glossary and List of Names;
and the valuable parts of former Appendices have been embodied
in the Notes.

For the Notes, the editors are much indebted to the various
German periodicals mentioned on page 116, to the recent
publications of Professors Earle and J. L. Hall, to Mr. S. A. Brooke,

and to the Heyne-Socin edition of "Bēowulf." No change has been
made in the system of accentuation, though a few errors in
quantity have been corrected. The editors are looking forward to
an eventual fifth edition, in which an entirely new text will be
presented.

October, 1893.

NOTE TO THE THIRD EDITION.

This third edition of the American issue of Bēowulf will, the editors
hope, be found more accurate and useful than either of the
preceding editions. Further corrections in text and glossary have
been made, and some additional new readings and suggestions
will be found in two brief appendices at the back of the book.
Students of the metrical system of Bēowulf will find ample material
for their studies in Sievers' exhaustive essay on that subject
(Beiträge, X. 209-314).

Socin's edition of Heyne's Bēowulf (called the fifth edition) has
been utilized to some extent in this edition, though it unfortunately
came too late to be freely used. While it repeats many of the
omissions and inaccuracies of Heyne's fourth edition, it contains
much that is valuable to the student, particularly in the notes and
commentary. Students of the poem, which has been subjected to
much searching criticism during the last decade, will also derive
especial help from the contributions of Sievers and Kluge on
difficult questions appertaining to it. Wülker's new edition (in the
Grein Bibliothek) is of the highest value, however one may dissent
from particular textual views laid down in the 'Berichtigter Text.'
Paul and Braune's Beiträge contain a varied miscellany of hints,
corrections, and suggestions principally embodying the views of
Kluge, Cosijn, Sievers, and Bugge, some of the more important of
which are found in the appendices to the present and the
preceding edition. Holder and Zupitza, Sarrazin and Hermann
Möller (Kiel, 1883), Heinzel (Anzeiger f.d. Alterthum, X.), Gering
(Zacher's Zeitschrift, XII.), Brenner (Eng. Studien, IX.), and the

contributors to Anglia, have assisted materially in the textual and
metrical interpretation of the poem.

The subject of Anglo-Saxon quantity has been discussed in
several able essays by Sievers, Sweet, Ten Brink (Anzeiger, f.d.
Alterthum, V.), Kluge (Beiträge, XI.), and others; but so much is
uncertain in this field that the editors have left undisturbed the
marking of vowels found in the text of their original edition, while
indicating in the appendices the now accepted views of scholars
on the quantity of the personal pronouns (mē, wē, þū, þē, gē, hē);
the adverb nū, etc. Perhaps it would be best to banish absolutely
all attempts at marking quantities except in cases where the Ms.
has them marked.

An approximately complete Bibliography of Bēowulf literature will
be found in Wülker's Grundriss and in Garnett's translation of the
poem.

JAMES A. HARRISON,

ROBERT SHARP.

WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY, LEXINGTON, VA., May,
1888.

NOTE TO THE SECOND REVISED EDITION.

The editors feel so encouraged at the kind reception accorded
their edition of Bēowulf (1883), that, in spite of its many
shortcomings, they have determined to prepare a second revised
edition of the book, and thus endeavor to extend its sphere of
usefulness. About twenty errors had, notwithstanding a vigilant
proof-reading, crept into the text,—errors in single letters, accents,
and punctuation. These have been corrected, and it is hoped that
the text has been rendered generally accurate and trustworthy. In
the List of Names one or two corrections have been made, and in
the Glossary numerous mistakes in gender, classification, and
translation, apparently unavoidable in a first edition, have been

rectified. Wherever these mistakes concern single letters, or
occupy very small space, they have been corrected in the plates;
where they are longer, and the expense of correcting them in the
plates would have been very great, the editors have thought it best
to include them in an Appendix of Corrections and Additions, which
will be found at the back of the book. Students are accordingly
referred to this Appendix for important longer corrections and
additions. It is believed that the value of the book has been much
enhanced by an Appendix of Recent Readings, based on late
criticisms and essays from the pens of Sievers, Kluge, Cosijn,
Holder, Wülker, and Sweet. A perplexed student, in turning to
these suggested readings, will often find great help in unravelling
obscure or corrupt passages.

The objectionable ä and æ, for the short and the long diphthong,
have been retained in the revised edition, owing to the
impossibility of removing them without entirely recasting the
plates.

In conclusion, the editors would acknowledge their great
indebtedness to the friends and critics whose remarks and
criticisms have materially aided in the correction of the text,—
particularly to Profs. C.P.G. Scott, Baskervill, Price, and J.M. Hart;
to Prof. J.W. Bright; and to the authorities of Cornell University, for
the loan of periodicals necessary to the completeness of the
revision. While the second revised edition still contains much that
might be improved, the editors cannot but hope that it is an
advance on its predecessor, and that it will continue its work of
extending the study of Old English throughout the land.

JUNE, 1885.

NOTE I.

The present work, carefully edited from Heyne's fourth edition,
(Paderborn, 1879), is designed primarily for college classes in
Anglo-Saxon, rather than for independent investigators or for

seekers after a restored or ideal text. The need of an American
edition of "Bēowulf" has long been felt, as, hitherto, students have
had either to send to Germany for a text, or secure, with great
trouble, one of the scarce and expensive English editions. Heyne's
first edition came out in 1863, and was followed in 1867 and 1873
by a second and a third edition, all three having essentially the
same text.

So many important contributions to the "Bēowulf" literature were,
however, made between 1873 and 1879 that Heyne found it
necessary to put forth a new edition (1879). In this new, last
edition, the text was subjected to a careful revision, and was
fortified by the views, contributions, and criticisms of other zealous
scholars. In it the collation of the unique "Bēowulf" Ms. (Vitellius A.
15: Cottonian Mss. of the British Museum), as made by E. Kölbing
in Herrig's Archiv (Bd. 56; 1876), was followed wherever the
present condition of the Ms. had to be discussed; and the
researches of Bugge, Bieger, and others, on single passages,
were made use of. The discussion of the metrical structure of the
poem, as occurring in the second and third editions, was omitted
in the fourth, owing to the many controversies in which the subject
is still involved. The present editor has thought it best to do the
same, though, happily, the subject of Old English Metrik is
undergoing a steady illumination through the labors of Schipper
and others.

Some errors and misplaced accents in Heyne's text have been
corrected in the present edition, in which, as in the general
revision of the text, the editor has been most kindly aided by Prof.
J.M. Garnett, late Principal of St. John's College, Maryland.

In the preparation of the present school edition it has been thought
best to omit Heyne's notes, as they concern themselves principally
with conjectural emendations, substitutions of one reading for
another, and discussions of the condition of the Ms. Until Wülker's
text and the photographic fac-simile of the original Ms. are in the

hands of all scholars, it will be better not to introduce such matters
in the school room, where they would puzzle without instructing.

For convenience of reference, the editor has added a head-line to
each "fit" of the poem, with a view to facilitate a knowledge of its
episodes.

WASHINGTON AND LEE UNIVERSITY, LEXINGTON, VA., June,
1882.

NOTE II.

The editors now have the pleasure of presenting to the public a
complete text and a tolerably complete glossary of "Bēowulf." The
edition is the first published in America, and the first of its special
kind presented to the English public, and it is the initial volume of a
"Library of Anglo-Saxon Poetry," to be edited under the same
auspices and with the coöperation of distinguished scholars in this
country. Among these scholars may be mentioned Professors F.A.
March of Lafayette College, T.K. Price of Columbia College, and
W.M. Baskervill of Vanderbilt University.

In the preparation of the Glossary the editors found it necessary to
abandon a literal and exact translation of Heyne for several
reasons, and among others from the fact that Heyne seems to be
wrong in the translation of some of his illustrative quotations, and
even translates the same passage in two or three different ways
under different headings. The orthography of his glossary differs
considerably from the orthography of his text. He fails to
discriminate with due nicety the meanings of many of the words in
his vocabulary, while criticism more recent than his latest edition
(1879) has illustrated or overthrown several of his renderings. The
references were found to be incorrect in innumerable instances,
and had to be verified in every individual case so far as this was
possible, a few only, which resisted all efforts at verification, having
to be indicated by an interrogation point (?). The references are
exceedingly numerous, and the labor of verifying them was

naturally great. To many passages in the Glossary, where Heyne's
translation could not be trusted with entire certainty, the editors
have added other translations of phrases and sentences or of
special words; and in this they have been aided by a careful study
of the text and a comparison and utilization of the views of Kemble
and Professor J.M. Garnett (who takes Grein for his foundation).
Many new references have been added; and the various passages
in which Heyne fails to indicate whether a given verb is weak or
strong, or fails to point out the number, etc., of the illustrative form,
have been corrected and made to harmonize with the general plan
of the work. Numerous misprints in the glossary have also been
corrected, and a brief glossary to the Finnsburh-fragment,
prepared by Dr. Wm. Hand Browne, and supplemented and
adapted by the editor-in-chief, has been added.

The editors think that they may without immodesty put forth for
themselves something more than the claim of being re-translators
of a translation: the present edition is, so far as they were able to
make it so, an adaptation, correction, and extension of the work of
the great German scholar to whose loving appreciation of the
Anglo-Saxon epic all students of Old English owe a debt of
gratitude. While following his usually sure and cautious guidance,
and in the main appropriating his results, they have thought it best
to deviate from him in the manner above indicated, whenever it
seemed that he was wrong. The careful reader will notice at once
the marks of interrogation which point out these deviations, or
which introduce a point of view illustrative of, or supplementary to,
the one given by the German editor. No doubt the editors are
wrong themselves in many places,—"Bēowulf" is a most difficult
poem,—but their view may at least be defended by a reference to
the original text, which they have faithfully and constantly
consulted.

A good many cognate Modern English words have been
introduced here and there in the Glossary with a view to
illustration, and other addenda will be found between brackets and
parenthetical marks.

It is hoped that the present edition of the most famous of Old
English poems will do something to promote a valuable and
interesting study.

JAMES A. HARRISON, Washington and Lee University, Lexington,
Va.

ROBERT SHARP, University of Louisiana, New Orleans.

April, 1883.

The responsibility of the editors is as follows: H. is responsible for
the Text, and for the Glossary from hrīnan on; S. for the List of
Names, and for the Glossary as far as hrīnan.

ARGUMENT.

The only national [Anglo-Saxon] epic which has been preserved
entire is Bēowulf. Its argument is briefly as follows:—The poem
opens with a few verses in praise of the Danish Kings, especially
Scild, the son of Sceaf. His death is related, and his descendants
briefly traced down to Hroðgar. Hroðgar, elated with his prosperity
and success in war, builds a magnificent hall, which he calls
Heorot. In this hall Hroðgar and his retainers live in joy and
festivity, until a malignant fiend, called Grendel, jealous of their
happiness, carries off by night thirty of Hroðgar's men, and
devours them in his moorland retreat. These ravages go on for
twelve years. Bēowulf, a thane of Hygelac, King of the Goths,
hearing of Hroðgar's calamities, sails from Sweden with fourteen
warriors—to help him. They reach the Danish coast in safety; and,
after an animated parley with Hroðgar's coastguard, who at first
takes them for pirates, they are allowed to proceed to the royal
hall, where they are well received by Hroðgar. A banquet ensues,
during which Bēowulf is taunted by the envious Hunferhð about his
swimming-match with Breca, King of the Brondings. Bēowulf gives
the true account of the contest, and silences Hunferhð. At night-fall

the King departs, leaving Bēowulf in charge of the hall. Grendel
soon breaks in, seizes and devours one of Bēowulf's companions;
is attacked by Bēowulf, and, after losing an arm, which is torn off
by Bēowulf, escapes to the fens. The joy of Hroðgar and the
Danes, and their festivities, are described, various episodes are
introduced, and Bēowulf and his companions receive splendid
gifts. The next night Grendel's mother revenges her son by
carrying off AEschere, the friend and councillor of Hroðgar, during
the absence of Bēowulf. Hroðgar appeals to Bēowulf for
vengeance, and describes the haunts of Grendel and his mother.
They all proceed thither; the scenery of the lake, and the monsters
that dwell in it, are described. Bēowulf plunges into the water, and
attacks Grendel's mother in her dwelling at the bottom of the lake.
He at length overcomes her, and cuts off her head, together with
that of Grendel, and brings the heads to Hroðgar. He then takes
leave of Hroðgar, sails back to Sweden, and relates his
adventures to Hygelac. Here the first half of the poem ends. The
second begins with the accession of Bēowulf to the throne, after
the fall of Hygelac and his son Heardred. He rules prosperously for
fifty years, till a dragon, brooding over a hidden treasure, begins to
ravage the country, and destroys Bēowulf's palace with fire.
Bēowulf sets out in quest of its hiding-place, with twelve men.
Having a presentiment of his approaching end, he pauses and
recalls to mind his past life and exploits. He then takes leave of his
followers, one by one, and advances alone to attack the dragon.
Unable, from the heat, to enter the cavern, he shouts aloud, and
the dragon comes forth. The dragon's scaly hide is proof against
Bēowulf's sword, and he is reduced to great straits. Then Wiglaf,
one of his followers, advances to help him. Wiglaf's shield is
consumed by the dragon's fiery breath, and he is compelled to
seek shelter under Bēowulf's shield of iron. Bēowulf's sword snaps
asunder, and he is seized by the dragon. Wiglaf stabs the dragon
from underneath, and Bēowulf cuts it in two with his dagger.
Feeling that his end is near, he bids Wiglaf bring out the treasures
from the cavern, that he may see them before he dies. Wiglaf
enters the dragon's den, which is described, returns to Bēowulf,
and receives his last commands. Bēowulf dies, and Wiglaf bitterly

reproaches his companions for their cowardice. The disastrous
consequences of Bēowulf's death are then foretold, and the poem
ends with his funeral.—H. Sweet, in Warton's History of English
Poetry, Vol. II. (ed. 1871). Cf. also Ten Brink's History of English
Literature.

BĒOWULF.

I. THE PASSING OF SCYLD.
Hwæt! wē Gār-Dena in geār-dagum †
þēod-cyninga þrym gefrūnon,
hū þā æðelingas ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scēfing sceaðena þrēatum, †
5monegum mǣgðum meodo-setla oftēah.
Egsode eorl, syððan ǣrest wearð †
fēa-sceaft funden: hē þæs frōfre gebād,
wēox under wolcnum, weorð-myndum ðāh,
oð þæt him ǣghwylc þāra ymb-sittendra
10ofer hron-rāde hȳran scolde,
gomban gyldan: þæt wæs gōd cyning!
þǣm eafera wæs æfter cenned
geong in geardum, þone god sende
folce tō frōfre; fyren-þearfe ongeat,
15þæt hīe ǣr drugon aldor-lēase †
lange hwīle. Him þæs līf-frēa,
wuldres wealdend, worold-āre forgeaf;
Bēowulf wæs brēme (blǣd wīde sprang), †
Scyldes eafera Scede-landum in. †
20Swā sceal geong guma, gōde gewyrcean,
fromum feoh-giftum on fæder wine, †
þæt hine on ylde eft gewunigen †
wil-gesīðas, þonne wīg cume,
lēode gelǣsten: lof-dǣdum sceal
25in mǣgða gehwǣre man geþēon.
Him þā Scyld gewāt tō gescæp-hwīle †
fela-hrōr fēran on frēan wǣre;
hī hyne þā ætbǣron tō brimes faroðe.
swǣse gesīðas, swā hē selfa bæd,
30þenden wordum wēold wine Scyldinga,
lēof land-fruma lange āhte. †
Þǣr æt hȳðe stōd hringed-stefna, †
īsig and ūtfūs, æðelinges fær;

ā-lēdon þā lēofne þēoden, †
35bēaga bryttan on bearm scipes, †
mǣrne be mæste. Þǣr wæs mādma fela,
of feor-wegum frætwa gelǣded:
ne hȳrde ic cȳmlīcor cēol gegyrwan
hilde-wǣpnum and heaðo-wǣdum,
40billum and byrnum; him on bearme læg
mādma mænigo, þā him mid scoldon
on flōdes ǣht feor gewītan.
Nalas hī hine lǣssan lācum tēodan,
þēod-gestrēonum, þonne þā dydon,
45þē hine æt frumsceafte forð onsendon
ǣnne ofer ȳðe umbor wesende:
þā gȳt hīe him āsetton segen gyldenne
hēah ofer hēafod, lēton holm beran,
gēafon on gār-secg: him wæs geōmor sefa, †
50murnende mōd. Men ne cunnon
secgan tō soðe sele-rǣdende, †
hæleð under heofenum, hwā þǣm hlæste onfēng.

II. THE HALL HEOROT.
Þā wæs on burgum Bēowulf Scyldinga, †
lēof lēod-cyning, longe þrāge
55folcum gefrǣge (fæder ellor hwearf,
aldor of earde), oð þæt him eft onwōc
hēah Healfdene; hēold þenden lifde,
gamol and gūð-rēow, glæde Scyldingas. †
Þǣm fēower bearn forð-gerīmed
60in worold wōcun, weoroda rǣswan, †
Heorogār and Hrōðgār and Hālga til;
hȳrde ic, þat Elan cwēn Ongenþēowes wæs †
Heaðoscilfinges heals-gebedde.
Þā wæs Hrōðgāre here-spēd gyfen,
65wīges weorð-mynd, þæt him his wine-māgas
georne hȳrdon, oð þæt sēo geogoð gewēox,
mago-driht micel. Him on mōd bearn,
þæt heal-reced hātan wolde, †
medo-ærn micel men gewyrcean,
70þone yldo bearn ǣfre gefrūnon, †
and þǣr on innan eall gedǣlan
geongum and ealdum, swylc him god sealde,
būton folc-scare and feorum gumena. †
Þā ic wīde gefrægn weorc gebannan
75manigre mǣgðe geond þisne middan-geard,
folc-stede frætwan. Him on fyrste gelomp
ǣdre mid yldum, þæt hit wearð eal gearo,
heal-ærna mǣst; scōp him Heort naman, †
sē þe his wordes geweald wīde hæfde.
80Hē bēot ne ālēh, bēagas dǣlde,
sinc æt symle. Sele hlīfade
hēah and horn-gēap: heaðo-wylma bād,
lāðan līges; ne wæs hit lenge þā gēn
þæt se ecg-hete āðum-swerian †

85æfter wæl-nīðe wæcnan scolde.
Þā se ellen-gǣst earfoðlīce
þrāge geþolode, sē þe in þȳstrum bād,
þæt hē dōgora gehwām drēam gehȳrde †
hlūdne in healle; þǣr wæs hearpan swēg,
90swutol sang scopes. Sægde sē þe cūðe †
frum-sceaft fīra feorran reccan,
cwæð þæt se ælmihtiga eorðan worhte, †
wlite-beorhtne wang, swā wæter bebūgeð,
gesette sige-hrēðig sunnan and mōnan
95lēoman tō lēohte land-būendum,
and gefrætwade foldan scēatas
leomum and lēafum; līf ēac gesceōp
cynna gehwylcum, þāra þe cwice hwyrfað.
Swā þā driht-guman drēamum lifdon
100ēadiglīce, oð þæt ān ongan †
fyrene fremman, fēond on helle: †
wæs se grimma gæst Grendel hāten, †
mǣre mearc-stapa, sē þe mōras hēold, †
fen and fæsten; fīfel-cynnes eard
105won-sǣlig wer weardode hwīle, †
siððan him scyppend forscrifen hæfde. †
In Caines cynne þone cwealm gewræc,
ēce drihten, þæs þe hē Ābel slōg; †
ne gefeah hē þǣre fǣhðe, ac hē hine feor forwræc,
110metod for þȳ māne man-cynne fram.
Þanon untȳdras ealle onwōcon,
eotenas and ylfe and orcnēas,
swylce gīgantas, þā wið gode wunnon
lange þrāge; hē him þæs lēan forgeald.

III. GRENDEL'S VISITS.
115Gewāt þā nēosian, syððan niht becōm,
hēan hūses, hū hit Hring-Dene
æfter bēor-þege gebūn hæfdon.
Fand þā þǣr inne æðelinga gedriht
swefan æfter symble; sorge ne cūðon, †
120won-sceaft wera. Wiht unhǣlo †
grim and grǣdig gearo sōna wæs,
rēoc and rēðe, and on ræste genam
þrītig þegna: þanon eft gewāt
hūðe hrēmig tō hām faran,
125mid þǣre wæl-fylle wīca nēosan.
Þā wæs on ūhtan mid ǣr-dæge
Grendles gūð-cræft gumum undyrne:
þā wæs æfter wiste wōp up āhafen,
micel morgen-swēg. Mǣre þēoden,
130æðeling ǣr-gōd, unblīðe sæt,
þolode þrȳð-swȳð, þegn-sorge drēah, †
syððan hīe þæs lāðan lāst scēawedon,
wergan gāstes; wæs þæt gewin tō strang,
lāð and longsum. Næs hit lengra fyrst,
135ac ymb āne niht eft gefremede
morð-beala māre and nō mearn fore
fǣhðe and fyrene; wæs tō fæst on þām.
Þā wæs ēað-fynde, þē him elles hwǣr
gerūmlīcor ræste sōhte,
140bed æfter būrum, þā him gebēacnod wæs,
gesægd sōðlīce sweotolan tācne
heal-þegnes hete; hēold hine syððan †
fyr and fæstor, sē þǣm fēonde ætwand.
Swā rīxode and wið rihte wan †
145āna wið eallum, oð þæt īdel stōd
hūsa sēlest. Wæs sēo hwīl micel: †

twelf wintra tīd torn geþolode
wine Scyldinga, wēana gehwelcne,
sīdra sorga; forþām syððan wearð †
150ylda bearnum undyrne cūð,
gyddum geōmore, þætte Grendel wan,
hwīle wið Hrōðgār;— hete-nīðas wæg,
fyrene and fǣhðe fela missēra,
singāle sæce, sibbe ne wolde †
155wið manna hwone mægenes Deniga
feorh-bealo feorran, fēo þingian,
nē þǣr nǣnig witena wēnan þorfte
beorhtre bōte tō banan folmum;
atol ǣglǣca ēhtende wæs, †
160deorc dēað-scūa duguðe and geogoðe
seomade and syrede. Sin-nihte hēold
mistige mōras; men ne cunnon,
hwyder hel-rūnan hwyrftum scrīðað.
Swā fela fyrena fēond man-cynnes,
165atol ān-gengea, oft gefremede
heardra hȳnða; Heorot eardode,
sinc-fāge sel sweartum nihtum
(nō hē þone gif-stōl grētan mōste, †
māððum for metode, nē his myne wisse); †
170þæt wæs wrǣc micel wine Scyldinga,
mōdes brecða. Monig-oft gesæt
rīce tō rūne; rǣd eahtedon,
hwæt swīð-ferhðum sēlest wǣre
wið fǣr-gryrum tō gefremmanne. †
175Hwīlum hīe gehēton æt hærg-trafum †
wīg-weorðunga, wordum bǣdon,
þæt him gāst-bona gēoce gefremede †
wið þēod-þrēaum. Swylc wæs þēaw hyra,
hǣðenra hyht; helle gemundon
180in mōd-sefan, metod hīe ne cūðon,
dǣda dēmend, ne wiston hīe drihten god,
nē hīe hūru heofena helm herian ne cūðon,
wuldres waldend. Wā bið þǣm þe sceal

þurh slīðne nīð sāwle bescūfan
185in fȳres fæðm, frōfre ne wēnan,
wihte gewendan; wēl bið þǣm þe mōt
æfter dēað-dæge drihten sēcean
and tō fæder fæðmum freoðo wilnian.

IV. HYGELAC'S THANE.
Swā þā mǣl-ceare maga Healfdenes †
190singāla sēað; ne mihte snotor hæleð †
wēan onwendan: wæs þæt gewin tō swȳð,
lāð and longsum, þē on þā lēode becōm,
nȳd-wracu nīð-grim, niht-bealwa mǣst.
Þæt fram hām gefrægn Higelāces þegn, †
195gōd mid Gēatum, Grendles dǣda:
sē wæs mon-cynnes mægenes strengest
on þǣm dæge þysses līfes, †
æðele and ēacen. Hēt him ȳð-lidan
gōdne gegyrwan; cwæð hē gūð-cyning
200ofer swan-rāde sēcean wolde, †
mǣrne þēoden, þā him wæs manna þearf.
Þone sīð-fæt him snotere ceorlas
lȳt-hwōn lōgon, þēah hē him lēof wǣre; †
hwetton higerōfne, hǣl scēawedon. †
205Hæfde se gōda Gēata lēoda
cempan gecorone, þāra þe hē cēnoste
findan mihte; fīftȳna sum †
sund-wudu sōhte; secg wīsade,
lagu-cræftig mon, land-gemyrcu.
210Fyrst forð gewāt: flota wæs on ȳðum,
bāt under beorge. Beornas gearwe
on stefn stigon; strēamas wundon
sund wið sande; secgas bǣron
on bearm nacan beorhte frætwe,
215gūð-searo geatolīc; guman ūt scufon,
weras on wil-sīð wudu bundenne.
Gewāt þā ofer wǣg-holm winde gefȳsed †
flota fāmig-heals fugle gelīcost, †
oð þæt ymb ān-tīd ōðres dōgores †
220wunden-stefna gewaden hæfde,

þæt þā līðende land gesāwon,
brim-clifu blīcan, beorgas stēape,
sīde sǣ-næssas: þā wæs sund liden,
eoletes æt ende. Þanon up hraðe †
225Wedera lēode on wang stigon,
sǣ-wudu sǣldon (syrcan hrysedon,
gūð-gewǣdo); gode þancedon,
þæs þe him ȳð-lāde ēaðe wurdon.
Þā of wealle geseah weard Scildinga, †
230sē þe holm-clifu healdan scolde,
beran ofer bolcan beorhte randas,
fyrd-searu fūslīcu; hine fyrwyt bræc
mōd-gehygdum, hwæt þā men wǣron.
Gewāt him þā tō waroðe wicge rīdan
235þegn Hrōðgāres, þrymmum cwehte
mægen-wudu mundum, meðel-wordum frægn:
"Hwæt syndon gē searo-hæbbendra
"byrnum werede, þē þus brontne cēol
"ofer lagu-strǣte lǣdan cwōmon, †
240"hider ofer holmas helmas bǣron? †
"Ic wæs ende-sǣta, ǣg-wearde hēold,
"þæt on land Dena lāðra nǣnig
"mid scip-herge sceððan ne meahte.
"Nō hēr cūðlīcor cuman ongunnon
245"lind-hæbbende; nē gē lēafnes-word †
"gūð-fremmendra gearwe ne wisson,
"māga gemēdu. Nǣfre ic māran geseah
"eorla ofer eorðan, þonne is ēower sum,
"secg on searwum; nis þæt seld-guma †
250"wǣpnum geweorðad, næfne him his wlite †
lēoge,
"ǣnlīc an-sȳn. Nū ic ēower sceal
"frum-cyn witan, ǣr gē fyr heonan †
"lēase scēaweras on land Dena †
"furður fēran. Nū gē feor-būend,
255"mere-līðende, mīnne gehȳrað
"ān-fealdne geþōht: ofost is sēlest †

"tō gecȳðanne, hwanan ēowre cyme syndon."

V. THE ERRAND.
Him se yldesta andswarode, †
werodes wīsa, word-hord onlēac:
260"Wē synt gum-cynnes Gēata lēode
"and Higelāces heorð-genēatas.
"Wæs mīn fæder folcum gecȳðed,
"æðele ord-fruma Ecgþēow hāten;
"gebād wintra worn, ǣr hē on weg hwurfe,
265"gamol of geardum; hine gearwe geman
"witena wēl-hwylc wīde geond eorðan.—
"Wē þurh holdne hige hlāford þinne,
"sunu Healfdenes, sēcean cwōmon,
"lēod-gebyrgean: wes þū ūs lārena gōd!
270"Habbað wē tō þǣm mǣran micel ǣrende
"Deniga frēan; ne sceal þǣr dyrne sum
"wesan, þæs ic wēne. Þū wāst, gif hit is,
"swā wē sōðlice secgan hȳrdon, †
"þæt mid Scyldingum sceaða ic nāt hwylc,
275"dēogol dǣd-hata, deorcum nihtum †
"ēaweð þurh egsan uncūðne nīð,
"hȳnðu and hrā-fyl. Ic þæs Hrōðgār mæg
"þurh rūmne sefan rǣd gelǣran,
"hū hē frōd and gōd fēond oferswȳðeð,
280"gyf him ed-wendan ǣfre scolde †
"bealuwa bisigu, bōt eft cuman
"and þā cear-wylmas cōlran wurðað;
"oððe ā syððan earfoð-þrāge,
"þrēa-nȳd þolað, þenden þǣr wunað
285"on hēah-stede hūsa sēlest."
Weard maðelode, þǣr on wicge sæt
ombeht unforht: "Ǣghwæðres sceal †
"scearp scyld-wiga gescād witan,
"worda and worca, sē þe wēl þenceð.

290"Ic þæt gehȳre, þæt þis is hold weorod
"frēan Scyldinga. Gewītað forð beran
"wǣpen and gewǣdu, ic ēow wīsige: †
"swylce ic magu-þegnas mīne hāte
"wið fēonda gehwone flotan ēowerne,
295"nīw-tyrwedne nacan on sande
"ārum healdan, oð þæt eft byreð
"ofer lagu-strēamas lēofne mannan
"wudu wunden-hals tō Weder-mearce.
"Gūð-fremmendra swylcum gifeðe bið, †
300"þæt þone hilde-rǣs hāl gedīgeð."
Gewiton him þā fēran (flota stille bād,
seomode on sāle sīd-fæðmed scyp,
on ancre fæst); eofor-līc scionon †
ofer hlēor-beran gehroden golde †
305fāh and fȳr-heard, ferh wearde hēold. †
Gūðmōde grummon, guman ōnetton,
sigon ætsomne, oð þæt hȳ sæl timbred
geatolīc and gold-fāh ongytan mihton;
þæt wæs fore-mǣrost fold-būendum
310receda under roderum, on þǣm se rīca bād;
līxte se lēoma ofer landa fela. †
Him þā hilde-dēor hof mōdigra
torht getǣhte, þæt hīe him tō mihton
gegnum gangan; gūð-beorna sum
315wicg gewende, word æfter cwæð:
"Mǣl is mē tō fēran; fæder alwalda
"mid ār-stafum ēowic gehealde
"sīða gesunde! ic tō sǣ wille, †
"wið wrāð werod wearde healdan."

VI. BĒOWULF'S SPEECH.
320Strǣt wæs stān-fāh, stīg wīsode †
gumum ætgædere. Gūð-byrne scān
heard hond-locen, hring-īren scīr †
song in searwum, þā hīe tō sele furðum
in hyra gryre-geatwum gangan cwōmon.
325Setton sǣ-mēðe sīde scyldas, †
rondas regn-hearde wið þæs recedes weal,
bugon þā tō bence; byrnan hringdon,
gūð-searo gumena; gāras stōdon,
sǣ-manna searo, samod ætgædere,
330æsc-holt ufan grǣg: wæs se īren-þrēat
wǣpnum gewurðad. Þā þǣr wlonc hæleð
ōret-mecgas æfter æðelum frægn:
"Hwanon ferigeað gē fǣtte scyldas, †
"grǣge syrcan and grīm-helmas,
335"here-sceafta hēap?— Ic eom Hrōðgāres
"ār and ombiht. Ne seah ic el-þēodige †
"þus manige men mōdiglīcran.
"Wēn' ic þæt gē for wlenco, nalles for wræc- †
sīðum,
"ac for hige-þrymmum Hrōðgār sōhton."
340Him þā ellen-rōf andswarode,
wlanc Wedera lēod word æfter spræc,
heard under helme: "Wē synt Higelāces
"bēod-genēatas; Bēowulf is mīn nama. †
"Wille ic āsecgan suna Healfdenes, †
345"mǣrum þēodne mīn ǣrende,
"aldre þīnum, gif hē ūs geunnan wile,
"þæt wē hine swā gōdne grētan mōton."
Wulfgār maðelode (þæt wæs Wendla lēod,
wæs his mōd-sefa manegum gecȳðed,
350wīg and wīs-dōm): "ic þæs wine Deniga,

"frēan Scildinga frīnan wille,
"bēaga bryttan, swā þū bēna eart,
"þēoden mǣrne ymb þīnne sīð ; †
"and þē þā andsware ǣdre gecȳðan,
355"þē mē se gōda āgifan þenceð."
Hwearf þā hrædlīce, þǣr Hrōðgār sæt,
eald and unhār mid his eorla gedriht; †
ēode ellen-rōf, þæt hē for eaxlum gestōd †
Deniga frēan, cūðe hē duguðe þēaw.
360Wulfgār maðelode tō his wine-drihtne:
"Hēr syndon geferede feorran cumene
"ofer geofenes begang Gēata lēode:
"þone yldestan ōret-mecgas
"Bēowulf nemnað. Hȳ bēnan synt,
365"þæt hīe, þēoden mīn, wið þē mōton
"wordum wrixlan; nō þū him wearne getēoh,
"þīnra gegn-cwida glædnian, Hrōðgār! †
"Hȳ on wīg-geatwum wyrðe þinceað
"eorla geæhtlan; hūru se aldor dēah, †
370"sē þǣm heaðo-rincum hider wīsade."

VII. HROTHGAR'S WELCOME.
Hrōðgār maðelode, helm Scyldinga:
"Ic hine cūðe cniht-wesende. †
"Wæs his eald-fæder Ecgþēo hāten, †
"þǣm tō hām forgeaf Hrēðel Gēata
375"āngan dōhtor; is his eafora nū
"heard hēr cumen, sōhte holdne wine.
"þonne sægdon þæt sǣ-līðende,
"þā þe gif-sceattas Gēata fyredon †
"þyder tō þance, þæt hē þrīttiges
380"manna mægen-cræft on his mund-grīpe †
"heaðo-rōf hæbbe. Hine hālig god
"for ār-stafum us onsende,
"tō West-Denum, þæs ic wēn hæbbe,
"wið Grendles gryre: ic þǣm gōdan sceal
385"for his mōd-þræce mādmas bēodan.
"Bēo þū on ofeste, hāt hig in gān, †
"sēon sibbe-gedriht samod ætgædere; †
"gesaga him ēac wordum, þæt hīe sint wil-cuman
"Deniga lēodum." Þā wið duru healle
390Wulfgār ēode, word inne ābēad:
"Ēow hēt secgan sige-drihten mīn,
"aldor Ēast-Dena, þæt hē ēower æðelu can
"and gē him syndon ofer sǣ-wylmas,
"heard-hicgende, hider wil-cuman.
395"Nū gē mōton gangan in ēowrum guð-geatawum,
"under here-grīman, Hrōðgār gesēon;
"lǣtað hilde-bord hēr onbidian,
"wudu wæl-sceaftas, worda geþinges."
Ārās þā se rīca, ymb hine rinc manig,
400þrȳðlīc þegna hēap; sume þǣr bidon,
heaðo-rēaf hēoldon, swā him se hearda bebēad.
Snyredon ætsomne, þā secg wīsode

under Heorotes hrōf; hyge-rōf ēode,
heard under helme, þæt hē on heoðe gestōd. †
405Bēowulf maðelode (on him byrne scān, †
searo-net sēowed smiðes or-þancum):
"Wes þū Hrōðgār hāl! ic eom Higelāces †
"mǣg and mago-þegn; hæbbe ic mǣrða fela
"ongunnen on geogoðe. Mē wearð Grendles þing
410"on mīnre ēðel-tyrf undyrne cūð:
"secgað sǣ-līðend, þæt þes sele stande,
"reced sēlesta, rinca gehwylcum
"īdel and unnyt, siððan ǣfen-lēoht
"under heofenes hādor beholen weorðeð. †
415"Þā mē þæt gelǣrdon lēode mīne,
"þā sēlestan, snotere ceorlas,
"þēoden Hrōðgār, þæt ic þē sōhte;
"forþan hīe mægenes cræft mīnne cūðon:
"selfe ofersāwon, þā ic of searwum cwōm,
420"fāh from fēondum, þǣr ic fīfe geband, †
"ȳðde eotena cyn, and on ȳðum slōg
"niceras nihtes, nearo-þearfe drēah,
"wræc Wedera nīð (wēan āhsodon)
"forgrand gramum; and nū wið Grendel sceal,
425"wið þām āglǣcan, āna gehegan †
"þing wið þyrse. Ic þē nū þā,
"brego Beorht-Dena, biddan wille,
"eodor Scyldinga, ānre bēne;
"þæt þū mē ne forwyrne, wīgendra hlēo,
430"frēo-wine folca, nū ic þus feorran cōm,
"þæt ic mōte āna and mīnra eorla gedryht,
"þes hearda hēap, Heorot fǣlsian.
"Hæbbe ic ēac geāhsod, þæt se ǣglǣca
"for his won-hȳdum wǣpna ne rēceð;
435"ic þæt þonne forhicge, swā mē Higelāc sīe,
"mīn mon-drihten, mōdes blīðe,
"þæt ic sweord bere oððe sīdne scyld
"geolo-rand tō gūðe; ac ic mid grāpe sceal
"fōn wið fēonde and ymb feorh sacan,

440"lāð wið lāðum; þǣr gelȳfan sceal
"dryhtnes dōme sē þe hine dēað nimeð. †
"Wēn' ic þæt hē wille, gif hē wealdan mōt,
"in þǣm gūð-sele Gēatena lēode †
"etan unforhte, swā hē oft dyde †
445"mægen Hrēðmanna. Nā þū mīnne þearft
"hafalan hȳdan, ac hē mē habban wile †
"drēore fāhne, gif mec dēað nimeð; †
"byreð blōdig wæl, byrgean þenceð,
"eteð ān-genga unmurnlīce,
450"mearcað mōr-hopu: nō þū ymb mīnes ne þearft
"līces feorme leng sorgian. †
"Onsend Higelāce, gif mec hild nime, †
"beadu-scrūda betst, þæt mīne brēost wereð,
"hrægla sēlest; þæt is Hrēðlan lāf,
455"Wēlandes geweorc. Gǣð ā Wyrd swā hīo †
scel!"

VIII. HROTHGAR TELLS OF GRENDEL.
Hrōðgār maðelode, helm Scyldinga:
"for were-fyhtum þū, wine mīn Bēowulf, †
"and for ār-stafum ūsic sōhtest.
"Geslōh þin fæder fǣhðe mǣste,
460"wearð hē Heaðolāfe tō hand-bonan
"mid Wilfingum; þā hine Wedera cyn
"for here-brōgan habban ne mihte.
"Þanon hē gesōhte Sūð-Dena folc
"ofer ȳða gewealc, Ār-Scyldinga;
465"þā ic furðum wēold folce Deninga,
"and on geogoðe hēold gimme-rīce
"hord-burh hæleða: þā wæs Heregār dēad,
"mīn yldra mǣg unlifigende,
"bearn Healfdenes. Sē wæs betera þonne ic!
470"Siððan þā fǣhðe fēo þingode;
"sende ic Wylfingum ofer wæteres hrycg
"ealde mādmas: hē mē āðas swōr.
"Sorh is mē tō secganne on sefan mīnum
"gumena ǣngum, hwæt mē Grendel hafað
475"hȳnðo on Heorote mid his hete-þancum,
"fǣr-nīða gefremed. Is mīn flet-werod,
"wīg-hēap gewanod; hīe Wyrd forswēop
"on Grendles gryre. God ēaðe mæg
"þone dol-scaðan dǣda getwǣfan!
480"Ful oft gebēotedon bēore druncne †
"ofer ealo-wǣge ōret-mecgas,
"þæt hīe in bēor-sele bīdan woldon
"Grendles gūðe mid gryrum ecga.
"Þonne wæs þēos medo-heal on morgen-tīd,
485"driht-sele drēor-fāh, þonne dæg līxte,
"eal benc-þelu blōde bestȳmed,
"heall heoru-drēore: āhte ic holdra þȳ lǣs,

"dēorre duguðe, þē þā dēað fornam. †
"Site nū tō symle and onsǣl meoto, †
490"sige-hrēð secgum, swā þīn sefa hwette!"
Þā wæs Gēat-mæcgum geador ætsomne
on bēor-sele benc gerȳmed;
þǣr swīð-ferhðe sittan ēodon
þrȳðum dealle. Þegn nytte behēold, †
495sē þe on handa bær hroden ealo-wǣge,
scencte scīr wered. Scop hwīlum sang
hādor on Heorote; þǣr wæs hæleða drēam,
duguð unlȳtel Dena and Wedera.

IX. HUNFERTH OBJECTS TO BĒOWULF.
Unferð maðelode, Ecglāfes bearn, †
500þē æt fōtum sæt frēan Scyldinga;
onband beadu-rūne (wæs him Bēowulfes sīð, †
mōdges mere-faran, micel æf-þunca,
forþon þe hē ne ūðe, þæt ǣnig ōðer man
ǣfre mǣrða þon mā middan-geardes †
505gehēdde under heofenum þonne hē sylfa):
"Eart þū sē Bēowulf, sē þe wið Brecan wunne, †
"on sīdne sǣ ymb sund flite,
"þǣr git for wlence wada cunnedon
"and for dol-gilpe on dēop wæter †
510"aldrum nēðdon? Nē inc ǣnig mon,
"nē lēof nē lāð, belēan mihte
"sorh-fullne sīð; þā git on sund rēon,
"þǣr git ēagor-strēam earmum þehton, †
"mǣton mere-strǣta, mundum brugdon,
515"glidon ofer gār-secg; geofon ȳðum wēol,
"wintres wylme. Git on wæteres ǣht
"seofon niht swuncon; hē þē æt sunde oferflāt,
"hæfde māre mægen. Þā hine on morgen-tīd
"on Heaðo-rǣmas holm up ætbær,
520"þonon hē gesōhte swǣsne ēðel
"lēof his lēodum lond Brondinga,
"freoðo-burh fægere, þǣr hē folc āhte,
"burg and bēagas. Bēot eal wið þē
"sunu Bēanstānes sōðe gelǣste. †
525"Þonne wēne ic tō þē wyrsan geþinges, †
"þēah þū heaðo-rǣsa gehwǣr dohte,
"grimre gūðe, gif þū Grendles dearst
"niht-longne fyrst nēan bīdan!"
Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:
530"Hwæt! þū worn fela, wine mīn Unferð,

"bēore druncen ymb Brecan sprǣce,
"sægdest from his sīðe! Sōð ic talige,
"þæt ic mere-strengo māran āhte,
"earfeðo on ȳðum, þonne ǣnig ōðer man.
535"Wit þæt gecwǣdon cniht-wesende
"and gebēotedon (wǣron bēgen þā gīt
"on geogoð-feore) þæt wit on gār-secg ūt
"aldrum nēðdon; and þæt geæfndon swā.
"Hæfdon swurd nacod, þā wit on sund rēon,
540"heard on handa, wit unc wið hron-fixas
"werian þōhton. Nō hē wiht fram mē
"flōd-ȳðum feor flēotan meahte,
"hraðor on holme, nō ic fram him wolde.
"Þā wit ætsomne on sǣ wǣron
545"fīf nihta fyrst, oð þæt unc flōd tōdrāf, †
"wado weallende, wedera cealdost,
"nīpende niht and norðan wind
"heaðo-grim andhwearf; hrēo wǣron ȳða,
"Wæs mere-fixa mōd onhrēred:
550"þǣr mē wið lāðum līc-syrce mīn,
"heard hond-locen, helpe gefremede;
"beado-hrægl brōden on brēostum læg,
"golde gegyrwed. Mē tō grunde tēah
"fāh fēond-scaða, fæste hæfde
555"grim on grāpe: hwæðre mē gyfeðe wearð,
"þæt ic āglǣcan orde gerǣhte,
"hilde-bille; heaðo-rǣs fornam
"mihtig mere-dēor þurh mīne hand.

X. BĒOWULF'S CONTEST WITH BRECA.—
THE FEAST.
"Swā mec gelōme lāð-getēonan
560"þrēatedon þearle. Ic him þēnode
"dēoran sweorde, swā hit gedēfe wæs;
"næs hīe þǣre fylle gefēan hæfdon,
"mān-fordǣdlan, þæt hīe mē þēgon,
"symbel ymb-sǣton sǣ-grunde nēah,
565"ac on mergenne mēcum wunde
"be ȳð-lāfe uppe lǣgon,
"sweordum āswefede, þæt syððan nā
"ymb brontne ford brim-līðende
"lāde ne letton. Lēoht ēastan cōm,
570"beorht bēacen godes; brimu swaðredon,
"þæt ic sǣ-næssas gesēon mihte,
"windige weallas. Wyrd oft nereð
"unfǣgne eorl, ðonne his ellen dēah!
"Hwæðere mē gesǣlde, þæt ic mid sweorde †
ofslōh
575"niceras nigene. Nō ic on niht gefrægn
"under heofones hwealf heardran feohtan,
"nē on ēg-strēamum earmran mannan;
"hwæðere ic fāra feng fēore gedīgde,
"siðes wērig. Þā mec sǣ oðbær,
580"flōd æfter faroðe, on Finna land,
"wadu weallendu. Nō ic wiht fram þē
"swylcra searo-nīða secgan hȳrde,
"billa brōgan: Breca nǣfre gīt
"æt heaðo-lāce, nē gehwæðer incer
585"swā dēorlīce dǣd gefremede
"fāgum sweordum ....... †
". . . . . . . nō ic þæs gylpe;
"þēah þū þīnum brōðrum tō banan wurde,

"hēafod-mǣgum; þæs þū in helle scealt
590"werhðo drēogan, þēah þīn wit duge,
"Secge ic þē tō sōðe, sunu Ecglāfes,
"þæt nǣfre Grendel swā fela gryra gefremede,
"atol ǣglǣca ealdre þīnum,
"hȳnðo on Heorote, gif þīn hige wǣre,
595"sefa swā searo-grim, swā þū self talast.
"Ac hē hafað onfunden, þæt hē þā fǣhðe ne þearf,
"atole ecg-þræce ēower lēode
"swīðe onsittan, Sige-Scyldinga;
"nymeð nȳd-bāde, nǣnegum ārað †
600"lēode Deniga, ac hē on lust wīgeð,
"swefeð ond sendeð, secce ne wēneð †
"tō Gār-Denum. Ac him Gēata sceal
"eafoð and ellen ungeāra nū
"gūðe gebēodan. Gǣð eft sē þe mōt
605"tō medo mōdig, siððan morgen-lēoht
"ofer ylda bearn ōðres dōgores,
"sunne swegl-wered sūðan scīneð!"
Þā wæs on sālum sinces brytta
gamol-feax and gūð-rōf, gēoce gelȳfde
610brego Beorht-Dena; gehȳrde on Bēowulfe
folces hyrde fæst-rǣdne geþōht.
Þǣr wæs hæleða hleahtor; hlyn swynsode, †
word wǣron wynsume. Ēode Wealhþēow forð,
cwēn Hrōðgāres, cynna gemyndig,
615grētte gold-hroden guman on healle,
and þā frēolīc wīf ful gesealde
ǣrest Ēast-Dena ēðel-wearde,
bæd hine blīðne æt þǣre bēor-þege,
lēodum lēofne; hē on lust geþeah
620symbel and sele-ful, sige-rōf kyning. †
Ymb-ēode þā ides Helminga
duguðe and geogoðe dǣl ǣghwylcne; †
sinc-fato sealde, oð þæt sǣl ālamp, †
þæt hīo Bēowulfe, bēag-hroden cwēn,
625mōde geþungen, medo-ful ætbær;

grētte Gēata lēod, gode þancode
wīs-fæst wordum, þæs þe hire se willa gelamp,
þæt hēo on ǣnigne eorl gelȳfde
fyrena frōfre. Hē þæt ful geþeah,
630wæl-rēow wiga æt Wealhþēon,
and þā gyddode gūðe gefȳsed, †
Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:
"Ic þæt hogode, þā ic on holm gestāh,
"sǣ-bāt gesæt mid mīnra secga gedriht,
635"þæt ic ānunga ēowra lēoda
"willan geworhte, oððe on wæl crunge,
"fēond-grāpum fæst. Ic gefremman sceal
"eorlīc ellen, oððe ende-dæg
"on þisse meodu-healle mīnne gebīdan."
640Þām wīfe þā word wēl līcodon,
gilp-cwide Gēates; ēode gold-hroden
frēolīcu folc-cwēn tō hire frēan sittan.
Þā wæs eft swā ǣr inne on healle
þrȳð-word sprecen, þēod on sǣlum,
645sige-folca swēg, oð þæt semninga
sunu Healfdenes sēcean wolde
ǣfen-ræste; wiste æt þǣm āhlǣcan
tō þǣm hēah-sele hilde geþinged, †
siððan hīe sunnan lēoht gesēon ne meahton,
650oððe nīpende niht ofer ealle, †
scadu-helma gesceapu scrīðan cwōman, †
wan under wolcnum. Werod eall ārās.
Grētte þā giddum guma ōðerne,
Hrōðgār Bēowulf, and him hǣl ābēad,
655wīn-ærnes geweald and þæt word ācwæð:
"Nǣfre ic ǣnegum men ǣr ālȳfde,
"siððan ic hond and rond hebban mihte,
"þrȳð-ærn Dena būton þē nū þā.
"Hafa nū and geheald hūsa sēlest; †
660"gemyne mǣrðo, mægen-ellen cȳð,
"waca wið wrāðum! Ne bið þē wilna gād,
"gif þū þæt ellen-weorc aldre gedīgest."

XI. THE WATCH FOR GRENDEL.
Þā him Hrōðgār gewāt mid his hæleða gedryht,
eodur Scyldinga ūt of healle;
665wolde wīg-fruma Wealhþēo sēcan,
cwēn tō gebeddan Hæfde kyninga wuldor
Grendle tō-gēanes, swā guman gefrungon,
sele-weard āseted, sundor-nytte behēold
ymb aldor Dena, eoton weard ābēad;
670hūru Gēata lēod georne truwode
mōdgan mægnes, metodes hyldo.
Þā hē him of dyde īsern-byrnan,
helm of hafelan, sealde his hyrsted sweord,
īrena cyst ombiht-þegne,
675and gehealdan hēt hilde-geatwe.
Gespræc þā se gōda gylp-worda sum
Bēowulf Gēata, ǣr hē on bed stige:
"Nō ic mē an here-wǣsmum hnāgran talige
"gūð-geweorca, þonne Grendel hine;
680"forþan ic hine sweorde swebban nelle,
"aldre benēotan, þēah ic eal mǣge. †
"Nāt hē þāra gōda, þæt hē mē on-gēan slēa, †
"rand gehēawe, þēah þe hē rōf sīe
"nīð-geweorca; ac wit on niht sculon
685"secge ofersittan, gif hē gesēcean dear
"wīg ofer wǣpen, and siððan wītig god
"on swā hwæðere hond hālig dryhten
"mǣrðo dēme, swā him gemet þince."
Hylde hine þā heaðo-dēor, hlēor-bolster onfēng
690eorles andwlitan; and hine ymb monig
snellīc sǣ-rinc sele-reste gebēah.
Nǣnig heora þōhte þæt hē þanon scolde
eft eard-lufan ǣfre gesēcean,
folc oððe frēo-burh, þǣr hē āfēded wæs,

695ac hīe hæfdon gefrūnen, þæt hīe ǣr tō †
fela micles
in þǣm wīn-sele wæl-dēað fornam,
Denigea lēode. Ac him dryhten forgeaf
wīg-spēda gewiofu, Wedera lēodum †
frōfor and fultum, þæt hīe fēond heora
700þurh ānes cræft ealle ofercōmon,
selfes mihtum: sōð is gecȳðed,
þæt mihtig god manna cynnes
wēold wīde-ferhð. Cōm on wanre niht
scrīðan sceadu-genga. Scēotend swǣfon,
705þā þæt horn-reced healdan scoldon,
ealle būton ānum. Þæt wæs yldum cūð,
þæt hīe ne mōste, þā metod nolde,
se syn-scaða under sceadu bregdan;
ac hē wæccende wrāðum on andan
710bād bolgen-mōd beadwa geþinges.

XII. GRENDEL'S RAID.
Þā cōm of mōre under mist-hleoðum †
Grendel gongan, godes yrre bær.
Mynte se mān-scaða manna cynnes
sumne besyrwan in sele þām hēan;
715wōd under wolcnum, tō þæs þe hē wīn-reced,
gold-sele gumena, gearwost wisse
fǣttum fāhne. Ne wæs þæt forma sīð, †
þæt hē Hrōðgāres hām gesōhte:
nǣfre hē on aldor-dagum ǣr nē siððan
720heardran hæle, heal-þegnas fand! †
Cōm þā tō recede rinc sīðian
drēamum bedǣled. Duru sōna onarn
fȳr-bendum fæst, syððan hē hire folmum hrān; †
onbræd þā bealo-hȳdig, þā hē ābolgen wæs,
725recedes mūðan. Raðe æfter þon
on fāgne flōr fēond treddode,
ēode yrre-mōd; him of ēagum stōd †
līge gelīcost lēoht unfǣger.
Geseah hē in recede rinca manige,
730swefan sibbe-gedriht samod ætgædere,
mago-rinca hēap: þā his mōd āhlōg,
mynte þæt hē gedǣlde, ǣr þon dæg cwōme,
atol āglǣca, ānra gehwylces
līf wið līce, þā him ālumpen wæs
735wist-fylle wēn. Ne wæs þæt wyrd þā gēn,
þæt hē mā mōste manna cynnes
þicgean ofer þā niht. Þrȳð-swȳð behēold
mǣg Higelāces, hū se mān-scaða
under fǣr-gripum gefaran wolde.
740Nē þæt se āglǣca yldan þōhte,
ac hē gefēng hraðe forman siðe
slǣpendne rinc, slāt unwearnum,

bāt bān-locan, blōd ēdrum dranc,
syn-snǣdum swealh: sōna hæfde
745unlyfigendes eal gefeormod
fēt and folma. Forð nēar ætstōp,
nam þā mid handa hige-þīhtigne
rinc on ræste; rǣhte ongēan
fēond mid folme, hē onfēng hraðe
750inwit-þancum and wið earm gesæt.
Sōna þæt onfunde fyrena hyrde,
þæt hē ne mētte middan-geardes
eorðan scēata on elran men
mund-gripe māran: hē on mōde wearð
755forht on ferhðe, nō þȳ ǣr fram meahte;
hyge wæs him hin-fūs, wolde on heolster flēon,
sēcan dēofla gedræg: ne wæs his drohtoð þǣr, †
swylce hē on ealder-dagum ǣr gemētte.
Gemunde þā se gōda mǣg Higelāces †
760ǣfen-sprǣce, up-lang āstōd
and him fæste wiðfēng. Fingras burston;
eoten wæs ūt-weard, eorl furður stōp. †
Mynte se mǣra, þǣr hē meahte swā,
wīdre gewindan and on weg þanon
765flēon on fen-hopu; wiste his fingra geweald
on grames grāpum. Þæt wæs gēocor sīð,
þæt se hearm-scaða tō Heorute ātēah:
dryht-sele dynede, Denum eallum wearð,
ceaster-būendum, cēnra gehwylcum, †
770eorlum ealu-scerwen. Yrre wǣron bēgen, †
rēðe rēn-weardas. Reced hlynsode; †
þā wæs wundor micel, þæt se wīn-sele
wiðhæfde heaðo-dēorum, þæt hē on hrūsan ne fēol,
fǣger fold-bold; ac hē þæs fæste wæs
775innan and ūtan īren-bendum
searo-þoncum besmiðod. Þǣr fram sylle ābēag
medu-benc monig mīne gefrǣge,
golde geregnad, þǣr þā graman wunnon;
þæs ne wēndon ǣr witan Scyldinga,

780þæt hit ā mid gemete manna ǣnig
betlīc and bān-fāg tōbrecan meahte,
listum tōlūcan, nymðe līges fæðm
swulge on swaðule. Swēg up āstāg
nīwe geneahhe; Norð-Denum stōd
785atelīc egesa ānra gehwylcum
þāra þe of wealle wōp gehȳrdon,
gryre-lēoð galan godes andsacan,
sige-lēasne sang, sār wānigean
helle hæftan. Hēold hine tō fæste
790sē þe manna wæs mægene strengest
on þǣm dæge þysses līfes.

XIII. BĒOWULF TEARS OFF GRENDEL'S
ARM.
Nolde eorla hlēo ǣnige þinga †
þone cwealm-cuman cwicne forlǣtan,
nē his līf-dagas lēoda ǣnigum
795nytte tealde. Þǣr genehost brægd
eorl Bēowulfes ealde lāfe,
wolde frēa-drihtnes feorh ealgian
mǣres þēodnes, þǣr hīe meahton swā;
hīe þæt ne wiston, þā hīe gewin drugon,
800heard-hicgende hilde-mecgas,
and on healfa gehwone hēawan þōhton,
sāwle sēcan, þæt þone syn-scaðan
ǣnig ofer eorðan īrenna cyst,
gūð-billa nān grētan nolde;
805ac hē sige-wǣpnum forsworen hæfde,
ecga gehwylcre. Scolde his aldor-gedāl
on þǣm dæge þysses līfes
earmlīc wurðan and se ellor-gāst
on fēonda geweald feor sīðian.
810Þā þæt onfunde sē þe fela ǣror
mōdes myrðe manna cynne †
fyrene gefremede (hē wæs fāg wið god)
þæt him se līc-homa lǣstan nolde,
ac hine se mōdega mǣg Hygelāces
815hæfde be honda; wæs gehwæðer ōðrum
lifigende lāð. Līc-sār gebād
atol ǣglǣca, him on eaxle wearð
syn-dolh sweotol, seonowe onsprungon
burston bān-locan. Bēowulfe wearð
820gūð-hrēð gyfeðe; scolde Grendel þonan
feorh-sēoc flēon under fen-hleoðu,
sēcean wyn-lēas wīc; wiste þē geornor,

þæt his aldres wæs ende gegongen,
dōgera dæg-rīm. Denum eallum wearð
825æfter þām wæl-rǣse willa gelumpen.
Hæfde þā gefǣlsod, sē þe ǣr feorran cōm,
snotor and swȳð-ferhð sele Hrōðgāres,
genered wið nīðe. Niht-weorce gefeh,
ellen-mǣrðum; hæfde Ēast-Denum
830Gēat-mecga lēod gilp gelǣsted,
swylce oncȳððe ealle gebētte,
inwid-sorge, þē hīe ǣr drugon
and for þrēa-nȳdum þolian scoldon,
torn unlȳtel. Þæt wæs tācen sweotol,
835syððan hilde-dēor hond ālegde,
earm and eaxle (þǣr wæs eal geador
Grendles grāpe) under gēapne hrōf.

XIV. THE JOY AT HEOROT.
Þā wæs on morgen mīne gefrǣge
ymb þā gif-healle gūð-rinc monig:
840fērdon folc-togan feorran and nēan
geond wīd-wegas wundor scēawian,
lāðes lāstas. Nō his līf-gedāl
sārlīc þūhte secga ǣnegum,
þāra þe tīr-lēases trode scēawode,
845hū hē wērig-mōd on weg þanon,
nīða ofercumen, on nicera mere
fǣge and geflȳmed feorh-lāstas bær.
Þǣr wæs on blōde brim weallende,
atol ȳða geswing eal gemenged
850hātan heolfre, heoro-drēore wēol; †
dēað-fǣge dēog, siððan drēama lēas
in fen-freoðo feorh ālegde
hǣðene sāwle, þǣr him hel onfēng.
Þanon eft gewiton eald-gesīðas,
855swylce geong manig of gomen-wāðe,
fram mere mōdge, mēarum rīdan,
beornas on blancum. Þǣr wæs Bēowulfes †
mǣrðo mǣned; monig oft gecwæð,
þætte sūð nē norð be sǣm tweonum †
860ofer eormen-grund ōðer nǣnig
under swegles begong sēlra nǣre
rond-hæbbendra, rīces wyrðra.
Nē hīe hūru wine-drihten wiht ne lōgon,
glædne Hrōðgār, ac þæt wæs gōd cyning.
865Hwīlum heaðo-rōfe hlēapan lēton, †
on geflīt faran fealwe mēaras,
þǣr him fold-wegas fægere þūhton,
cystum cūðe; hwīlum cyninges þegn, †
guma gilp-hlæden gidda gemyndig,

870sē þe eal-fela eald-gesegena
worn gemunde, word ōðer fand †
sōðe gebunden: secg eft ongan †
sīð Bēowulfes snyttrum styrian
and on spēd wrecan spel gerāde,
875wordum wrixlan, wēl-hwylc gecwæð,
þæt hē fram Sigemunde secgan hȳrde,
ellen-dǣdum, uncūðes fela,
Wælsinges gewin, wīde sīðas, †
þāra þe gumena bearn gearwe ne wiston,
880fǣhðe and fyrene, būton Fitela mid hine,
þonne hē swylces hwæt secgan wolde
ēam his nefan, swā hīe ā wǣron
æt nīða gehwām nȳd-gesteallan:
hæfdon eal-fela eotena cynnes
885sweordum gesǣged. Sigemunde gesprong
æfter dēað-dæge dōm unlȳtel,
syððan wīges heard wyrm ācwealde,
hordes hyrde; hē under hārne stān,
æðelinges bearn, āna genēðde
890frēcne dǣde; ne wæs him Fitela mid.
Hwæðre him gesǣlde, þæt þæt swurd þurhwōd
wrǣtlīcne wyrm, þæt hit on wealle ætstōd,
dryhtlīc īren; draca morðre swealt.
Hæfde āglǣca elne gegongen, †
895þæt hē bēah-hordes brūcan mōste †
selfes dōme: sǣ-bāt gehlōd,
bær on bearm scipes beorhte frætwa,
Wælses eafera; wyrm hāt gemealt. †
Sē wæs wreccena wīde mǣrost
900ofer wer-þēode, wīgendra hlēo
ellen-dǣdum: hē þæs āron þāh. †
Siððan Heremōdes hild sweðrode †
eafoð and ellen. Hē mid eotenum wearð
on fēonda geweald forð forlācen,
905snūde forsended. Hine sorh-wylmas
lemede tō lange, hē his lēodum wearð, †

eallum æðelingum tō aldor-ceare;
swylce oft bemearn ǣrran mǣlum
swīð-ferhðes sīð snotor ceorl monig,
910sē þe him bealwa tō bōte gelȳfde,
þæt þæt þēodnes bearn geþēon scolde,
fæder-æðelum onfōn, folc gehealdan,
hord and hlēo-burh, hæleða rīce,
ēðel Scyldinga. Hē þǣr eallum wearð,
915mǣg Higelāces manna cynne,
frēondum gefægra; hine fyren onwōd.
Hwīlum flītende fealwe strǣte †
mēarum mǣton. Þā wæs morgen-lēoht
scofen and scynded. Ēode scealc monig
920swīð-hicgende tō sele þām hēan,
searo-wundor sēon, swylce self cyning,
of brȳd-būre bēah-horda weard,
tryddode tīr-fæst getrume micle,
cystum gecȳðed, and his cwēn mid him
925medo-stīg gemæt mægða hōse. †

XV. HROTHGAR'S GRATULATION.
Hrōðgār maðelode (hē tō healle gēong,
stōd on stapole, geseah stēapne hrōf †
golde fāhne and Grendles hond):
"þisse ansȳne al-wealdan þanc
930"lungre gelimpe! Fela ic lāðes gebād,
"grynna æt Grendle: ā mæg god wyrcan †
"wunder æfter wundre, wuldres hyrde!
"Þæt wæs ungeāra, þæt ic ǣnigra mē
"wēana ne wēnde tō wīdan feore
935"bōte gebīdan þonne blōde fāh
"hūsa sēlest heoro-drēorig stōd;
"wēa wīd-scofen witena gehwylcne †
"þāra þe ne wēndon, þæt hīe wīde-ferhð
"lēoda land-geweorc lāðum beweredon
940"scuccum and scinnum. Nū scealc hafað †
"þurh drihtnes miht dǣd gefremede,
"þē wē ealle ǣr ne meahton
"snyttrum besyrwan. Hwæt! þæt secgan mæg
"efne swā hwylc mægða, swā þone magan cende
945"æfter gum-cynnum, gyf hēo gȳt lyfað,
"þæt hyre eald-metod ēste wǣre
"bearn-gebyrdo. Nū ic Bēowulf
"þec, secg betsta, mē for sunu wylle
"frēogan on ferhðe; heald forð tela
950"nīwe sibbe. Ne bið þē nǣnigra gād
"worolde wilna, þē ic geweald hæbbe.
"Ful-oft ic for lǣssan lēan teohhode
"hord-weorðunge hnāhran rince,
"sǣmran æt sæcce. Þū þē self hafast
955"dǣdum gefremed, þæt þīn dōm lyfað
"āwa tō aldre. Alwalda þec
"gōde forgylde, swā hē nū gȳt dyde!"

Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:
"Wē þæt ellen-weorc ēstum miclum, †
960"feohtan fremedon, frēcne genēðdon
"eafoð uncūðes; ūðe ic swīðor,
"þæt þū hinc selfne gesēon mōste,
"fēond on frætewum fyl-wērigne! †
"Ic hine hrædlīce heardan clammum
965"on wæl-bedde wrīðan þōhte,
"þæt hē for mund-gripe mīnum scolde
"licgean līf-bysig, būtan his līc swice;
"ic hine ne mihte, þā metod nolde,
"ganges getwǣman, nō ic him þæs georne ætfealh,
970"feorh-genīðlan; wæs tō fore-mihtig
"fēond on fēðe. Hwæðere hē his folme forlēt
"tō līf-wraðe lāst weardian,
"earm and eaxle; nō þǣr ǣnige swā þēah
"fēa-sceaft guma frōfre gebohte:
975"nō þȳ leng leofað lāð-getēona
"synnum geswenced, ac hyne sār hafað †
"in nȳd-gripe nearwe befongen,
"balwon bendum: þǣr ābīdan sceal
"maga māne fāh miclan dōmes,
980"hū him scīr metod scrīfan wille."
Þā wæs swīgra secg, sunu Ecglāfes,
on gylp-sprǣce gūð-geweorca,
siððan æðelingas eorles cræfte
ofer hēahne hrōf hand scēawedon,
985fēondes fingras, foran ǣghwylc;
wæs stēde nægla gehwylc, stȳle gelīcost, †
hǣðenes hand-sporu hilde-rinces †
egle unhēoru; ǣg-hwylc gecwæð, †
þæt him heardra nān hrīnan wolde
990īren ǣr-gōd, þæt þæs āhlǣcan
blōdge beadu-folme onberan wolde.

XVI. THE BANQUET AND THE GIFTS.
Þā wæs hāten hreðe Heort innan-weard †
folmum gefrætwod: fela þǣra wæs
wera and wīfa, þē þæt wīn-reced,
995gest-sele gyredon. Gold-fāg scinon †
web æfter wāgum, wundor-sīona fela
secga gehwylcum þāra þe on swylc starað †
Wæs þæt beorhte bold tōbrocen swīðe †
eal inne-weard īren-bendum fæst,
1000heorras tōhlidene; hrōf āna genæs †
ealles ansund, þā se āglǣca
fyren-dǣdum fāg on flēam gewand,
aldres or-wēna. Nō þæt ȳðe byð
tō beflēonne (fremme sē þe wille!)
1005ac gesacan sceal sāwl-berendra †
nȳde genȳdde niðða bearna
grund-būendra gearwe stōwe,
þǣr his līc-homa leger-bedde fæst
swefeð æfter symle. Þā wæs sǣl and mǣl, †
1010þæt tō healle gang Healfdenes sunu;
wolde self cyning symbel þicgan.
Ne gefrægen ic þā mǣgðe māran weorode †
ymb hyra sinc-gyfan sēl gebǣran.
Bugon þā tō bence blǣd-āgende, †
1015fylle gefǣgon. Fægere geþǣgon †
medo-ful manig māgas þāra
swīð-hicgende on sele þām hēan,
Hrōðgār and Hrōðulf. Heorot innan wæs
frēondum āfylled; nalles fācen-stafas
1020Þēod-Scyldingas þenden fremedon.
Forgeaf þā Bēowulfe bearn Healfdenes
segen gyldenne sigores tō lēane,
hroden hilte-cumbor, helm and byrnan;

mǣre māððum-sweord manige gesāwon †
1025beforan beorn beran. Bēowulf geþah
ful on flette; nō hē þǣre feoh-gyfte
for scēotendum scamigan þorfte,
ne gefrægn ic frēondlīcor fēower mādmas
golde gegyrede gum-manna fela
1030in ealo-bence ōðrum gesellan.
Ymb þæs helmes hrōf hēafod-beorge
wīrum bewunden walan ūtan hēold,
þæt him fēla lāfe frēcne ne meahton
scūr-heard sceððan, þonne scyld-freca †
1035ongēan gramum gangan scolde.
Heht þā eorla hlēo eahta mēaras,
fǣted-hlēore, on flet tēon
in under eoderas; þāra ānum stōd
sadol searwum fāh since gewurðad, †
1040þæt wæs hilde-setl hēah-cyninges,
þonne sweorda gelāc sunu Healfdenes
efnan wolde; nǣfre on ōre læg
wīd-cūðes wīg, þonne walu fēollon. †
And þā Bēowulfe bēga gehwæðres †
1045eodor Ingwina onweald getēah,
wicga and wǣpna; hēt hine wēl brūcan.
Swā manlīce mǣre þēoden,
hord-weard hæleða heaðo-rǣsas geald
mēarum and mādmum, swā hȳ nǣfre man lyhð,
1050sē þe secgan wile sōð æfter rihte.

XVII. SONG OF HROTHGAR'S POET—THE
LAY OF HNAEF AND HENGEST.
Þā gȳt ǣghwylcum eorla drihten
þāra þe mid Bēowulfe brim-lāde tēah,
on þǣre medu-bence māððum gesealde,
yrfe-lāfe, and þone ǣnne heht
1055golde forgyldan, þone þe Grendel ǣr
māne ācwealde, swā hē hyra mā wolde,
nefne him wītig god wyrd forstōde
and þæs mannes mōd: metod eallum wēold
gumena cynnes, swā hē nū gīt dēð;
1060forþan bið andgit ǣghwǣr sēlest,
ferhðes fore-þanc! fela sceal gebīdan
lēofes and lāðes, sē þe longe hēr
on þyssum win-dagum worolde brūceð.
Þǣr wæs sang and swēg samod ætgædere
1065fore Healfdenes hilde-wīsan, †
gomen-wudu grēted, gid oft wrecen,
þonne heal-gamen Hrōðgāres scop
æfter medo-bence mǣnan scolde
Finnes eaferum, þā hīe se fǣr begeat: †
1070"Hæleð Healfdenes, Hnæf Scyldinga, †
"in Fr..es wæle feallan scolde.
"Nē hūru Hildeburh herian þorfte
"Eotena trēowe: unsynnum wearð †
"beloren lēofum æt þām lind-plegan
1075"bearnum and brōðrum; hīe on gebyrd hruron
"gāre wunde; þæt wæs geōmuru ides.
"Nalles hōlinga Hōces dōhtor
"meotod-sceaft bemearn, syððan morgen cōm,
"þā hēo under swegle gesēon meahte
1080"morðor-bealo māga, þǣr hēo ǣr mǣste hēold
"worolde wynne: wīg ealle fornam

"Finnes þegnas, nemne fēaum ānum,
"þæt hē ne mehte on þǣm meðel-stede
"wīg Hengeste wiht gefeohtan, †
1085"nē þā wēa-lāfe wīge forþringan †
"þōodnes þegne; ac hig him geþingo budon,
"þæt hīe him ōðer flet eal gerȳmdon,
"healle and hēah-setl, þæt hīe healfre geweald
"wið Eotena bearn āgan mōston,
1090"and æt feoh-gyftum Folcwaldan sunu
"dōgra gehwylce Dene weorðode,
"Hengestes hēap hringum wenede,
"efne swā swīðe sinc-gestrēonum
"fǣttan goldes, swā hē Frēsena cyn
1095"on bēor-sele byldan wolde.
"Þā hīe getruwedon on twā healfa
"fæste frioðu-wǣre; Fin Hengeste
"elne unflitme āðum benemde, †
"þæt hē þā wēa-lāfe weotena dōme
1100"ārum heolde, þæt þǣr ǣnig mon
"wordum nē worcum wǣre ne brǣce,
"nē þurh inwit-searo ǣfre gemǣnden,
"þēah hīe hira bēag-gyfan banan folgedon
"þēoden-lēase, þā him swā geþearfod wæs:
1105"gyf þonne Frȳsna hwylc frēcnan sprǣce
"þæs morðor-hetes myndgiend wǣre, †
"þonne hit sweordes ecg syððan scolde.
"Āð wæs geæfned and icge gold †
"āhæfen of horde. Here-Scyldinga
1110"betst beado-rinca wæs on bǣl gearu;
"æt þǣm āde wæs ēð-gesȳne
"swāt-fāh syrce, swȳn eal-gylden,
"eofer īren-heard, æðeling manig
"wundum āwyrded; sume on wæle crungon.
1115"Hēt þā Hildeburh æt Hnæfes āde †
"hire selfre sunu sweoloðe befæstan, †
"bān-fatu bærnan and on bǣl dōn.
"Earme on eaxle ides gnornode,

"geōmrode giddum; gūð-rinc āstāh. †
1120"Wand tō wolcnum wæl-fȳra mǣst,
"hlynode for hlāwe; hafelan multon,
"ben-geato burston, þonne blōd ætspranc †
"lāð-bite līces. Līg ealle forswealg,
"gǣsta gīfrost, þāra þe þǣr gūð fornam
1125"bēga folces; wæs hira blǣd scacen.

XVIII. THE GLEEMAN'S TALE IS ENDED.
"Gewiton him þā wīgend wīca nēosian,
"frēondum befeallen Frȳsland gesēon,
"hāmas and hēa-burh. Hengest þā gȳt
"wæl-fāgne winter wunode mid Finne
1130"ealles unhlitme; eard gemunde, †
"þēah þe hē ne meahte on mere drīfan
"hringed-stefnan; holm storme wēol,
"won wið winde; winter ȳðe belēac
"īs-gebinde oð þæt ōðer cōm
1135"geār in geardas, swā nū gȳt dēð,
"þā þe syngales sēle bewitiað,
"wuldor-torhtan weder. Þā wæs winter scacen, †
"fæger foldan bearm; fundode wrecca,
"gist of geardum; hē tō gyrn-wræce
1140"swīðor þōhte, þonne tō sǣ-lāde,
"gif hē torn-gemōt þurhtēon mihte,
"þæt hē Eotena bearn inne gemunde. †
"Swā hē ne forwyrnde worold-rǣdenne, †
"þonne him Hūnlāfing hilde-lēoman, †
1145"billa sēlest, on bearm dyde:
"þæs wǣron mid Eotenum ecge cūðe.
"Swylce ferhð-frecan Fin eft begeat
"sweord-bealo slīðen æt his selfes hām,
"siððan grimne gripe Gūðlaf ond Ōslāf
1150"æfter sǣ-siðe sorge mǣndon,
"ætwiton wēana dǣl; ne meahte wǣfre mōd
"forhabban in hreðre. Þā wæs heal hroden †
"fēonda fēorum, swilce Fin slægen,
"cyning on corðre, and sēo cwēn numen.
1155"Scēotend Scyldinga tō scypum feredon
"eal in-gesteald eorð-cyninges,
"swylce hīe æt Finnes hām findan meahton

"sigla searo-gimma. Hīe on sǣ-lāde
"drihtlīce wīf tō Denum feredon,
1160"lǣddon tō lēodum." Lēoð wæs āsungen, †
glēo-mannes gyd. Gamen eft āstāh,
beorhtode benc-swēg, byrelas sealdon †
wīn of wunder-fatum. Þā cwōm Wealhþēo forð †
gān under gyldnum bēage, þǣr þā gōdan twēgen
1165sǣton suhter-gefæderan; þā gȳt wæs †
hiera sib ætgædere
ǣghwylc ōðrum trȳwe. Swylce þǣr Unferð þyle
æt fōtum sæt frēan Scyldinga: gehwylc hiora his †
ferhðe trēowde,
þæt hē hæfde mōd micel, þēah þe hē his māgum nǣre
ārfæst æt ecga gelācum. Spræc þā ides Scyldinga:
1170"Onfōh þissum fulle, frēo-drihten mīn,
"sinces brytta; þū on sǣlum wes,
"gold-wine gumena, and tō Gēatum sprec
"mildum wordum! Swā sceal man dōn.
"Bēo wið Gēatas glæd, geofena gemyndig;
1175"nēan and feorran þū nū friðu hafast.
"Mē man sægde, þæt þū þē for sunu wolde
"here-rinc habban. Heorot is gefǣlsod,
"bēah-sele beorhta; brūc þenden þū mōte
"manigra mēda and þīnum māgum lǣf
1180"folc and rīce, þonne þū forð scyle
"metod-sceaft sēon. Ic mīnne can
"glædne Hrōðulf, þæt hē þā geogoðe wile
"ārum healdan, gyf þū ǣr þonne hē,
"wine Scildinga, worold oflǣtest;
1185"wēne ic, þæt hē mid gōde gyldan wille
"uncran eaferan, gif hē þæt eal gemon,
"hwæt wit tō willan and tō worð-myndum
"umbor wesendum ǣr ārna gefremedon."
Hwearf þā bī bence, þǣr hyre byre wǣron,
1190Hrēðrīc and Hrōðmund, and hæleða bearn,
giogoð ætgædere; þǣr se gōda sæt †
Bēowulf Gēata be þǣm gebrōðrum twǣm. †

XIX. BĒOWULF'S JEWELLED COLLAR. THE
HEROES REST.
Him wæs ful boren and frēond-laðu
wordum bewægned and wunden gold †
1195ēstum geēawed, earm-hrēade twā,
hrægl and hringas, heals-bēaga mǣst †
þāra þe ic on foldan gefrægen hæbbe.
Nǣnigne ic under swegle sēlran hȳrde
hord-māððum hæleða, syððan Hāma ætwæg †
1200tō þǣre byrhtan byrig Brōsinga mene, †
sigle and sinc-fæt, searo-nīðas fealh
Eormenrīces, gecēas ēcne rǣd. †
Þone hring hæfde Higelāc Gēata,
nefa Swertinges, nȳhstan sīðe,
1205siððan hē under segne sinc ealgode,
wæl-rēaf werede; hyne Wyrd fornam,
syððan hē for wlenco wēan āhsode,
fǣhðe tō Frȳsum; hē þā frætwe wæg,
eorclan-stānas ofer ȳða ful,
1210rīce þēoden, hē under rande gecranc;
gehwearf þā in Francna fæðm feorh cyninges, †
brēost-gewǣdu and se bēah somod:
wyrsan wīg-frecan wæl rēafedon †
æfter gūð-sceare, Gēata lēode
1215hreā-wīc hēoldon. Heal swēge onfēng. †
Wealhþēo maðelode, hēo fore þǣm werede spræc:
"Brūc þisses bēages, Bēowulf, lēofa
"hyse, mid hǣle, and þisses hrægles nēot
"þēod-gestrēona, and geþēoh tela,
1220"cen þec mid cræfte and þyssum cnyhtum wes
"lāra līðe! ic þē þæs lēan geman.
"Hafast þū gefēred, þæt þē feor and nēah
"ealne wīde-ferhð weras ehtigað,

"efne swā sīde swā sǣ bebūgeð
1225"windige weallas. Wes, þenden þū lifige,
"æðeling ēadig! ic þē an tela
"sinc-gestrēona. Bēo þū suna mīnum †
"dǣdum gedēfe drēam healdende!
"Hēr is ǣghwylc eorl ōðrum getrȳwe, †
1230"mōdes milde, man-drihtne hold,
"þegnas syndon geþwǣre, þēod eal gearo:
"druncne dryht-guman, dōð swā ic bidde!" †
Ēode þā tō setle. Þǣr wæs symbla cyst,
druncon wīn weras: wyrd ne cūðon,
1235geō-sceaft grimme, swā hit āgangen †
wearð
eorla manegum, syððan ǣfen cwōm
and him Hrōðgār gewāt tō hofe sīnum,
rīce tō ræste. Reced weardode
unrīm eorla, swā hīe oft ǣr dydon:
1240benc-þelu beredon, hit geond-brǣded wearð
beddum and bolstrum. Bēor-scealca sum
fūs and fǣge flet-ræste gebēag.
Setton him tō hēafdum hilde-randas,
bord-wudu beorhtan; þǣr on bence wæs
1245ofer æðelinge ȳð-gesēne
heaðo-stēapa helm, hringed byrne, †
þrec-wudu þrymlīc. Wæs þēaw hyra,
þæt hīe oft wǣron an wīg gearwe, †
gē æt hām gē on herge, gē gehwæðer þāra
1250efne swylce mǣla, swylce hira man-dryhtne
þearf gesǣlde; wæs sēo þēod tilu.

XX. GRENDEL'S MOTHER ATTACKS THE
RING-DANES.
Sigon þā tō slǣpe. Sum sāre angeald †
ǣfen-ræste, swā him ful-oft gelamp,
siððan gold-sele Grendel warode, †
1255unriht æfnde, oð þæt ende becwōm, †
swylt æfter synnum. Þæt gesȳne wearð,
wīd-cūð werum, þætte wrecend þā gȳt
lifde æfter lāðum, lange þrāge
æfter gūð-ceare; Grendles mōdor, †
1260ides āglǣc-wīf yrmðe gemunde,
sē þe wæter-egesan wunian scolde, †
cealde strēamas, siððan Cain wearð
tō ecg-banan āngan brēðer,
fæderen-mǣge; hē þā fāg gewāt,
1265morðre gemearcod man-drēam flēon,
wēsten warode. Þanon wōc fela
geōsceaft-gāsta; wæs þǣra Grendel sum,
heoro-wearh hetelīc, sē æt Heorote fand
wæccendne wer wīges bīdan,
1270þǣr him āglǣca æt-grǣpe wearð; †
hwæðre hē gemunde mægenes strenge,
gim-fæste gife, þē him god sealde,
and him tō anwaldan āre gelȳfde, †
frōfre and fultum: þȳ hē þone fēond ofercwōm,
1275gehnǣgde helle gāst: þā hē hēan gewāt,
drēame bedǣled dēað-wīc sēon,
man-cynnes fēond. And his mōdor þā gȳt
gīfre and galg-mōd gegān wolde
sorh-fulne sīð, suna dēað wrecan. †
1280Cōm þā tō Heorote, þǣr Hring-Dene
geond þæt sæld swǣfun. Þā þǣr sōna wearð †
ed-hwyrft eorlum, siððan inne fealh

Grendles mōdor; wæs se gryre lǣssa
efne swā micle, swā bið mægða cræft,
1285wīg-gryre wīfes be wǣpned-men,
þonne heoru bunden, hamere geþuren, †
sweord swāte fāh swīn ofer helme,
ecgum dyhtig andweard scireð.
Þā wæs on healle heard-ecg togen,
1290sweord ofer setlum, sīd-rand manig
hafen handa fæst; helm ne gemunde,
byrnan sīde, þe hine se brōga angeat. †
Hēo wæs on ofste, wolde ūt þanon
fēore beorgan, þā hēo onfunden wæs;
1295hraðe hēo æðelinga ānne hæfde
fæste befangen, þā hēo tō fenne gang;
sē wæs Hrōðgāre hæleða lēofost
on gesīðes hād be sǣm tweonum, †
rīce rand-wiga, þone þe hēo on ræste ābrēat,
1300blǣd-fæstne beorn. Næs Bēowulf þǣr,
ac wæs ōðer in ǣr geteohhod †
æfter māððum-gife mǣrum Gēate.
Hrēam wearð on Heorote. Hēo under heolfre †
genam
cūðe folme; cearu wæs genīwod
1305geworden in wīcum: ne wæs þæt gewrixle til,
þæt hīe on bā healfa bicgan scoldon
frēonda fēorum. Þā wæs frōd cyning,
hār hilde-rinc, on hrēon mōde,
syððan hē aldor-þegn unlyfigendne,
1310þone dēorestan dēadne wisse.
Hraðe wæs tō būre Bēowulf fetod,
sigor-ēadig secg. Samod ǣr-dæge
ēode eorla sum, æðele cempa
self mid gesīðum, þǣr se snottra bād,
1315hwæðre him al-walda ǣfre wille
æfter wēa-spelle wyrpe gefremman.
Gang þā æfter flōre fyrd-wyrðe man
mid his hand-scale (heal-wudu dynede)

þæt hē þone wīsan wordum hnǣgde †
1320frēan Ingwina; frægn gif him wǣre
æfter nēod-laðu niht getǣse. †

XXI. SORROW AT HEOROT: AESCHERE'S
DEATH
Hrōðgār maðelode, helm Scildinga:
"Ne frīn þū æfter sǣlum! Sorh is genīwod
"Denigea lēodum. Dēad is Æsc-here,
1325"Yrmenlāfes yldra brōðor,
"mīn rūn-wita and mīn rǣd-bora,
"eaxl-gestealla, þonne wē on orlege
"hafelan weredon, þonne hniton fēðan,
"eoferas cnysedan; swylc scolde eorl wesan
1330"æðeling ǣr-gōd, swylc Æsc-here wæs.
"Wearð him on Heorote tō hand-banan
"wæl-gǣst wǣfre; ic ne wāt hwæder
"atol ǣse wlanc eft-sīðas tēah,
"fylle gefrǣgnod. Hēo þā fǣhðe wræc, †
1335"þē þū gystran niht Grendel cwealdest
"þurh hǣstne hād heardum clammum,
"forþan hē tō lange lēode mīne
"wanode and wyrde. Hē æt wīge gecrang
"ealdres scyldig, and nū ōðer cwōm
1340"mihtig mān-scaða, wolde hyre mǣg †
wrecan,
"gē feor hafað fǣhðe gestǣled,
"þæs þe þincean mæg þegne monegum,
"sē þe æfter sinc-gyfan on sefan grēoteð,
"hreðer-bealo hearde; nū sēo hand ligeð,
1345"sē þe ēow wēl-hwylcra wilna dohte. †
"Ic þæt lond-būend lēode mīne †
"sele-rǣdende secgan hȳrde, †
"þæt hīe gesāwon swylce twēgen
"micle mearc-stapan mōras healdan,
1350"ellor-gǣstas: þǣra ōðer wæs,
"þæs þe hīe gewislīcost gewitan meahton, †

"idese onlīcnes, ōðer earm-sceapen †
"on weres wæstmum wræc-lāstas træd,
"næfne hē wæs māra þonne ǣnig man ōðer,
1355"þone on geār-dagum Grendel nemdon
"fold-būende: nō hīe fæder cunnon,
"hwæðer him ǣnig wæs ǣr ācenned
"dyrnra gāsta. Hīe dȳgel lond
"warigeað, wulf-hleoðu, windige næssas,
1360"frēcne fen-gelād, þǣr fyrgen-strēam †
"under næssa genipu niðer gewīteð,
"flōd under foldan; nis þæt feor heonon
"mīl-gemearces, þæt se mere standeð, †
"ofer þǣm hongiað hrīmge bearwas, †
1365"wudu wyrtum fæst, wæter oferhelmað.
"Þǣr mæg nihta gehwǣm nīð-wundor sēon, †
"fȳr on flōde; nō þæs frōd leofað
"gumena bearna, þæt þone grund wite;
"þēah þe hǣð-stapa hundum geswenced,
1370"heorot hornum trum holt-wudu sēce, †
"feorran geflȳmed, ǣr hē feorh seleð, †
"aldor on ōfre, ǣr hē in wille, †
"hafelan hȳdan. Nis þæt hēoru stōw: †
"þonon ȳð-geblond up āstīgeð
1375"won tō wolcnum, þonne wind styreð
"lāð gewidru, oð þæt lyft drysmað,
"roderas rēotað. Nū is rǣd gelang
"eft æt þē ānum! Eard gīt ne const,
"frēcne stōwe, þǣr þū findan miht
1380"sinnigne secg: sēc gif þū dyrre!
"Ic þē þā fǣhðe fēo lēanige,
"eald-gestrēonum, swā ic ǣr dyde,
"wundnum golde, gyf þū on weg cymest."

XXII. BĒOWULF SEEKS THE MONSTER IN
THE HAUNTS OF THE NIXIES.
Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:
1385"Ne sorga, snotor guma! sēlre bið ǣghwǣm,
"þæt hē his frēond wrece, þonne hē fela murne;
"ūre ǣghwylc sceal ende gebīdan
"worolde līfes; wyrce sē þe mōte
"dōmes ǣr dēaðe! þæt bið driht-guman
1390"unlifgendum æfter sēlest.
"Ārīs, rīces weard; uton hraðe fēran, †
"Grendles māgan gang scēawigan!
"Ic hit þē gehāte: nō hē on helm losað,
"nē on foldan fæðm, nē on fyrgen-holt,
1395"nē on gyfenes grund, gā þǣr hē wille.
"Þȳs dōgor þū geþyld hafa
"wēana gehwylces, swā ic þē wēne tō!"
Āhlēop þā se gomela, gode þancode,
mihtigan drihtne, þæs se man gespræc.
1400Þā wæs Hrōðgāre hors gebǣted, †
wicg wunden-feax. Wīsa fengel
geatolīc gengde; gum-fēða stōp †
lind-hæbbendra. Lāstas wǣron
æfter wald-swaðum wīde gesȳne,
1405gang ofer grundas; gegnum fōr þā †
ofer myrcan mōr, mago-þegna bær
þone sēlestan sāwol-lēasne,
þāra þe mid Hrōðgāre hām eahtode.
Ofer-ēode þā æðelinga bearn
1410stēap stān-hliðo, stīge nearwe,
enge ān-paðas, un-cūð gelād, †
neowle næssas, nicor-hūsa fela;
hē fēara sum beforan gengde
wīsra monna, wong scēawian,

1415oð þæt hē fǣringa fyrgen-bēamas
ofer hārne stān hleonian funde,
wyn-lēasne wudu; wæter under stōd
drēorig and gedrēfed. Denum eallum wæs,
winum Scyldinga, weorce on mōde,
1420tō geþolianne þegne monegum,
oncȳð eorla gehwǣm, syððan Æsc-heres †
on þām holm-clife hafelan mētton.
Flōd blōde wēol (folc tō sǣgon)
hātan heolfre. Horn stundum song
1425fūslīc fyrd-lēoð. Fēða eal gesæt; †
gesāwon þā æfter wætere wyrm-cynnes fela,
sellīce sǣ-dracan sund cunnian,
swylce on næs-hleoðum nicras licgean, †
þā on undern-mǣl oft bewitigað
1430sorh-fulne sīð on segl-rāde,
wyrmas and wil-dēor; hīe on weg hruron
bitere and gebolgne, bearhtm ongeāton,
gūð-horn galan. Sumne Gēata lēod
of flān-bogan fēores getwǣfde,
1435ȳð-gewinnes, þæt him on aldre stōd
here-strǣl hearda; hē on holme wæs
sundes þē sǣnra, þē hyne swylt fornam.
Hræðe wearð on ȳðum mid eofer-sprēotum
heoro-hōcyhtum hearde genearwod,
1440nīða genǣged and on næs togen †
wundorlīc wǣg-bora; weras scēawedon †
gryrelīcne gist. Gyrede hine Bēowulf
eorl-gewǣdum, nalles for ealdre mearn:
scolde here-byrne hondum gebrōden,
1445sīd and searo-fāh, sund cunnian,
sēo þe bān-cofan beorgan cūðe,
þæt him hilde-grāp hreðre ne mihte, †
eorres inwit-feng, aldre gesceððan;
ac se hwīta helm hafelan werede,
1450sē þe mere-grundas mengan scolde,
sēcan sund-gebland since geweorðad,

befongen frēa-wrāsnum, swā hine fyrn-dagum
worhte wǣpna smið, wundrum tēode,
besette swīn-līcum, þæt hine syððan nō
1455brond nē beado-mēcas bītan ne †
meahton.
Næs þæt þonne mǣtost mægen-fultuma,
þæt him on þearfe lāh þyle Hrōðgāres; †
wæs þǣm hæft-mēce Hrunting nama, †
þæt wæs ān foran eald-gestrēona; †
1460ecg wæs īren āter-tēarum fāh, †
āhyrded heaðo-swāte; nǣfre hit æt hilde ne swāc
manna ǣngum þāra þe hit mid mundum bewand,
sē þe gryre-sīðas gegān dorste,
folc-stede fāra; næs þæt forma sīð,
1465þæt hit ellen-weorc æfnan scolde.
Hūru ne gemunde mago Ecglāfes
eafoðes cræftig, þæt hē ǣr gespræc †
wīne druncen, þā hē þæs wǣpnes onlāh
sēlran sweord-frecan: selfa ne dorste
1470under ȳða gewin aldre genēðan,
driht-scype drēogan; þǣr hē dōme forlēas,
ellen-mǣrðum. Ne wæs þǣm ōðrum swā,
syððan hē hine tō gūðe gegyred hæfde.

XXIII. THE BATTLE WITH THE WATER-
DRAKE.
Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:
1475"geþenc nū, se mǣra maga Healfdenes,
"snottra fengel, nū ic eom sīðes fūs,
"gold-wine gumena, hwæt wit geō sprǣcon,
"gif ic æt þearfe þīnre scolde
"aldre linnan, þæt þū mē ā wǣre
1480"forð-gewitenum on fæder stǣle; †
"wes þū mund-bora mīnum mago-þegnum,
"hond-gesellum, gif mec hild nime: †
"swylce þū þā mādmas, þē þū mē sealdest,
"Hrōðgār lēofa, Higelāce onsend.
1485"Mæg þonne on þǣm golde ongitan Gēata dryhten,
"gesēon sunu Hrēðles, þonne hē on þæt sinc starað,
"þæt ic gum-cystum gōdne funde †
"bēaga bryttan, brēac þonne mōste.
"And þū Unferð lǣt ealde lāfe,
1490"wrǣtlīc wǣg-sweord wīd-cūðne man †
"heard-ecg habban; ic mē mid Hruntinge
"dōm gewyrce, oððe mec dēað nimeð."
Æfter þǣm wordum Weder-Gēata lēod
efste mid elne, nalas andsware
1495bīdan wolde; brim-wylm onfēng
hilde-rince. Þā wæs hwīl dæges,
ǣr hē þone grund-wong ongytan mehte.
Sōna þæt onfunde, sē þe flōda begong
heoro-gīfre behēold hund missēra,
1500grim and grǣdig, þæt þǣr gumena sum
æl-wihta eard ufan cunnode.
Grāp þā tōgēanes, gūð-rinc gefēng
atolan clommum; nō þȳ ǣr in gescōd
hālan līce: hring ūtan ymb-bearh,

1505þæt hēo þone fyrd-hom þurh-fōn ne mihte,
locene leoðo-syrcan lāðan fingrum.
Bær þā sēo brim-wylf, þā hēo tō botme cōm, †
hringa þengel tō hofe sīnum,
swā hē ne mihte nō (hē þæs mōdig wæs)
1510wǣpna gewealdan, ac hine wundra þæs fela
swencte on sunde, sǣ-dēor monig
hilde-tūxum here-syrcan bræc,
ēhton āglǣcan. Þā se eorl ongeat,
þæt hē in nið-sele nāt-hwylcum wæs, †
1515þǣr him nǣnig wæter wihte ne sceðede,
nē him for hrōf-sele hrīnan ne mehte
fǣr-gripe flōdes: fȳr-lēoht geseah,
blācne lēoman beorhte scīnan.
Ongeat þā se gōda grund-wyrgenne,
1520mere-wīf mihtig; mægen-rǣs forgeaf
hilde-bille, hond swenge ne oftēah,
þæt hire on hafelan hring-mǣl āgōl
grǣdig gūð-lēoð. Þā se gist onfand,
þæt se beado-lēoma bītan nolde,
1525aldre sceððan, ac sēo ecg geswāc
þēodne æt þearfe: þolode ǣr fela
hond-gemōta, helm oft gescær,
fǣges fyrd-hrægl: þæt wæs forma sīð
dēorum māðme, þæt his dōm ālæg.
1530Eft wæs ān-rǣd, nalas elnes læt,
mǣrða gemyndig mǣg Hygelāces;
wearp þā wunden-mǣl wrǣttum gebunden
yrre ōretta, þæt hit on eorðan læg,
stīð and stȳl-ecg; strenge getruwode,
1535mund-gripe mægenes. Swā sceal man dōn,
þonne hē æt gūðe gegān þenceð
longsumne lof, nā ymb his līf cearað.
Gefēng þā be eaxle (nalas for fǣhðe mearn) †
Gūð-Gēata lēod Grendles mōdor;
1540brægd þā beadwe heard, þā hē gebolgen wæs,
feorh-genīðlan, þæt hēo on flet gebēah.

Hēo him eft hraðe and-lēan forgeald
grimman grāpum and him tōgēanes fēng; †
oferwearp þā wērig-mōd wigena strengest,
1545fēðe-cempa, þæt hē on fylle wearð.
Ofsæt þā þone sele-gyst and hyre seaxe †
getēah,
brād and brūn-ecg wolde hire bearn wrecan,
āngan eaferan. Him on eaxle læg
brēost-net brōden; þæt gebearh fēore,
1550wið ord and wið ecge ingang forstōd.
Hæfde þā forsīðod sunu Ecgþēowes
under gynne grund, Gēata cempa,
nemne him heaðo-byrne helpe gefremede,
here-net hearde, and hālig god
1555gewēold wīg-sigor, wītig drihten;
rodera rǣdend hit on ryht gescēd,
ȳðelīce syððan hē eft āstōd. †

XXIV. BĒOWULF SLAYS THE SPRITE.
Geseah þā on searwum sige-ēadig bil,
eald sweord eotenisc ecgum þȳhtig,
1560wigena weorð-mynd: þæt wæs wǣpna cyst,
būton hit wæs māre þonne ǣnig mon ōðer
tō beadu-lāce ætberan meahte
gōd and geatolīc gīganta geweorc.
Hē gefēng þā fetel-hilt, freca Scildinga,
1565hrēoh and heoro-grim hring-mǣl gebrægd,
aldres orwēna, yrringa slōh,
þæt hire wið halse heard grāpode,
bān-hringas bræc, bil eal þurh-wōd
fǣgne flǣsc-homan, hēo on flet gecrong;
1570sweord wæs swātig, secg weorce gefeh.
Līxte se lēoma, lēoht inne stōd,
efne swā of hefene hādre scīneð
rodores candel. Hē æfter recede wlāt,
hwearf þā be wealle, wǣpen hafenade
1575heard be hiltum Higelāces þegn,
yrre and ān-rǣd. Næs sēo ecg fracod
hilde-rince, ac hē hraðe wolde
Grendle forgyldan gūð-rǣsa fela
þāra þe hē geworhte tō West-Denum
1580oftor micle þonne on ǣnne sīð,
þonne hē Hrōðgāres heorð-genēatas
slōh on sweofote, slǣpende fræt
folces Denigea fȳf-tȳne men
and ōðer swylc ūt of-ferede, †
1585lāðlīcu lāc. Hē him þæs lēan forgeald,
rēðe cempa, tō þæs þe hē on ræste geseah
gūð-wērigne Grendel licgan,
aldor-lēasne, swā him ǣr gescōd
hild æt Heorote; hrā wīde sprong,

1590syððan hē æfter dēaðe drepe þrowade,
heoro-sweng heardne, and hine þā hēafde becearf,
Sōna þæt gesāwon snottre ceorlas, †
þā þe mid Hrōðgāre on holm wliton,
þæt wæs ȳð-geblond eal gemenged,
1595brim blōde fāh: blonden-feaxe †
gomele ymb gōdne ongeador sprǣcon,
þæt hig þæs æðelinges eft ne wēndon,
þæt hē sige-hrēðig sēcean cōme
mǣrne þēoden; þā þæs monige gewearð, †
1600þæt hine sēo brim-wylf ābroten hæfde.
Þā cōm nōn dæges. Næs ofgēafon
hwate Scyldingas; gewāt him hām þonon
gold-wine gumena. Gistas sētan,
mōdes sēoce, and on mere staredon,
1605wiston and ne wēndon, þæt hīe heora †
wine-drihten
selfne gesāwon. Þā þæt sweord ongan
æfter heaðo-swāte hilde-gicelum †
wīg-bil wanian; þæt wæs wundra sum,
þæt hit eal gemealt īse gelīcost,
1610þonne forstes bend fæder onlǣteð,
onwindeð wæl-rāpas, sē þe geweald hafað †
sǣla and mǣla; þæt is sōð metod.
Ne nom hē in þǣm wīcum, Weder-Gēata lēod,
māðm-ǣhta mā, þēh hē þǣr monige geseah,
1615būton þone hafelan and þā hilt somod,
since fāge; sweord ǣr gemealt,
forbarn brōden mǣl: wæs þæt blōd tō þæs hāt,
ǣttren ellor-gǣst, sē þǣr inne swealt.
Sōna wæs on sunde, sē þe ǣr æt sæcce gebād
1620wīg-hryre wrāðra, wæter up þurh-dēaf;
wǣron ȳð-gebland eal gefǣlsod,
ēacne eardas, þā se ellor-gāst †
oflēt līf-dagas and þās lǣnan gesceaft.
Cōm þā tō lande lid-manna helm
1625swīð-mōd swymman, sǣ-lāce gefeah,

mægen-byrðenne þāra þe hē him mid hæfde.
Ēodon him þā tōgēanes, gode þancodon,
þrȳðlīc þegna hēap, þēodnes gefēgon,
þæs þe hī hyne gesundne gesēon mōston.
1630Þā wæs of þǣm hrōran helm and byrne
lungre ālȳsed: lagu drūsade,
wæter under wolcnum, wæl-drēore fāg.
Fērdon forð þonon fēðe-lāstum
ferhðum fægne, fold-weg mǣton,
1635cūðe strǣte; cyning-balde men †
from þǣm holm-clife hafelan bǣron
earfoðlīce heora ǣghwæðrum
fela-mōdigra: fēower scoldon
on ðæm wæl-stenge weorcum geferian
1640tō þǣm gold-sele Grendles hēafod,
oð þæt semninga tō sele cōmon
frome fyrd-hwate fēower-tȳne
Gēata gongan; gum-dryhten mid
mōdig on gemonge meodo-wongas træd.
1645Þā cōm in gān ealdor þegna,
dǣd-cēne mon dōme gewurðad,
hæle hilde-dēor. Hrōðgār grētan:
Þā wæs be feaxe on flet boren
Grendles hēafod, þǣr guman druncon,
1650egeslīc for eorlum and þǣre idese mid: †
wlite-sēon wrǣtlīc weras onsāwon. †

XXV. HROTHGAR'S GRATITUDE: HE
DISCOURSES.
Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:
"Hwæt! wē þē þās sǣ-lāc, sunu Healfdenes,
"lēod Scyldinga, lustum brōhton,
1655"tīres tō tācne, þē þū hēr tō lōcast.
"Ic þæt unsōfte ealdre gedīgde:
"wigge under wætere weorc genēðde
"earfoðlīce, æt-rihte wæs
"gūð getwǣfed, nymðe mec god scylde.
1660"Ne meahte ic æt hilde mid Hruntinge
"wiht gewyrcan, þēah þæt wǣpen duge,
"ac mē geūðe ylda waldend,
"þæt ic on wāge geseah wlitig hangian
"eald sweord ēacen (oftost wīsode †
1665"winigea lēasum) þæt ic þȳ wǣpne gebrǣ.
"Ofslōh þā æt þǣre sæcce (þā mē sǣl āgeald)
"hūses hyrdas. Þā þæt hilde-bil
"forbarn, brogden mǣl, swā þæt blōd gesprang,
"hātost heaðo-swāta: ic þæt hilt þanan
1670"fēondum ætferede; fyren-dǣda wræc,
"dēað-cwealm Denigea, swā hit gedēfe wæs.
"Ic hit þē þonne gehāte, þæt þū on Heorote mōst
"sorh-lēas swefan mid þīnra secga gedryht,
"and þegna gehwylc þīnra lēoda,
1675"duguðe and iogoðe, þæt þū him †
ondrǣdan ne þearft,
"þēoden Scyldinga, on þā healfe,
"aldor-bealu eorlum, swā þū ǣr dydest."
Þā wæs gylden hilt gamelum rince.
hārum hild-fruman, on hand gyfen,
1680enta ǣr-geweorc, hit on ǣht gehwearf †
æfter dēofla hryre Denigea frēan,

wundor-smiða geweorc, and þā þās worold ofgeaf
grom-heort guma, godes andsaca,
morðres scyldig, and his mōdor ēac;
1685on geweald gehwearf worold-cyninga
þǣm sēlestan be sǣm twēonum
þāra þe on Sceden-igge sceattas dǣlde. †
Hrōðgār maðelode, hylt scēawode,
ealde lāfe, on þǣm wæs ōr writen
1690fyrn-gewinnes: syððan flōd ofslōh,
gifen gēotende, gīganta cyn,
frēcne gefērdon: þæt wæs fremde þēod
ēcean dryhtne, him þæs ende-lēan
þurh wæteres wylm waldend sealde.
1695Swā wæs on þǣm scennum scīran goldes
þurh rūn-stafas rihte gemearcod,
geseted and gesǣd, hwām þæt sweord geworht,
īrena cyst ǣrest wǣre,
wreoðen-hilt and wyrm-fāh. þā se wīsa spræc
1700sunu Healfdenes (swīgedon ealle):
"Þæt lā mæg secgan, sē þe sōð and riht
"fremeð on folce, (feor eal gemon
"eald ēðel-weard), þæt þes eorl wǣre †
"geboren betera! Blǣd is ārǣred
1705"geond wīd-wegas, wine mīn Bēowulf,
"þīn ofer þēoda gehwylce. Eal þū hit geþyldum healdest,
"mægen mid mōdes snyttrum. Ic þē sceal mīne gelǣstan
"frēode, swā wit furðum sprǣcon; þū scealt tō frōfre weorðan
"eal lang-twidig lēodum þīnum,
1710"hæleðum tō helpe. Ne wearð Heremōd swā
"eaforum Ecgwelan, Ār-Scyldingum;
"ne gewēox hē him tō willan, ac tō wæl-fealle
"and tō dēað-cwalum Deniga lēodum;
"brēat bolgen-mōd bēod-genēatas,
1715"eaxl-gesteallan, oð þæt hē āna hwearf, †
"mǣre þēoden. mon-drēamum from:
"þēah þe hine mihtig god mægenes wynnum,
"eafeðum stēpte, ofer ealle men

"forð gefremede, hwæðere him on ferhðe grēow
1720"brēost-hord blōd-rēow: nallas bēagas geaf
"Denum æfter dōme; drēam-lēas gebād,
"þæt hē þæs gewinnes weorc þrowade,
"lēod-bealo longsum. Þū þē lǣr be þon, †
"gum-cyste ongit! ic þis gid be þē
1725"āwræc wintrum frōd. Wundor is tō secganne,
"hū mihtig god manna cynne
"þurh sīdne sefan snyttru bryttað,
"eard and eorl-scipe, hē āh ealra geweald.
"Hwīlum hē on lufan lǣteð hworfan †
1730"monnes mōd-geþonc mǣran cynnes, †
"seleð him on ēðle eorðan wynne,
"tō healdanne hlēo-burh wera,
"gedēð him swā gewealdene worolde dǣlas,
"sīde rīce, þæt hē his selfa ne mæg
1735"for his un-snyttrum ende geþencean;
"wunað hē on wiste, nō hine wiht dweleð,
"ādl nē yldo, nē him inwit-sorh
"on sefan sweorceð, nē gesacu ōhwǣr,
"ecg-hete ēoweð, ac him eal worold
1740"wendeð on willan; hē þæt wyrse ne con,
"oð þæt him on innan ofer-hygda dǣl †
"weaxeð and wridað, þonne se weard swefeð,
"sāwele hyrde: bið se slǣp tō fæst,
"bisgum gebunden, bona swīðe nēah,
1745"sē þe of flān-bogan fyrenum scēoteð. †

XXVI. THE DISCOURSE IS ENDED.—
BĒOWULF PREPARES TO LEAVE.
"Þonne bið on hreðre under helm drepen
"biteran strǣle: him bebeorgan ne con
"wom wundor-bebodum wergan gāstes; †
"þinceð him tō lȳtel, þæt hē tō lange hēold,
1750"gȳtsað grom-hȳdig, nallas on gylp seleð †
"fǣtte bēagas and hē þā forð-gesceaft
"forgyteð and forgȳmeð, þæs þe him ǣr god sealde
"wuldres waldend, weorð-mynda dǣl.
"Hit on ende-stæf eft gelimpeð,
1755"þæt se līc-homa lǣne gedrēoseð,
"fǣge gefealleð; fēhð ōðer tō,
"sē þe unmurnlīce mādmas dǣleð,
"eorles ǣr-gestrēon, egesan ne gȳmeð.
"Bebeorh þē þone bealo-nīð, Bēowulf lēofa,
1760"secg se betsta, and þē þæt sēlre gecēos,
"ēce rǣdas; oferhȳda ne gȳm,
"mǣre cempa! Nū is þīnes mægnes blǣd
"āne hwīle; eft sōna bið,
"þæt þec ādl oððe ecg eafoðes getwǣfeð,
1765"oððe fȳres feng oððe flōdes wylm,
"oððe gripe mēces oððe gāres fliht,
"oððe atol yldo, oððe ēagena bearhtm †
"forsiteð and forsworceð; semninga bið,
"þæt þec, dryht-guma, dēað oferswȳðeð.
1770"Swā ic Hring-Dena hund missēra
"wēold under wolcnum, and hig wigge belēac
"manigum mǣgða geond þysne middan-geard,
"æscum and ecgum, þæt ic mē ǣnigne
"under swegles begong gesacan ne tealde.
1775"Hwæt! mē þæs on ēðle edwenden cwōm,
"gyrn æfter gomene, seoððan Grendel wearð,

"eald-gewinna, in-genga mīn:
"ic þǣre sōcne singāles wæg
"mōd-ceare micle. Þæs sig metode þanc,
1780"ēcean drihtne, þæs þe ic on aldre gebād,
"þæt ic on þone hafelan heoro-drēorigne
"ofer eald gewin ēagum starige!
"Gā nū tō setle, symbel-wynne drēoh
"wīgge weorðad: unc sceal worn fela †
1785"māðma gemǣnra, siððan morgen bið." †
Gēat wæs glæd-mōd, gēong sōna tō,
setles nēosan, swā se snottra heht.
Þā wæs eft swā ǣr ellen-rōfum,
flet-sittendum fægere gereorded
1790nīowan stefne. Niht-helm geswearc
deorc ofer dryht-gumum. Duguð eal ārās;
wolde blonden-feax beddes nēosan,
gamela Scylding. Gēat ungemetes wēl,
rōfne rand-wigan restan lyste: †
1795sōna him sele-þegn sīðes wērgum,
feorran-cundum forð wīsade,
se for andrysnum ealle beweotede
þegnes þearfe, swylce þȳ dōgore
hēaðo-līðende habban scoldon.
1800Reste hine þā rūm-heort; reced hlīfade
gēap and gold-fāh, gæst inne swæf,
oð þæt hrefn blaca heofones wynne †
blīð-heort bodode. Þā cōm beorht sunne †
scacan ofer grundas; scaðan ōnetton,
1805wǣron æðelingas eft tō lēodum
fūse tō farenne, wolde feor þanon
cuma collen-ferhð cēoles nēosan.
Heht þā se hearda Hrunting beran, †
sunu Ecglāfes, heht his sweord niman,
1810lēoflīc īren; sægde him þæs lēanes þanc,
cwæð hē þone gūð-wine gōdne tealde,
wīg-cræftigne, nales wordum lōg
mēces ecge: þæt wæs mōdig secg.

And þā sīð-frome searwum gearwe
1815wīgend wǣron, ēode weorð Denum
æðeling tō yppan, þǣr se ōðer wæs
hæle hilde-dēor, Hrōðgār grētte.

XXVII. THE PARTING WORDS.
Bēowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþēowes:
"Nū wē sǣ-līðend secgan wyllað
1820"feorran cumene, þæt wē fundiað
"Higelāc sēcan. Wǣron hēr tela
"willum bewenede; þū ūs wēl dohtest.
"Gif ic þonne on eorðan ōwihte mæg †
"þīnre mōd-lufan māran tilian,
1825"gumena dryhten, þonne ic gȳt dyde,
"gūð-geweorca ic bēo gearo sōna.
"Gif ic þæt gefricge ofer flōda begang,
"þæt þec ymbe-sittend egesan þȳwað,
"swā þec hetende hwīlum dydon,
1830"ic þē þūsenda þegna bringe,
"hæleða tō helpe. Ic on Higelāce wāt,
"Gēata dryhten, þēah þe hē geong sȳ, †
"folces hyrde, þæt hē mec fremman wile
"wordum and worcum, þæt ic þē wēl herige,
1835"and þē tō gēoce gār-holt bere †
"mægenes fultum, þǣr þē bið manna þearf;
"gif him þonne Hrēðrīc tō hofum Gēata
"geþingeð, þēodnes bearn, hē mæg þǣr fela
"frēonda findan: feor-cȳððe bēoð
1840"sēlran gesōhte þǣm þe him selfa dēah."
Hrōðgār maðelode him on andsware:
"Þē þā word-cwydas wittig drihten
"on sefan sende! ne hȳrde ic snotorlīcor
"on swā geongum feore guman þingian:
1845"þū eart mægenes strang and on mōde frōd,
"wīs word-cwida. Wēn ic talige,
"gif þæt gegangeð, þæt þe gār nymeð,
"hild heoru-grimme Hrēðles eaferan,
"ādl oððe īren ealdor þīnne,

1850"folces hyrde, and þū þīn feorh hafast,
"þæt þe Sǣ-Gēatas sēlran næbben
"tō gecēosenne cyning ǣnigne,
"hord-weard hæleða, gif þū healdan wylt
"māga rīce. Mē þīn mōd-sefa
1855"līcað leng swā wēl, lēofa Bēowulf: †
"hafast þū gefēred, þæt þām folcum sceal,
"Gēata lēodum and Gār-Denum
"sib gemǣnum and sacu restan, †
"inwit-nīðas, þē hīe ǣr drugon;
1860"wesan, þenden ic wealde wīdan rīces,
"māðmas gemǣne, manig ōðerne
"gōdum gegrētan ofer ganotes bæð; †
"sceal hring-naca ofer hēaðu bringan †
"lāc and luf-tācen. Ic þā lēode wāt
1865"gē wið fēond gē wið frēond fæste †
geworhte
"ǣghwæs untǣle ealde wīsan."
Þā gīt him eorla hlēo inne gesealde,
mago Healfdenes māðmas twelfe,
hēt hine mid þǣm lācum lēode swǣse
1870sēcean on gesyntum, snūde eft cuman.
Gecyste þā cyning æðelum gōd,
þēoden Scildinga, þegen betstan
and be healse genam; hruron him tēaras,
blonden-feaxum: him wæs bēga wēn,
1875ealdum infrōdum, ōðres swīðor,
þæt hī seoððan gesēon mōston †
mōdige on meðle. Wæs him se man tō þon lēof,
þæt hē þone brēost-wylm forberan ne mehte,
ac him on hreðre hyge-bendum fæst
1880æfter dēorum men dyrne langað
beorn wið blōde. Him Bēowulf þanan, †
gūð-rinc gold-wlanc græs-moldan træd,
since hrēmig: sǣ-genga bād
āgend-frēan, sē þe on ancre rād.
1885Þā wæs on gange gifu Hrōðgāres

oft geæhted: þæt wæs ān cyning
ǣghwæs orleahtre, oð þæt hine yldo benam †
mægenes wynnum, sē þe oft manegum scōd.

XXVIII. BĒOWULF RETURNS TO
GEATLAND.—THE QUEENS HYGD AND
THRYTHO.
Cwōm þā tō flōde fela-mōdigra
1890hæg-stealdra hēap; hring-net bǣron,
locene leoðo-syrcan. Land-weard onfand
eft-sīð eorla, swā hē ǣr dyde;
nō hē mid hearme of hlīðes nosan
gæstas grētte, ac him tōgēanes rād;
1895cwæð þæt wilcuman Wedera lēodum
scawan scīr-hame tō scipe fōron. †
Þā wæs on sande sǣ-gēap naca †
hladen here-wǣdum, hringed-stefna
mēarum and māðmum: mæst hlīfade
1900ofer Hrōðgāres hord-gestrēonum.
Hē þǣm bāt-wearde bunden golde
swurd gesealde, þæt hē syððan wæs
on meodu-bence māðme þȳ weorðra,
yrfe-lāfe. Gewāt him on ȳð-nacan, †
1905drēfan dēop wæter, Dena land ofgeaf.
Þā wæs be mæste mere-hrægla sum,
segl sāle fæst. Sund-wudu þunede,
nō þǣr wēg-flotan wind ofer ȳðum
sīðes getwǣfde; sǣ-genga fōr,
1910flēat fāmig-heals forð ofer ȳðe,
bunden-stefna ofer brim-strēamas,
þæt hīe Gēata clifu ongitan meahton,
cūðe næssas. Cēol up geþrang, †
lyft-geswenced on lande stōd. †
1915Hraðe wæs æt holme hȳð-weard gearo,
sē þe ǣr lange tīd, lēofra manna †
fūs, æt faroðe feor wlātode;

sǣlde tō sande sīd-fæðme scip
oncer-bendum fæst, þȳ lǣs hym ȳða þrym
1920wudu wynsuman forwrecan meahte.
Hēt þā up beran æðelinga gestrēon,
frætwe and fǣt-gold; næs him feor þanon
tō gesēcanne sinces bryttan:
Higelāc Hrēðling þǣr æt hām wunað, †
1925selfa mid gesīðum sǣ-wealle nēah;
bold wæs betlīc, brego-rōf cyning,
hēa on healle, Hygd swīðe geong, †
wīs, wēl-þungen, þēah þe wintra lȳt
under burh-locan gebiden hæbbe
1930Hæreðes dōhtor: næs hīo hnāh swā þēah,
nē tō gnēað gifa Gēata lēodum,
māðm-gestrēona. Mod Þrȳðo wæg, †
fremu folces cwēn, firen ondrysne: †
nǣnig þæt dorste dēor genēðan
1935swǣsra gesīða, nefne sin-frēa,
þæt hire an dæges ēagum starede; †
ac him wæl-bende weotode tealde,
hand-gewriðene: hraðe seoððan wæs
æfter mund-gripe mēce geþinged,
1940þæt hit sceaðen-mǣl scȳran mōste,
cwealm-bealu cȳðan. Ne bið swylc cwēnlīc þēaw
idese tō efnanne, þēah þe hīo ǣnlīcu sȳ,
þætte freoðu-webbe fēores onsæce †
æfter līge-torne lēofne mannan.
1945Hūru þæt onhōhsnode Heminges mǣg;
ealo drincende ōðer sǣdan,
þæt hīo lēod-bealewa lǣs gefremede,
inwit-nīða, syððan ǣrest wearð
gyfen gold-hroden geongum cempan,
1950æðelum dīore, syððan hīo Offan flet
ofer fealone flōd be fæder lāre
sīðe gesōhte, þǣr hīo syððan wēl
in gum-stōle, gōde mǣre,
līf-gesceafta lifigende brēac,

1955hīold hēah-lufan wið hæleða brego,
ealles mon-cynnes mīne gefrǣge
þone sēlestan bī sǣm twēonum
eormen-cynnes; forþām Offa wæs
geofum and gūðum gār-cēne man,
1960wīde geweorðod; wīsdōme hēold
ēðel sīnne, þonon Ēomǣr wōc
hæleðum tō helpe, Heminges mǣg,
nefa Gārmundes, nīða cræftig.

XXIX. HIS ARRIVAL. HYGELAC'S
RECEPTION.
Gewāt him þā se hearda mid his hond-scole
1965sylf æfter sande sǣ-wong tredan,
wīde waroðas. Woruld-candel scān, †
sigel sūðan fūs: hī sīð drugon,
elne geēodon, tō þæs þe eorla hlēo,
bonan Ongenþēowes burgum on innan, †
1970geongne gūð-cyning gōdne gefrūnon
hringas dǣlan. Higelāce wæs
sīð Bēowulfes snūde gecȳðed,
þæt þǣr on worðig wīgendra hlēo,
lind-gestealla lifigende cwōm,
1975heaðo-lāces hāl tō hofe gongan.
Hraðe wæs gerȳmed, swā se rīca bebēad,
fēðe-gestum flet innan-weard.
Gesæt þā wið sylfne, sē þā sæcce genæs,
mǣg wið mǣge, syððan man-dryhten
1980þurh hlēoðor-cwyde holdne gegrētte
mēaglum wordum. Meodu-scencum †
hwearf geond þæt reced Hæreðes dōhtor: †
lufode þā lēode, līð-wǣge bær
hǣlum tō handa. Higelāc ongan †
1985sīnne geseldan in sele þām hēan †
fægre fricgean, hyne fyrwet bræc,
hwylce Sǣ-Gēata sīðas wǣron:
"Hū lomp ēow on lāde, lēofa Bīowulf,
"þā þū fǣringa feorr gehogodest,
1990"sæcce sēcean ofer sealt wæter,
"hilde tō Hiorote? Ac þū Hrōðgāre
"wīd-cūðne wēan wihte gebēttest,
"mǣrum þēodne? Ic þæs mōd-ceare
"sorh-wylmum sēað, sīðe ne truwode †

1995"lēofes mannes; ic þē lange bæd,
"þæt þū þone wæl-gǣst wihte ne grētte,
"lēte Sūð-Dene sylfe geweorðan
"gūðe wið Grendel. Gode ic þanc secge,
"þæs þe ic þē gesundne gesēon mōste."
2000Bīowulf maðelode, bearn Ecgþīowes:
"Þæt is undyrne, dryhten Higelāc,
"mǣre gemēting monegum fīra,
"hwylc orleg-hwīl uncer Grendles
"wearð on þām wange, þǣr hē worna fela
2005"Sige-Scildingum sorge gefremede,
"yrmðe tō aldre; ic þæt eal gewræc,
"swā ne gylpan þearf Grendeles māga
"ǣnig ofer eorðan ūht-hlem þone,
"sē þe lengest leofað lāðan cynnes,
2010"fenne bifongen. Ic þǣr furðum cwōm, †
"tō þām hring-sele Hrōðgār grētan:
"sōna mē se mǣra mago Healfdenes,
"syððan hē mōd-sefan mīnne cūðe,
"wið his sylfes sunu setl getǣhte.
2015"Weorod wæs on wynne; ne seah ic wīdan feorh
"under heofenes hwealf heal-sittendra
"medu-drēam māran. Hwīlum mǣru cwēn,
"friðu-sibb folca flet eall geond-hwearf,
"bǣdde byre geonge; oft hīo bēah-wriðan
2020"secge sealde, ǣr hīo tō setle gēong.
"Hwīlum for duguðe dōhtor Hrōðgāres
"eorlum on ende ealu-wǣge bær, †
"þā ic Frēaware flet-sittende
"nemnan hȳrde, þǣr hīo nægled sinc
2025"hæleðum sealde: sīo gehāten wæs, †
"geong gold-hroden, gladum suna Frōdan;
"hafað þæs geworden wine Scyldinga †
"rīces hyrde and þæt rǣd talað,
"þæt hē mid þȳ wīfe wæl-fǣhða dǣl,
2030"sæcca gesette. Oft nō seldan hwǣr †
"æfter lēod-hryre lȳtle hwīle

"bon-gār būgeð, þēah sēo brȳd duge!

XXX. BĒOWULF'S STORY OF THE
SLAYINGS.
"Mæg þæs þonne ofþyncan þēoden Heaðobeardna
"and þegna gehwām þāra lēoda,
2035"þonne hē mid fǣmnan on flett gǣð,
"dryht-bearn Dena duguða biwenede: †
"on him gladiað gomelra lāfe
"heard and hring-mǣl, Heaðobeardna gestrēon,
"þenden hīe þām wǣpnum wealdan mōston,
2040"oð þæt hīe forlǣddan tō þām lind-plegan
"swǣse gesīðas ond hyra sylfra feorh.
"Þonne cwið æt bēore, sē þe bēah gesyhð, †
"eald æsc-wiga, sē þe eall geman
"gār-cwealm gumena (him bið grim sefa),
2045"onginneð geōmor-mōd geongne cempan
"þurh hreðra gehygd higes cunnian,
"wīg-bealu weccean and þæt word ācwyð:
"'Meaht þū, mīn wine, mēce gecnāwan,
"'þone þin fæder tō gefeohte bær
2050"'under here-grīman hindeman sīðe,
"'dȳre īren, þǣr hyne Dene slōgon,
"'wēoldon wæl-stōwe, syððan wiðer-gyld læg,
"'æfter hæleða hryre, hwate Scyldungas?
"'Nu hēr þāra banena byre nāt-hwylces,
2055"'frætwum hrēmig on flet gǣð,
"'morðres gylpeð and þone māððum byreð,
"'þone þe þū mid rihte rǣdan sceoldest!'"
"Manað swā and myndgað mǣla gehwylce
"sārum wordum, oð þæt sǣl cymeð,
2060"þæt se fǣmnan þegn fore fæder dǣdum
"æfter billes bite blōd-fāg swefeð,
"ealdres scyldig; him se ōðer þonan
"losað lifigende, con him land geare. †

"Þonne bīoð brocene on bā healfe
2065"āð-sweord eorla; syððan Ingelde
"weallað wæl-nīðas and him wīf-lufan
"æfter cear-wælmum cōlran weorðað.
"Þȳ ic Heaðobeardna hyldo ne telge, †
"dryht-sibbe dǣl Denum unfǣcne,
2070"frēond-scipe fæstne. Ic sceal forð sprecan
"gēn ymbe Grendel, þæt þū geare cunne,
"sinces brytta, tō hwan syððan wearð
"hond-rǣs hæleða. Syððan heofones gim
"glād ofer grundas, gæst yrre cwōm,
2075"eatol ǣfen-grom, ūser nēosan,
"þǣr wē gesunde sæl weardodon;
"þǣr wæs Hondscīo hild onsǣge,
"feorh-bealu fǣgum, hē fyrmest læg,
"gyrded cempa; him Grendel wearð,
2080"mǣrum magu-þegne tō mūð-bonan,
"lēofes mannes līc eall forswealg.
"Nō þȳ ǣr ūt þā gēn īdel-hende
"bona blōdig-tōð bealewa gemyndig,
"of þām gold-sele gongan wolde,
2085"ac hē mægnes rōf mīn costode,
"grāpode gearo-folm. Glōf hangode
"sīd and syllīc searo-bendum fæst,
"sīo wæs orþoncum eall gegyrwed
"dēofles cræftum and dracan fellum:
2090"hē mec þǣr on innan unsynnigne,
"dīor dǣd-fruma, gedōn wolde,
"manigra sumne: hyt ne mihte swā,
"syððan ic on yrre upp-riht āstōd.
"Tō lang ys tō reccenne, hū ic þām lēod-sceaðan
2095"yfla gehwylces ond-lēan forgeald; †
"þǣr ic, þēoden mīn, þīne lēode
"weorðode weorcum. Hē on weg losade,
"lȳtle hwīle līf-wynna brēac;
"hwæðre him sīo swīðre swaðe weardade
2100"hand on Hiorte and hē hēan þonan,

"mōdes geōmor mere-grund gefēoll.
"Mē þone wæl-rǣs wine Scildunga
"fǣttan golde fela lēanode,
"manegum māðmum, syððan mergen cōm
2105"and wē tō symble geseten hæfdon.
"Þǣr wæs gidd and glēo; gomela Scilding
"fela fricgende feorran rehte;
"hwīlum hilde-dēor hearpan wynne,
"gomen-wudu grētte; hwīlum gyd āwræc
2110"sōð and sārlīc; hwīlum syllīc spell
"rehte æfter rihte rūm-heort cyning.
"Hwīlum eft ongan eldo gebunden,
"gomel gūð-wiga gioguðe cwīðan
"hilde-strengo; hreðer inne wēoll,
2115"þonne hē wintrum frōd worn gemunde. †
"Swā wē þǣr inne andlangne dæg
"nīode nāman, oð þæt niht becwōm
"ōðer tō yldum. Þā wæs eft hraðe
"gearo gyrn-wræce Grendeles mōdor,
2120"sīðode sorh-full; sunu dēað fornam,
"wīg-hete Wedra. Wīf unhȳre
"hyre bearn gewræc, beorn ācwealde
"ellenlīce; þǣr wæs Æsc-here,
"frōdan fyrn-witan, feorh ūðgenge;
2125"nōðer hȳ hine ne mōston, syððan mergen cwōm,
"dēað-wērigne Denia lēode
"bronde forbærnan, nē on bǣl hladan
"lēofne mannan: hīo þæt līc ætbær
"fēondes fæðmum under firgen-strēam. †
2130"Þæt wæs Hrōðgāre hrēowa tornost
"þāra þe lēod-fruman lange begeāte;
"þā se þēoden mec þīne līfe †
"healsode hrēoh-mōd, þæt ic on holma geþring
"eorl-scipe efnde, ealdre genēðde,
2135"mǣrðo fremede: hē mē mēde gehēt.
"Ic þā þæs wælmes, þē is wīde cūð,
"grimne gryrelīcne grund-hyrde fond.

"Þǣr unc hwīle wæs hand gemǣne;
"holm heolfre wēoll and ic hēafde becearf
2140"in þām grund-sele Grendeles mōdor
"ēacnum ecgum, unsōfte þonan
"feorh oðferede; næs ic fǣge þā gȳt,
"ac mē eorla hlēo eft gesealde
"māðma menigeo, maga Healfdenes.

XXXI. HE GIVES PRESENTS TO HYGELAC.
HYGELAC REWARDS HIM. HYGELAC'S
DEATH. BĒOWULF REIGNS.
2145"Swā se þēod-kyning þēawum lyfde;
"nealles ic þām lēanum forloren hæfde,
"mægnes mēde, ac hē mē māðmas geaf,
"sunu Healfdenes, on sīnne sylfes dōm;
"þā ic þē, beorn-cyning, bringan wylle,
2150"ēstum geȳwan. Gēn is eall æt þē †
"lissa gelong: ic lȳt hafo †
"hēafod-māga, nefne Hygelāc þec!"
Hēt þā in beran eafor, hēafod-segn, †
heaðo-stēapne helm, hāre byrnan,
2155gūð-sweord geatolīc, gyd æfter wræc:
"Mē þis hilde-sceorp Hrōðgār sealde,
"snotra fengel, sume worde hēt, †
"þæt ic his ǣrest þē eft gesægde, †
"cwæð þæt hyt hæfde Hiorogār cyning,
2160"lēod Scyldunga lange hwīle:
"nō þȳ ǣr suna sīnum syllan wolde,
"hwatum Heorowearde, þēah hē him hold wǣre,
"brēost-gewǣdu. Brūc ealles well!"
Hȳrde ic þæt þām frætwum fēower mēaras
2165lungre gelīce lāst weardode,
æppel-fealuwe; hē him ēst getēah
mēara and māðma. Swā sceal mǣg dōn,
nealles inwit-net ōðrum bregdan,
dyrnum cræfte dēað rēnian
2170hond-gesteallan. Hygelāce wæs,
nīða heardum, nefa swȳðe hold
and gehwæðer ōðrum hrōðra gemyndig.
Hȳrde ic þæt hē þone heals-bēah Hygde gesealde,

wrǣtlīcne wundur-māððum, þone þe him Wealhþēo geaf,
2175þēodnes dōhtor, þrīo wicg somod
swancor and sadol-beorht; hyre syððan wæs
æfter bēah-þege brēost geweorðod.
Swā bealdode bearn Ecgþēowes,
guma gūðum cūð, gōdum dǣdum,
2180drēah æfter dōme, nealles druncne slōg
heorð-genēatas; næs him hrēoh sefa,
ac hē man-cynnes mǣste cræfte
gin-fæstan gife, þē him god sealde,
hēold hilde-dēor. Hēan wæs lange,
2185swā hyne Gēata bearn gōdne ne tealdon,
nē hyne on medo-bence micles wyrðne
drihten wereda gedōn wolde;
swȳðe oft sægdon, þæt hē slēac wǣre, †
æðeling unfrom: edwenden cwōm
2190tīr-ēadigum menn torna gehwylces.
Hēt þā eorla hlēo in gefetian,
heaðo-rōf cyning, Hrēðles lāfe,
golde gegyrede; næs mid Gēatum þā
sinc-māððum sēlra on sweordes hād;
2195þæt hē on Bīowulfes bearm ālegde,
and him gesealde seofan þūsendo, †
bold and brego-stōl. Him wæs bām samod
on þām lēod-scipe lond gecynde,
eard ēðel-riht, ōðrum swīðor
2200sīde rīce, þām þǣr sēlra wæs.
Eft þæt geīode ufaran dōgrum
hilde-hlæmmum, syððan Hygelāc læg
and Heardrēde hilde-mēceas
under bord-hrēoðan tō bonan wurdon,
2205þā hyne gesōhtan on sige-þēode
hearde hilde-frecan, Heaðo-Scilfingas,
nīða genǣgdan nefan Hererīces.
Syððan Bēowulfe brāde rīce
on hand gehwearf: hē gehēold tela
2210fīftig wintru (wæs þā frōd cyning, †

eald ēðel-weard), oð þæt ān ongan †
deorcum nihtum draca rīcsian,
sē þe on hēare hǣðe hord beweotode, †
stān-beorh stēapne: stīg under læg,
2215eldum uncūð. Þǣr on innan gīong †
niða nāt-hwylces nēode gefēng †
hǣðnum horde hond . d . . geþ . . hwylc
since fāhne, hē þæt syððan . . . . .
. . . þ . . . lð . þ . . l . g
2220slǣpende be fȳre, fyrena hyrde
þēofes cræfte, þæt sie . . . . ðioð . . . . .
. idh . folc-beorn, þæt hē gebolgen wæs.

XXXII. THE FIRE-DRAKE. THE HOARD.
Nealles mid geweoldum wyrm-horda . . . cræft †
sōhte sylfes willum, sē þe him sāre gesceōd, †
2225ac for þrēa-nēdlan þēow nāt-hwylces †
hæleða bearna hete-swengeas flēah,
for ofer-þearfe and þǣr inne fealh †
secg syn-bysig. Sōna in þā tīde
þæt . . . . . þām gyste . . . . br . g . stōd, †
2230hwæðre earm-sceapen . . . . . . .
. . ð . . . sceapen o . . . . i r . . e se fǣs begeat,
sinc-fæt geseah: þǣr wæs swylcra fela †
in þām eorð-scræfe ǣr-gestrēona, †
swā hȳ on geār-dagum gumena nāt-hwylc
2235eormen-lāfe æðelan cynnes
þanc-hycgende þǣr gehȳdde,
dēore māðmas. Ealle hīe dēað fornam
ǣrran mǣlum, and se ān þā gēn
lēoda duguðe, sē þǣr lengest hwearf,
2240weard wine-geōmor wīscte þæs yldan,
þæt hē lȳtel fæc long-gestrēona †
brūcan mōste. Beorh eal gearo
wunode on wonge wæter-ȳðum nēah,
nīwe be næsse nearo-cræftum fæst:
2245þǣr on innan bær eorl-gestrēona
hringa hyrde hard-fyrdne dǣl †
fǣttan goldes, fēa worda cwæð: †
"Heald þū nū, hrūse, nū hæleð ne mōston,
"eorla ǣhte. Hwæt! hit ǣr on þē
2250"gōde begeāton; gūð-dēað fornam,
"feorh-bealo frēcne fȳra gehwylcne,
"lēoda mīnra, þāra þe þis līf ofgeaf,
"gesāwon sele-drēam. Nāh hwā sweord wege
"oððe fetige fǣted wǣge, †

2255"drync-fæt dēore: duguð ellor scōc.
"Sceal se hearda helm hyrsted golde
"fǣtum befeallen: feormiend swefað,
"þā þe beado-grīman bȳwan sceoldon,
"gē swylce sēo here-pād, sīo æt hilde gebād
2260"ofer borda gebræc bite īrena,
"brosnað æfter beorne. Ne mæg byrnan hring †
"æfter wīg-fruman wīde fēran
"hæleðum be healfe; næs hearpan wyn, †
"gomen glēo-bēames, nē gōd hafoc †
2265"geond sæl swingeð, nē se swifta mearh
"burh-stede bēateð. Bealo-cwealm hafað
"fela feorh-cynna feorr onsended!"
Swā giōmor-mōd giohðo mǣnde,
ān æfter eallum unblīðe hwēop,
2270dæges and nihtes, oð þæt dēaðes wylm
hrān æt heortan. Hord-wynne fond
eald ūht-sceaða opene standan,
sē þe byrnende biorgas sēceð
nacod nīð-draca, nihtes flēogeð
2275fȳre befangen; hyne fold-būend
wīde gesāwon. Hē gēwunian sceall †
hlāw under hrūsan, þǣr hē hǣðen gold †
warað wintrum frōd; ne byð him wihte þē sēl.
Swā se þēod-sceaða þrēo hund wintra
2280hēold on hrūsan hord-ærna sum
ēacen-cræftig, oð þæt hyne ān ābealh
mon on mōde: man-dryhtne bær
fǣted wǣge, frioðo-wǣre bæd
hlāford sīnne. Þā wæs hord rāsod,
2285onboren bēaga hord, bēne getīðad †
fēa-sceaftum men. Frēa scēawode
fīra fyrn-geweorc forman sīðe.
Þā se wyrm onwōc, wrōht wæs genīwad;
stonc þā æfter stāne, stearc-heort onfand
2290fēondes fōt-lāst; hē tō forð gestōp,
dyrnan cræfte, dracan hēafde nēah.

Swā mæg unfǣge ēaðe gedīgan
wēan and wræc-sīð, sē þe waldendes
hyldo gehealdeð. Hord-weard sōhte
2295georne æfter grunde, wolde guman findan,
þone þe him on sweofote sāre getēode:
hāt and hrēoh-mōd hlǣw oft ymbe hwearf,
ealne ūtan-weardne; nē þǣr ǣnig mon
wæs on þǣre wēstenne. Hwæðre hilde gefeh, †
2300beado-weorces: hwīlum on beorh æthwearf,
sinc-fæt sōhte; hē þæt sōna onfand,
þæt hæfde gumena sum goldes gefandod
hēah-gestrēona. Hord-weard onbād
earfoðlīce, oð þæt ǣfen cwōm;
2305wæs þā gebolgen beorges hyrde,
wolde se lāða līge forgyldan
drinc-fæt dȳre. Þā wæs dæg sceacen
wyrme on willan, nō on wealle leng
bīdan wolde, ac mid bǣle fōr,
2310fȳre gefȳsed. Wæs se fruma egeslīc
lēodum on lande, swā hyt lungre wearð
on hyra sinc-gifan sāre geendod.

XXXIII. BEOWULF RESOLVES TO KILL THE
FIRE-DRAKE.
Þā se gæst ongan glēdum spīwan,
beorht hofu bærnan; bryne-lēoma stōd
2315eldum on andan; nō þǣr āht cwices
lāð lyft-floga lǣfan wolde.
Wæs þæs wyrmes wīg wīde gesȳne,
nearo-fāges nīð nēan and feorran,
hū se gūð-sceaða Gēata lēode
2320hatode and hȳnde: hord eft gescēat,
dryht-sele dyrnne ǣr dæges hwīle.
Hæfde land-wara līge befangen,
bǣle and bronde; beorges getruwode,
wīges and wealles: him sēo wēn gelēah.
2325Þā wæs Bīowulfe brōga gecȳðed
snūde tō sōðe, þæt his sylfes him †
bolda sēlest bryne-wylmum mealt,
gif-stōl Gēata. Þæt þām gōdan wæs
hrēow on hreðre, hyge-sorga mǣst:
2330wēnde se wīsa, þæt hē wealdende,
ofer ealde riht, ēcean dryhtne
bitre gebulge: brēost innan wēoll
þēostrum geþoncum, swā him geþȳwe ne wæs.
Hæfde līg-draca lēoda fæsten,
2335ēa-lond ūtan, eorð-weard þone †
glēdum forgrunden. Him þæs gūð-cyning,
Wedera þīoden, wræce leornode.
Heht him þā gewyrcean wīgendra hlēo
eall-īrenne, eorla dryhten
2340wīg-bord wrǣtlīc; wisse hē gearwe,
þæt him holt-wudu helpan ne meahte,
lind wið līge. Sceolde lǣn-daga
æðeling ǣr-gōd ende gebīdan

worulde līfes and se wyrm somod;
2345þēah þe hord-welan hēolde lange.
Oferhogode þā hringa fengel, †
þæt hē þone wīd-flogan weorode gesōhte,
sīdan herge; nō hē him þā sæcce ondrēd,
nē him þæs wyrmes wīg for wiht dyde,
2350eafoð and ellen; forþon hē ǣr fela
nearo nēðende nīða gedīgde,
hilde-hlemma, syððan hē Hrōðgāres,
sigor-ēadig secg, sele fǣlsode
and æt gūðe forgrāp Grendeles mǣgum,
2355lāðan cynnes. Nō þæt lǣsest wæs †
hond-gemota, þǣr mon Hygelāc slōh,
syððan Gēata cyning gūðe rǣsum,
frēa-wine folces Frēslondum on,
Hrēðles eafora hioro-dryncum swealt,
2360bille gebēaten; þonan Bīowulf cōm †
sylfes cræfte, sund-nytte drēah;
hæfde him on earme ... XXX †
hilde-geatwa, þā hē tō holme stāg.
Nealles Hetware hrēmge þorfton †
2365fēðe-wīges, þē him foran ongēan
linde bǣron: lȳt eft becwōm
fram þām hild-frecan hāmes nīosan.
Oferswam þā sioleða bigong sunu Ecgþēowes, †
earm ān-haga eft tō lēodum,
2370þǣr him Hygd gebēad hord and rīce,
bēagas and brego-stōl: bearne ne truwode,
þæt hē wið æl-fylcum ēðel-stōlas
healdan cūðe, þā wæs Hygelāc dēad.
Nō þȳ ǣr fēa-sceafte findan meahton
2375æt þām æðelinge ǣnige þinga,
þæt hē Heardrēde hlāford wǣre,
oððe þone cyne-dōm cīosan wolde;
hwæðre hē him on folce frēond-lārum hēold,
ēstum mid āre, oð þæt hē yldra wearð,
2380 †

Weder-Gēatum wēold. Hyne wræc-mæcgas
ofer sǣ sōhtan, suna Ōhteres:
hæfdon hȳ forhealden helm Scylfinga,
þone sēlestan sǣ-cyninga,
þāra þe in Swīo-rīce sinc brytnade, †
2385mǣrne þēoden. Him þæt tō mearce wearð;
hē þǣr orfeorme feorh-wunde hlēat †
sweordes swengum, sunu Hygelāces;
and him eft gewāt Ongenþīowes bearn
hāmes nīosan, syððan Heardrēd læg;
2390lēt þone brego-stōl Bīowulf healdan,
Gēatum wealdan: þæt wæs gōd cyning. †

XXXIV. RETROSPECT OF BĒOWULF.—
STRIFE BETWEEN SWEONAS AND
GEATAS.
Sē þæs lēod-hryres lēan gemunde
uferan dōgrum, Ēadgilse wearð
fēa-sceaftum fēond. Folce gestepte †
2395ofer sǣ sīde sunu Ōhteres †
wigum and wǣpnum: hē gewræc syððan
cealdum cear-sīðum, cyning ealdre binēat.
Swā hē nīða gehwane genesen hæfde,
slīðra geslyhta, sunu Ecgþīowes,
2400ellen-weorca, oð þone ānne dæg,
þē hē wið þām wyrme gewegan sceolde.
Gewāt þā twelfa sum torne gebolgen †
dryhten Gēata dracan scēawian;
hæfde þā gefrūnen, hwanan sīo fǣhð ārās,
2405bealo-nīð biorna; him tō bearme cwōm
māððum-fæt mǣre þurh þæs meldan hond,
Sē wæs on þām þrēate þreotteoða secg,
sē þæs orleges ōr onstealde,
hæft hyge-giōmor, sceolde hēan þonon
2410wong wīsian: hē ofer willan gīong
tō þæs þe hē eorð-sele ānne wisse,
hlǣw under hrūsan holm-wylme nēh,
ȳð-gewinne, sē wæs innan full
wrǣtta and wīra: weard unhīore,
2415gearo gūð-freca, gold-māðmas hēold,
eald under eorðan; næs þæt ȳðe cēap,
tō gegangenne gumena ǣnigum.
Gesæt þā on næsse nīð-heard cyning,
þenden hǣlo ābēad heorð-genēatum
2420gold-wine Gēata: him wæs geōmor sefa,

wǣfre and wæl-fūs, Wyrd ungemete nēah,
sē þone gomelan grētan sceolde,
sēcean sāwle hord, sundur gedǣlan
līf wið līce: nō þon lange wæs
2425feorh æðelinges flǣsce bewunden.
Bīowulf maðelade, bearn Ecgþēowes:
"Fela ic on giogoðe guð-rǣsa genæs,
"orleg-hwīla: ic þæt eall gemon.
"Ic wæs syfan-wintre, þā mec sinca baldor,
2430"frēa-wine folca æt mīnum fæder genam,
"hēold mec and hæfde Hrēðel cyning,
"geaf mē sinc and symbel, sibbe gemunde;
"næs ic him tō līfe lāðra ōwihte
"beorn in burgum, þonne his bearna hwylc,
2435"Herebeald and Hæðcyn, oððe Hygelāc mīn.
"Wæs þām yldestan ungedēfelīce
"mǣges dǣdum morðor-bed strēd, †
"syððan hyne Hæðcyn of horn-bogan,
"his frēa-wine flāne geswencte, †
2440"miste mercelses and his mǣg ofscēt,
"brōðor ōðerne, blōdigan gāre:
"þæt wæs feoh-lēas gefeoht, fyrenum gesyngad †
"hreðre hyge-mēðe; sceolde hwæðre swā þēah
"æðeling unwrecen ealdres linnan.
2445"Swā bið geōmorlīc gomelum ceorle †
"tō gebīdanne, þæt his byre rīde
"giong on galgan, þonne hē gyd wrece, †
"sārigne sang, þonne his sunu hangað
"hrefne tō hrōðre and hē him helpe ne mæg, †
2450"eald and in-frōd, ǣnige gefremman.
"Symble bið gemyndgad morna gehwylce
"eaforan ellor-sīð; ōðres ne gȳmeð
"tō gebīdanne burgum on innan
"yrfe-weardes, þonne se ān hafað †
2455"þurh dēaðes nȳd dǣda gefondad.
"Gesyhð sorh-cearig on his suna būre
"wīn-sele wēstne, wind-gereste,

"rēote berofene; rīdend swefað †
"hæleð in hoðman; nis þǣr hearpan swēg,
2460"gomen in geardum, swylce þǣr iū wǣron.

XXXV. MEMORIES OF PAST TIME.—THE
FEUD WITH THE FIRE-DRAKE.
"Gewīteð þonne on sealman, sorh-lēoð gæleð
"ān æfter ānum: þūhte him eall tō rūm,
"wongas and wīc-stede. Swā Wedra helm
"æfter Herebealde heortan sorge
2465"weallende wæg, wihte ne meahte
"on þām feorh-bonan fǣhðe gebētan:
"nō þȳ ǣr hē þone heaðo-rinc hatian ne meahte
"lāðum dǣdum, þēah him lēof ne wæs.
"Hē þā mid þǣre sorge, þē him sīo sār belamp,
2470"gum-drēam ofgeaf, godes lēoht gecēas;
"eaferum lǣfde, swā dēð ēadig mon,
"lond and lēod-byrig, þā hē of līfe gewāt.
"Þā wæs synn and sacu Swēona and Gēata,
"ofer wīd wæter wrōht gemǣne, †
2475"here-nīð hearda, syððan Hrēðel swealt,
"oððe him Ongenþēowes eaferan wǣran
"frome fyrd-hwate, frēode ne woldon †
"ofer heafo healdan, ac ymb Hrēosna-beorh
"eatolne inwit-scear oft gefremedon.
2480"Þæt mǣg-wine mīne gewrǣcan,
"fǣhðe and fyrene, swā hyt gefrǣge wæs,
"þēah þe ōðer hit ealdre gebohte,
"heardan cēape: Hæðcynne wearð,
"Gēata dryhtne, gūð onsǣge.
2485"Þā ic on morgne gefrægn mǣg ōðerne
"billes ecgum on bonan stǣlan,
"þǣr Ongenþēow Eofores nīosade:
"gūð-helm tōglād, gomela Scylfing
"hrēas heoro-blāc; hond gemunde †
2490"fǣhðo genōge, feorh-sweng ne oftēah.
"Ic him þā māðmas, þē hē mē sealde,

"geald æt gūðe, swā mē gifeðe wæs,
"lēohtan sweorde: hē mē lond forgeaf,
"eard ēðel-wyn. Næs him ǣnig þearf, †
2495"þæt hē tō Gifðum oððe tō Gār-Denum
"oððe in Swīo-rīce sēcean þurfe
"wyrsan wīg-frecan, weorðe gecȳpan;
"symle ic him on fēðan beforan wolde,
"āna on orde, and swā tō aldre sceall
2500"sæcce fremman, þenden þis sweord þolað,
"þæt mec ǣr and sīð oft gelǣste,
"syððan ic for dugeðum Dæghrefne wearð †
"tō hand-bonan, Hūga cempan:
"nalles hē þā frætwe Frēs-cyninge,
2505"brēost-weorðunge bringan mōste,
"ac in campe gecrong cumbles hyrde,
"æðeling on elne. Ne wæs ecg bona,
"ac him hilde-grāp heortan wylmas,
"bān-hūs gebræc. Nū sceall billes ecg,
2510"hond and heard sweord ymb hord wīgan."
Bēowulf maðelode, bēot-wordum spræc
nīehstan sīðe: "Ic genēðde fela
"gūða on geogoðe; gȳt ic wylle,
"frōd folces weard, fǣhðe sēcan,
2515"mǣrðum fremman, gif mec se mān-sceaða
"of eorð-sele ūt gesēceð!"
Gegrētte þā gumena gehwylcne,
hwate helm-berend hindeman sīðe,
swǣse gesīðas: "Nolde ic sweord beran,
2520"wǣpen tō wyrme, gif ic wiste hū
"wið þām āglǣcean elles meahte
"gylpe wiðgrīpan, swā ic giō wið Grendle dyde;
"ac ic þǣr heaðu-fȳres hātes wēne,
"rēðes and-hāttres: forþon ic mē on hafu †
2525"bord and byrnan. Nelle ic beorges weard
"oferflēon fōtes trem, fēond unhȳre, †
"ac unc sceal weorðan æt wealle, swā unc Wyrd getēoð,
"metod manna gehwæs. Ic eom on mōde from,

"þæt ic wið þone gūð-flogan gylp ofersitte.
2530"Gebīde gē on beorge byrnum werede,
"secgas on searwum, hwæðer sēl mǣge
"æfter wæl-rǣse wunde gedȳgan
"uncer twēga. Nis þæt ēower sīð,
"nē gemet mannes, nefne mīn ānes,
2535"þæt hē wið āglǣcean eofoðo dǣle,
"eorl-scype efne. Ic mid elne sceall
"gold gegangan oððe gūð nimeð,
"feorh-bealu frēcne, frēan ēowerne!"
Ārās þā bī ronde rōf ōretta,
2540heard under helm, hioro-sercean bær
under stān-cleofu, strengo getruwode
ānes mannes: ne bið swylc earges sīð.
Geseah þā be wealle, sē þe worna fela,
gum-cystum gōd, gūða gedīgde,
2545hilde-hlemma, þonne hnitan fēðan,
(stōd on stān-bogan) strēam ūt þonan †
brecan of beorge; wæs þǣre burnan wælm
heaðo-fȳrum hāt: ne meahte horde nēah
unbyrnende ǣnige hwīle
2550dēop gedȳgan for dracan lēge. †
Lēt þā of brēostum, þā hē gebolgen wæs,
Weder-Gēata lēod word ūt faran,
stearc-heort styrmde; stefn in becōm
heaðo-torht hlynnan under hārne stān.
2555Hete wæs onhrēred, hord-weard oncnīow
mannes reorde; næs þǣr māra fyrst,
frēode tō friclan. From ǣrest cwōm
oruð āglǣcean ūt of stāne,
hāt hilde-swāt; hrūse dynede.
2560Biorn under beorge bord-rand onswāf
wið þām gryre-gieste, Gēata dryhten:
þā wæs hring-bogan heorte gefȳsed
sæcce tō sēceanne. Sweord ǣr gebrǣ
gōd gūð-cyning gomele lāfe,
2565ecgum unglēaw, ǣghwæðrum wæs †

bealo-hycgendra brōga fram ōðrum.
Stīð-mōd gestōd wið stēapne rond
winia bealdor, þā se wyrm gebēah
snūde tōsomne: hē on searwum bād.
2570Gewāt þā byrnende gebogen scrīðan tō, †
gescīfe scyndan. Scyld wēl gebearg
līfe and līce lǣssan hwīle
mǣrum þēodne, þonne his myne sōhte,
þǣr hē þȳ fyrste forman dōgore
2575wealdan mōste, swā him Wyrd ne gescrāf
hrēð æt hilde. Hond up ābræd
Gēata dryhten, gryre-fāhne slōh
incge lāfe, þæt sīo ecg gewāc
brūn on bāne, bāt unswīðor,
2580þonne his þīod-cyning þearfe hæfde,
bysigum gebǣded. Þā wæs beorges weard
æfter heaðu-swenge on hrēoum mōde,
wearp wæl-fȳre, wīde sprungon
hilde-lēoman: hrēð-sigora ne gealp
2585gold-wine Gēata, gūð-bill geswāc
nacod æt nīðe, swā hyt nō sceolde,
īren ǣr-gōd. Ne wæs þæt ēðe sīð,
þæt se mǣra maga Ecgþēowes
grund-wong þone ofgyfan wolde; †
2590sceolde wyrmes willan wīc eardian
elles hwergen, swā sceal ǣghwylc mon
ālǣtan lǣn-dagas. Næs þā long tō þon,
þæt þā āglǣcean hȳ eft gemētton.
Hyrte hyne hord-weard, hreðer ǣðme wēoll,
2595nīwan stefne: nearo þrowode †
fȳre befongen sē þe ǣr folce wēold.
Nealles him on hēape hand-gesteallan,
æðelinga bearn ymbe gestōdon
hilde-cystum, ac hȳ on holt bugon,
2600ealdre burgan. Hiora in ānum wēoll
sefa wið sorgum: sibb ǣfre ne mæg
wiht onwendan, þām þe wēl þenceð.

XXXVI. WIGLAF HELPS BĒOWULF IN THE
FEUD
Wīglāf wæs hāten Wēoxstānes sunu,
lēoflīc lind-wiga, lēod Scylfinga, †
2605mǣg Ælfheres: geseah his mon-dryhten
under here-grīman hāt þrowian.
Gemunde þā þā āre, þē hē him ǣr forgeaf †
wīc-stede weligne Wǣgmundinga,
folc-rihta gehwylc, swā his fæder āhte; †
2610ne mihte þā forhabban, hond rond gefēng,
geolwe linde, gomel swyrd getēah,
þæt wæs mid eldum Ēanmundes lāf,
suna Ōhteres, þām æt sæcce wearð
wracu wine-lēasum Wēohstānes bana †
2615mēces ecgum, and his māgum ætbær
brūn-fāgne helm, hringde byrnan,
eald sweord eotonisc, þæt him Onela forgeaf,
his gædelinges gūð-gewǣdu,
fyrd-searo fūslīc: nō ymbe þā fǣhðe spræc,
2620þēah þe hē his brōðor bearn ābredwade.
Hē frætwe gehēold fela missēra,
bill and byrnan, oð þæt his byre mihte
eorl-scipe efnan, swā his ǣr-fæder;
geaf him þā mid Gēatum gūð-gewǣda
2625ǣghwæs unrīm; þā hē of ealdre gewāt,
frōd on forð-weg. Þā wæs forma sīð
geongan cempan, þæt hē gūðe rǣs
mid his frēo-dryhtne fremman sceolde;
ne gemealt him se mōd-sefa, nē his mǣges lāf
2630gewāc æt wīge: þæt se wyrm onfand,
syððan hīe tōgædre gegān hæfdon.
Wīglāf maðelode word-rihta fela,
sægde gesīðum, him wæs sefa geōmor:

"Ic þæt mǣl geman, þǣr wē medu þēgun,
2635"þonne wē gehēton ūssum hlāforde †
"in bīor-sele, þē ūs þās bēagas geaf,
"þæt wē him þā gūð-geatwa gyldan woldon,
"gif him þyslīcu þearf gelumpe,
"helmas and heard sweord: þē hē ūsic on herge gecēas
2640"tō þyssum sīð-fate sylfes willum,
"onmunde ūsic mǣrða and mē þās māðmas geaf,
"þē hē ūsic gār-wīgend gōde tealde,
"hwate helm-berend, þēah þe hlāford ūs
"þis ellen-weorc āna āþōhte
2645"tō gefremmanne, folces hyrde,
"forþām hē manna mǣst mǣrða gefremede,
"dǣda dollīcra. Nū is sē dæg cumen,
"þæt ūre man-dryhten mægenes behōfað
"gōdra gūð-rinca: wutun gangan tō, †
2650"helpan hild-fruman, þenden hyt sȳ, †
"glēd-egesa grim! God wāt on mec,
"þæt mē is micle lēofre, þæt mīnne līc-haman
"mid mīnne gold-gyfan glēd fæðmie.
"Ne þynceð mē gerysne, þæt wē rondas beren
2655"eft tō earde, nemne wē ǣror mǣgen
"fāne gefyllan, feorh ealgian †
"Wedra þīodnes. Ic wāt geare,
"þæt nǣron eald-gewyrht, þæt hē āna scyle
"Gēata duguðe gnorn þrowian,
2660"gesīgan æt sæcce: sceal ūrum þæt †
sweord and helm,
"byrne and byrdu-scrūd bām gemǣne."
Wōd þā þurh þone wæl-rēc, wīg-heafolan bær
frēan on fultum, fēa worda cwæð:
"Lēofa Bīowulf, lǣst eall tela,
2665"swā þū on geoguð-fēore geāra gecwǣde,
"þæt þū ne ālǣte be þē lifigendum †
"dōm gedrēosan: scealt nū dǣdum rōf,
"æðeling ān-hȳdig, ealle mægene
"feorh ealgian; ic þē fullǣstu!"

2670Æfter þām wordum wyrm yrre cwōm,
atol inwit-gæst ōðre sīðe,
fȳr-wylmum fāh fīonda nīosan,
lāðra manna; līg-ȳðum forborn
bord wið ronde: byrne ne meahte
2675geongum gār-wigan gēoce gefremman:
ac se maga geonga under his mǣges scyld
elne geēode, þā his āgen wæs
glēdum forgrunden. Þā gēn gūð-cyning
mǣrða gemunde, mægen-strengo,
2680slōh hilde-bille, þæt hyt on heafolan stōd
nīðe genȳded: Nægling forbærst, †
geswāc æt sæcce sweord Bīowulfes
gomol and grǣg-mǣl. Him þæt gifeðe ne wæs,
þæt him īrenna ecge mihton
2685helpan æt hilde; wæs sīo hond tō strong,
sē þe mēca gehwane mīne gefrǣge
swenge ofersōhte, þonne hē tō sæcce bær †
wǣpen wundrum heard, næs him wihte þē sēl. †
Þā wæs þēod-sceaða þriddan sīðe,
2690frēcne fȳr-draca fǣhða gemyndig,
rǣsde on þone rōfan, þā him rūm āgeald,
hāt and heaðo-grim, heals ealne ymbefēng
biteran bānum; hē geblōdegod wearð
sāwul-drīore; swāt ȳðum wēoll.

XXXVII. BĒOWULF WOUNDED TO DEATH.
2695Þā ic æt þearfe gefrægn þēod-cyninges
and-longne eorl ellen cȳðan,
cræft and cēnðu, swā him gecynde wæs;
ne hēdde hē þæs heafolan, ac sīo hand gebarn †
mōdiges mannes, þǣr hē his mǣges healp,
2700þæt hē þone nīð-gæst nioðor hwēne †
slōh,
secg on searwum, þæt þæt sweord gedēaf
fāh and fǣted, þæt þæt fȳr ongon †
sweðrian syððan. Þā gēn sylf cyning
gewēold his gewitte, wæll-seaxe gebrǣ, †
2705biter and beadu-scearp, þæt hē on byrnan wæg:
forwrāt Wedra helm wyrm on middan.
Fēond gefyldan (ferh ellen wræc), †
and hī hyne þā bēgen ābroten hæfdon,
sib-æðelingas: swylc sceolde secg wesan,
2710þegn æt þearfe. Þæt þām þēodne wæs
sīðast sīge-hwīle sylfes dǣdum,
worlde geweorces. Þā sīo wund ongon,
þē him se eorð-draca ǣr geworhte,
swelan and swellan. Hē þæt sōna onfand,
2715þæt him on brēostum bealo-nīð wēoll,
attor on innan. Þā se æðeling gīong,
þæt hē bī wealle, wīs-hycgende,
gesæt on sesse; seah on enta geweorc,
hū þā stān-bogan stapulum fæste
2720ēce eorð-reced innan hēoldon.
Hyne þā mid handa heoro-drēorigne
þēoden mǣrne þegn ungemete till,
wine-dryhten his wætere gelafede,
hilde-sædne and his helm onspēon.
2725Bīowulf maðelode, hē ofer benne spræc,

wunde wæl-blēate (wisse hē gearwe,
þæt hē dæg-hwīla gedrogen hæfde †
eorðan wynne; þā wæs eall sceacen
dōgor-gerīmes, dēað ungemete nēah):
2730"Nū ic suna mīnum syllan wolde
"gūð-gewǣdu, þǣr mē gifeðe swā
"ǣnig yrfe-weard æfter wurde,
"līce gelenge. Ic þās lēode hēold
"fīftig wintra: næs se folc-cyning
2735"ymbe-sittendra ǣnig þāra,
"þē mec gūð-winum grētan dorste,
"egesan þēon. Ic on earde bād
"mǣl-gesceafta, hēold mīn tela,
"ne sōhte searo-nīðas, nē mē swōr fela
2740"āða on unriht. Ic þæs ealles mæg,
"feorh-bennum sēoc, gefēan habban:
"forþām mē wītan ne þearf waldend fīra
"morðor-bealo māga, þonne mīn sceaceð
"līf of līce. Nū þū lungre
2745"geong, hord scēawian under hārne stān, †
"Wīglāf lēofa, nū se wyrm ligeð,
"swefeð sāre wund, since berēafod.
"Bīo nū on ofoste, þæt ic ǣr-welan,
"gold-ǣht ongite, gearo scēawige
2750"swegle searo-gimmas, þæt ic þȳ sēft †
mǣge
"æfter māððum-welan mīn ālǣtan
"līf and lēod-scipe, þone ic longe hēold."

XXXVIII. THE JEWEL-HOARD. THE
PASSING OF BEOWULF.
Þā ic snūde gefrægn sunu Wīhstānes
æfter word-cwydum wundum dryhtne
2755hȳran heaðo-sīocum, hring-net beran,
brogdne beadu-sercean under beorges hrōf.
Geseah þā sige-hrēðig, þā hē bī sesse gēong,
mago-þegn mōdig māððum-sigla fela,
gold glitinian grunde getenge,
2760wundur on wealle and þæs wyrmes denn,
ealdes ūht-flogan, orcas stondan,
fyrn-manna fatu feormend-lēase,
hyrstum behrorene: þǣr wæs helm monig,
eald and ōmig, earm-bēaga fela,
2765searwum gesǣled. Sinc ēaðe mæg,
gold on grunde, gumena cynnes
gehwone ofer-hīgian, hȳde sē þe wylle! †
Swylce hē siomian geseah segn eall-gylden
hēah ofer horde, hond-wundra mǣst,
2770gelocen leoðo-cræftum: of þām lēoma †
stōd,
þæt hē þone grund-wong ongitan meahte,
wrǣte giond-wlītan. Næs þæs wyrmes þǣr
onsȳn ǣnig, ac hyne ecg fornam.
Þā ic on hlǣwe gefrægn hord rēafian,
2775eald enta geweorc ānne mannan,
him on bearm hladan bunan and discas
sylfes dōme, segn ēac genom,
bēacna beorhtost; bill ǣr-gescōd †
(ecg wæs īren) eald-hlāfordes
2780þām þāra māðma mund-bora wæs
longe hwīle, līg-egesan wæg
hātne for horde, hioro-weallende,

middel-nihtum, oð þæt hē morðre swealt.
Ār wæs on ofoste eft-sīðes georn,
2785frætwum gefyrðred: hyne fyrwet bræc,
hwæðer collen-ferð cwicne gemētte
in þām wong-stede Wedra þēoden,
ellen-sīocne, þǣr hē hine ǣr forlēt.
Hē þā mid þām māðmum mǣrne þīoden,
2790dryhten sīnne drīorigne fand
ealdres æt ende: hē hine eft ongon †
wæteres weorpan, oð þæt wordes ord †
brēost-hord þurhbræc. Bēowulf maðelode,
gomel on giohðe (gold scēawode):
2795"Ic þāra frætwa frēan ealles þanc
"wuldur-cyninge wordum secge,
"ēcum dryhtne, þē ic hēr on starie,
"þæs þe ic mōste mīnum lēodum
"ǣr swylt-dæge swylc gestrȳnan.
2800"Nū ic on māðma hord mīne bebohte
"frōde feorh-lege, fremmað gē nū
"lēoda þearfe; ne mæg ic hēr leng wesan.
"Hātað heaðo-mǣre hlǣw gewyrcean,
"beorhtne æfter bǣle æt brimes nosan;
2805"se scel tō gemyndum mīnum lēodum
"hēah hlīfian on Hrones næsse, †
"þæt hit sǣ-līðend syððan hātan
"Bīowulfes biorh, þā þe brentingas
"ofer flōda genipu feorran drīfað."
2810Dyde him of healse hring gyldenne
þīoden þrīst-hȳdig, þegne gesealde,
geongum gār-wigan, gold-fāhne helm,
bēah and byrnan, hēt hyne brūcan well:
"Þū eart ende-lāf ūsses cynnes,
2815"Wǣgmundinga; ealle Wyrd forswēof, †
"mīne māgas tō metod-sceafte,
"eorlas on elne: ic him æfter sceal."
Þæt wæs þām gomelan gingeste word †
brēost-gehygdum, ǣr hē bǣl cure,

2820hāte heaðo-wylmas: him of hreðre gewāt
sāwol sēcean sōð-fæstra dōm.

XXXIX. THE COWARD-THANES.
Þā wæs gegongen guman unfrōdum
earfoðlīce, þæt hē on eorðan geseah
þone lēofestan līfes æt ende
2825blēate gebǣran. Bona swylce læg,
egeslīc eorð-draca, ealdre berēafod,
bealwe gebǣded: bēah-hordum leng
wyrm wōh-bogen wealdan ne mōste,
ac him īrenna ecga fornāmon,
2830hearde heaðo-scearpe homera lāfe,
þæt se wīd-floga wundum stille
hrēas on hrūsan hord-ærne nēah,
nalles æfter lyfte lācende hwearf
middel-nihtum, māðm-ǣhta wlonc
2835ansȳn ȳwde: ac hē eorðan gefēoll
for þæs hild-fruman hond-geweorce.
Hūru þæt on lande lȳt manna þāh †
mægen-āgendra mīne gefrǣge,
þēah þe hē dǣda gehwæs dyrstig wǣre,
2840þæt hē wið attor-sceaðan oreðe †
gerǣsde,
oððe hring-sele hondum styrede,
gif hē wæccende weard onfunde
būan on beorge. Bīowulfe wearð
dryht-māðma dǣl dēaðe forgolden;
2845hæfde ǣghwæðer ende gefēred
lǣnan līfes. Næs þā lang tō þon,
þæt þā hild-latan holt ofgēfan,
tȳdre trēow-logan tȳne ætsomne,
þā ne dorston ǣr dareðum lācan
2850on hyra man-dryhtnes miclan þearfe;
ac hȳ scamiende scyldas bǣran,
gūð-gewǣdu, þǣr se gomela læg:

wlitan on Wīglāf. Hē gewērgad sæt,
fēðe-cempa frēan eaxlum nēah,
2855wehte hyne wætre; him wiht ne spēow;
ne meahte hē on eorðan, þēah hē ūðe wēl,
on þām frum-gāre feorh gehealdan,
nē þæs wealdendes willan wiht oncirran;
wolde dōm godes dǣdum rǣdan †
2860gumena gehwylcum, swā hē nū gēn dēð.
Þā wæs æt þām geongan grim andswaru †
ēð-begēte þām þe ǣr his elne forlēas.
Wīglāf maðelode, Wēohstānes sunu,
secg sārig-ferð seah on unlēofe:
2865"Þæt lā mæg secgan, sē þe wyle sōð sprecan,
"þæt se mon-dryhten, se ēow þā māðmas geaf,
"ēored-geatwe, þē gē þǣr on standað,
"þonne hē on ealu-bence oft gesealde
"heal-sittendum helm and byrnan,
2870"þēoden his þegnum, swylce hē þrȳðlīcost
"ōhwǣr feor oððe nēah findan meahte, †
"þæt hē gēnunga gūð-gewǣdu
"wrāðe forwurpe. Þā hyne wīg beget, †
"nealles folc-cyning fyrd-gesteallum †
2875"gylpan þorfte; hwæðre him god ūðe,
"sigora waldend, þæt hē hyne sylfne gewræc
"āna mid ecge, þā him wæs elnes þearf,
"Ic him līf-wraðe lȳtle meahte
"ætgifan æt gūðe and ongan swā þēah †
2880"ofer mīn gemet mǣges helpan:
"symle wæs þȳ sǣmra, þonne ic sweorde drep
"ferhð-genīðlan, fȳr unswīðor
"wēoll of gewitte. Wergendra tō lȳt
"þrong ymbe þēoden, þā hyne sīo þrāg becwōm.
2885"Nū sceal sinc-þego and swyrd-gifu †
"eall ēðel-wyn ēowrum cynne, †
"lufen ālicgean: lond-rihtes mōt
"þǣre mǣg-burge monna ǣghwylc
"īdel hweorfan, syððan æðelingas

2890"feorran gefricgean flēam ēowerne,
"dōm-lēasan dǣd. Dēað bið sēlla
"eorla gehwylcum þonne edwīt-līf!" †

XL. THE SOLDIER'S DIRGE AND
PROPHECY.
Heht þā þæt heaðo-weorc tō hagan bīodan
up ofer ēg-clif, þǣr þæt eorl-weorod
2895morgen-longne dæg mōd-giōmor sæt,
bord-hæbbende, bēga on wēnum
ende-dōgores and eft-cymes
lēofes monnes. Lȳt swīgode
nīwra spella, sē þe næs gerād,
2900ac hē sōðlīce sægde ofer ealle;
"Nū is wil-geofa Wedra lēoda, †
"dryhten Gēata dēað-bedde fæst,
"wunað wæl-reste wyrmes dǣdum;
"him on efn ligeð ealdor-gewinna,
2905"siex-bennum sēoc: sweorde ne meahte
"on þām āglǣcean ǣnige þinga
"wunde gewyrcean. Wīglāf siteð
"ofer Bīowulfe, byre Wīhstānes,
"eorl ofer ōðrum unlifigendum,
2910"healdeð hige-mēðum hēafod-wearde †
"lēofes and lāðes. Nū ys lēodum wēn
"orleg-hwīle, syððan underne
"Froncum and Frȳsum fyll cyninges
"wīde weorðeð. Wæs sīo wrōht scepen
2915"heard wið Hūgas, syððan Higelāc cwōm
"faran flot-herge on Frēsna land,
"þǣr hyne Hetware hilde gehnǣgdon,
"elne geēodon mid ofer-mægene,
"þæt se byrn-wiga būgan sceolde,
2920"fēoll on fēðan: nalles frætwe geaf †
"ealdor dugoðe; ūs wæs ā syððan
"Merewīoinga milts ungyfeðe. †
"Nē ic tō Swēo-þēode sibbe oððe trēowe

"wihte ne wēne; ac wæs wīde cūð,
2925"þætte Ongenþīo ealdre besnyðede
"Hæðcyn Hrēðling wið Hrefna-wudu,
"þā for on-mēdlan ǣrest gesōhton
"Gēata lēode Gūð-scilfingas.
"Sōna him se frōda fæder Ōhtheres,
2930"eald and eges-full ond-slyht āgeaf,
"ābrēot brim-wīsan, brȳd āhēorde,
"gomela īo-meowlan golde berofene,
"Onelan mōdor and Ōhtheres,
"and þā folgode feorh-genīðlan
2935"oð þæt hī oðēodon earfoðlīce
"in Hrefnes-holt hlāford-lēase.
"Besæt þā sin-herge sweorda lāfe
"wundum wērge, wēan oft gehēt
"earmre teohhe andlonge niht:
2940"cwæð hē on mergenne mēces ecgum †
"gētan wolde, sume on galg-trēowum
"fuglum tō gamene. Frōfor eft gelamp
"sārig-mōdum somod ǣr-dæge,
"syððan hīe Hygelāces horn and bȳman
2945"gealdor ongeāton. Þā se gōda cōm
"lēoda dugoðe on lāst faran.

XLI. HE TELLS OF THE SWEDES AND THE
GEATAS
"Wæs sīo swāt-swaðu Swēona and Gēata,
"wæl-rǣs wera wīde gesȳne,
"hū þā folc mid him fǣhðe tōwehton.
2950"Gewāt him þā se gōda mid his †
gædelingum,
"frōd fela geōmor fæsten sēcean,
"eorl Ongenþīo ufor oncirde;
"hæfde Higelāces hilde gefrūnen,
"wlonces wīg-cræft, wiðres ne truwode,
2955"þæt hē sǣ-mannum onsacan mihte,
"hēaðo-līðendum hord forstandan,
"bearn and brȳde; bēah eft þonan
"eald under eorð-weall. Þā wæs ǣht boden
"Swēona lēodum, segn Higelāce. †
2960"Freoðo-wong þone forð oferēodon,
"syððan Hrēðlingas tō hagan þrungon.
"Þǣr wearð Ongenþīo ecgum sweorda,
"blonden-fexa on bīd wrecen,
"þæt se þēod-cyning þafian sceolde
2965"Eofores ānne dōm: hyne yrringa
"Wulf Wonrēding wǣpne gerǣhte,
"þæt him for swenge swāt ǣdrum sprong
"forð under fexe. Næs hē forht swā þēh,
"gomela Scilfing, ac forgeald hraðe
2970"wyrsan wrixle wæl-hlem þone,
"syððan þēod-cyning þyder oncirde:
"ne meahte se snella sunu Wonrēdes
"ealdum ceorle ond-slyht giofan,
"ac hē him on hēafde helm ǣr gescer,
2975"þæt hē blōde fāh būgan sceolde,
"fēoll on foldan; næs hē fǣge þā gīt,

"ac hē hyne gewyrpte, þēah þe him wund hrīne, †
"Lēt se hearda Higelāces þegn
"brādne mēce, þā his brōðor læg,
2980"eald sweord eotonisc, entiscne helm,
"brecan ofer bord-weal: þā gebēah cyning,
"folces hyrde, wæs in feorh dropen.
"Þā wǣron monige, þē his mǣg wriðon,
"ricone ārǣrdon, þā him gerȳmed wearð,
2985"þæt hīe wæl-stōwe wealdan mōston.
"Þenden rēafode rinc ōðerne,
"nam on Ongenþīo īren-byrnan,
"heard swyrd hilted and his helm somod;
"hāres hyrste Higelāce bær. †
2990"Hē þām frætwum fēng and him fægre gehēt
"lēana fore lēodum and gelǣste swā:
"geald þone gūð-rǣs Gēata dryhten,
"Hrēðles eafora, þā hē tō hām becōm,
"Jofore and Wulfe mid ofer-māðmum,
2995"sealde hiora gehwæðrum hund þūsenda †
"landes and locenra bēaga; ne þorfte him þā lēan oðwītan
"mon on middan-gearde, syððan hīe þā mǣrða geslōgon;
"and þā Jofore forgeaf āngan dōhtor,
"hām-weorðunge, hyldo tō wedde.
3000"Þæt ys sīo fǣhðo and se fēond-scipe,
"wæl-nīð wera, þæs þe ic wēn hafo,
"þē ūs sēceað tō Swēona lēode,
"syððan hīe gefricgeað frēan ūserne
"ealdor-lēasne, þone þe ǣr gehēold
3005"wið hettendum hord and rīce,
"æfter hæleða hryre hwate Scylfingas, †
"folc-rǣd fremede oððe furður gēn
"eorl-scipe efnde. Nū is ofost betost, †
"þæt wē þēod-cyning þǣr scēawian
3010"and þone gebringan, þē ūs bēagas geaf,
"on ād-fære. Ne scel ānes hwæt
"meltan mid þām mōdigan, ac þǣr is māðma hord.
"gold unrīme grimme gecēapod

"and nū æt sīðestan sylfes fēore
3015"bēagas gebohte; þā sceal brond fretan,
"ǣled þeccean, nalles eorl wegan
"māððum tō gemyndum, nē mægð scȳne
"habban on healse hring-weorðunge,
"ac sceall geōmor-mōd golde berēafod
3020"oft nalles ǣne el-land tredan,
"nū se here-wīsa hleahtor ālegde,
"gamen and glēo-drēam. Forþon sceall gār †
wesan
"monig morgen-ceald mundum bewunden,
"hæfen on handa, nalles hearpan swēg
3025"wīgend weccean, ac se wonna hrefn †
"fūs ofer fǣgum, fela reordian,
"earne secgan, hū him æt ǣte spēow,
"þenden hē wið wulf wæl rēafode."
Swā se secg hwata secgende wæs
3030lāðra spella; hē ne lēag fela
wyrda nē worda. Weorod eall ārās,
ēodon unblīðe under Earna næs
wollen-tēare wundur scēawian. †
Fundon þā on sande sāwul-lēasne
3035hlim-bed healdan, þone þe him hringas geaf
ǣrran mǣlum: þā wæs ende-dæg
gōdum gegongen, þæt se gūð-cyning,
Wedra þēoden, wundor-dēaðe swealt.
Ǣr hī gesēgan syllīcran wiht, †
3040wyrm on wonge wiðer-ræhtes þǣr
lāðne licgean: wæs se lēg-draca,
grimlīc gryre-gæst, glēdum beswǣled, †
sē wæs fīftiges fōt-gemearces.
lang on legere, lyft-wynne hēold †
3045nihtes hwīlum, nyðer eft gewāt
dennes nīosian; wæs þā dēaðe fæst,
hæfde eorð-scrafa ende genyttod.
Him big stōdan bunan and orcas,
discas lāgon and dȳre swyrd,

3050ōmige þurh-etone, swā hīe wið eorðan fæðm
þūsend wintra þǣr eardodon:
þonne wæs þæt yrfe ēacen-cræftig,
iū-monna gold galdre bewunden, †
þæt þām hring-sele hrīnan ne mōste
3055gumena ǣnig, nefne god sylfa,
sigora sōð-cyning, sealde þām þe hē wolde
(hē is manna gehyld) hord openian, †
efne swā hwylcum manna, swā him gemet þūhte.

XLII. WĪGLAF SPEAKS. THE BUILDING OF
THE BALE-FIRE.
Þā wæs gesȳne, þæt se sīð ne þāh
3060þām þe unrihte inne gehȳdde †
wrǣte under wealle. Weard ǣr ofslōh
fēara sumne; þā sīo fǣhð gewearð
gewrecen wrāðlīce. Wundur hwār, þonne †
eorl ellen-rōf ende gefēre
3065līf-gesceafta, þonne leng ne mæg
mon mid his māgum medu-seld būan.
Swā wæs Bīowulfe, þā hē biorges weard
sōhte, searo-nīðas: seolfa ne cūðe,
þurh hwæt his worulde gedāl weorðan sceolde;
3070swā hit oð dōmes dæg dīope benemdon †
þēodnas mǣre, þā þæt þǣr dydon,
þæt se secg wǣre synnum scildig,
hergum geheaðerod, hell-bendum fæst, †
wommum gewītnad, sē þone wong strāde. †
3075Næs hē gold-hwæt: gearwor hæfde †
āgendes ēst ǣr gescēawod.
Wīglāf maðelode, Wīhstānes sunu:
"Oft sceall eorl monig ānes willan
"wrǣc ādrēogan, swā ūs geworden is.
3080"Ne meahton wē gelǣran lēofne þēoden,
"rīces hyrde rǣd ǣnigne,
"þæt hē ne grētte gold-weard þone,
"lēte hyne licgean, þǣr hē longe wæs,
"wīcum wunian oð woruld-ende.
3085"Hēoldon hēah gesceap: hord ys gescēawod,
"grimme gegongen; wæs þæt gifeðe tō swīð, †
"þē þone þēoden þyder ontyhte.
"Ic wæs þǣr inne and þæt eall geond-seh,
"recedes geatwa, þā mē gerȳmed wæs,

3090"nealles swǣslīce sīð ālȳfed
"inn under eorð-weall. Ic on ofoste gefēng
"micle mid mundum mægen-byrðenne
"hord-gestrēona, hider ūt ætbær
"cyninge mīnum: cwico wæs þā gēna,
3095"wīs and gewittig; worn eall gespræc
"gomol on gehðo and ēowic grētan hēt,
"bæd þæt gē geworhton æfter wines dǣdum †
"in bǣl-stede beorh þone hēan
"micelne and mǣrne, swā hē manna wæs
3100"wīgend weorð-fullost wīde geond eorðan,
"þenden hē burh-welan brūcan mōste.
"Uton nū efstan ōðre sīðe
"sēon and sēcean searo-geþræc,
"wundur under wealle! ic ēow wīsige,
3105"þæt gē genōge nēan scēawiað
"bēagas and brād gold. Sīe sīo bǣr gearo †
"ǣdre geæfned, þonne wē ūt cymen,
"and þonne geferian frēan ūserne,
"lēofne mannan, þǣr hē longe sceal
3110"on þæs waldendes wǣre geþolian."
Hēt þā gebēodan byre Wīhstānes,
hæle hilde-dīor, hæleða monegum
bold-āgendra, þæt hīe bǣl-wudu
feorran feredon, folc-āgende †
3115gōdum tōgēnes: "Nū sceal glēd fretan
"(weaxan wonna lēg) wigena strengel, †
"þone þe oft gebād īsern-scūre,
"þonne strǣla storm, strengum gebǣded,
"scōc ofer scild-weall, sceft nytte hēold,
3120"feðer-gearwum fūs flāne full-ēode." †
Hūru se snotra sunu Wīhstānes
ācīgde of corðre cyninges þegnas
syfone tōsomne þā sēlestan,
ēode eahta sum under inwit-hrōf; †
3125hilde-rinc sum on handa bær
ǣled-lēoman, sē þe on orde gēong.

Næs þā on hlytme, hwā þæt hord strude,
syððan or-wearde ǣnigne dǣl
secgas gesēgon on sele wunian,
3130lǣne licgan: lȳt ǣnig mearn,
þæt hī ofostlice ūt geferedon
dȳre māðmas; dracan ēc scufun,
wyrm ofer weall-clif, lēton wǣg niman,
flōd fæðmian frætwa hyrde.
3135Þǣr wæs wunden gold on wǣn hladen,
ǣghwæs unrīm, æðeling boren, †
hār hilde-rinc tō Hrones næsse.

XLIII. BĒOWULF'S FUNERAL PYRE.
Him þā gegiredan Gēata lēode
ād on eorðan un-wāclīcne,
3140helmum behongen, hilde-bordum,
beorhtum byrnum, swā hē bēna wæs;
ālegdon þā tō-middes mǣrne þēoden
hæleð hīofende, hlāford lēofne.
Ongunnon þā on beorge bǣl-fȳra mǣst
3145wīgend weccan: wudu-rēc āstāh †
sweart ofer swioðole, swōgende lēg, †
wōpe bewunden (wind-blond gelæg) †
oð þæt hē þā bān-hūs gebrocen hæfde,
hāt on hreðre. Higum unrōte
3150mōd-ceare mǣndon mon-dryhtnes cwealm;
swylce giōmor-gyd lat . con meowle †
..... wunden heorde . . .
serg (?) cearig sǣlde geneahhe
þæt hīo hyre . . . . gas hearde
3155. . . . . ede wælfylla wonn . .
hildes egesan hyðo
haf mid heofon rēce swealh (?)
Geworhton þā Wedra lēode
hlǣw on hlīðe, sē wæs hēah and brād,
3160wǣg-līðendum wīde gesȳne,
and betimbredon on tȳn dagum
beadu-rōfes bēcn: bronda betost †
wealle beworhton, swā hyt weorðlīcost
fore-snotre men findan mihton.
3165Hī on beorg dydon bēg and siglu,
eall swylce hyrsta, swylce on horde ǣr
nīð-hȳdige men genumen hæfdon;
forlēton eorla gestrēon eorðan healdan,
gold on grēote, þǣr hit nū gēn lifað

3170eldum swā unnyt, swā hit ǣror wæs.
Þā ymbe hlǣw riodan hilde-dēore, †
æðelinga bearn ealra twelfa,
woldon ceare cwīðan, kyning mǣnan, †
word-gyd wrecan and ymb wer sprecan,
3175eahtodan eorl-scipe and his ellen-weorc
duguðum dēmdon, swā hit ge-dēfe bið,
þæt mon his wine-dryhten wordum herge,
ferhðum frēoge, þonne hē forð scile
of līc-haman lǣne weorðan.
3180Swā begnornodon Gēata lēode
hlāfordes hryre, heorð-genēatas,
cwǣdon þæt hē wǣre woruld-cyning
mannum mildust and mon-þwǣrust, †
lēodum līðost and lof-geornost. †

APPENDIX
†

THE ATTACK IN FINNSBURG.‡
". . . . . . . . . . . næs byrnað nǣfre." †
Hleoðrode þā heaðo-geong cyning:
"Ne þis ne dagað ēastan, ne hēr draca ne flēogeð,
"ne hēr þisse healle hornas ne byrnað,
5"ac fēr forð berað fugelas singað, †
"gylleð grǣg-hama, gūð-wudu hlynneð,
"scyld scefte oncwyð. Nū scȳneð þes mōna
"waðol under wolcnum; nū ārīsað wēa-dǣda,
"þē þisne folces nīð fremman willað.
10"Ac onwacnigeað nū, wīgend mīne,
"hebbað ēowre handa, hicgeað on ellen, †
"winnað on orde, wesað on mōde!"
Þā ārās monig gold-hladen þegn, gyrde hine his swurde;
þā tō dura ēodon drihtlīce cempan,
15Sigeferð and Eaha, hyra sweord getugon, †
and æt ōðrum durum Ordlāf and Gūðlāf,
and Hengest sylf; hwearf him on lāste.
Þā gīt Gārulf Gūðere styrode, †
þæt hīe swā frēolīc feorh forman sīðe
20tō þǣre healle durum hyrsta ne bǣran,
nū hyt nīða heard ānyman wolde:
ac hē frægn ofer eal undearninga,
dēor-mōd hæleð, hwā þā duru hēolde.
"Sigeferð is mīn nama (cwæð hē), ic eom Secgena lēod,
25"wrecca wīde cūð. Fela ic wēana gebād,
"heardra hilda; þē is gȳt hēr witod,
"swæðer þū sylf tō mē sēcean wylle." †
Þā wæs on wealle wæl-slihta gehlyn,
sceolde cēlod bord cēnum on handa †
30bān-helm berstan. Buruh-þelu dynede, †
oð þæt æt þǣre gūðe Gārulf gecrang,
ealra ǣrest eorð-būendra,

Gūðlāfes sunu; ymbe hine gōdra fela.
Hwearf flacra hrǣw hræfn, wandrode †
35sweart and sealo-brūn; swurd-lēoma stōd
swylce eal Finns-buruh fȳrenu wǣre.
Ne gefrægn ic nǣfre wurðlīcor æt wera hilde
sixtig sige-beorna sēl gebǣran,
ne nǣfre swānas swētne medo sēl forgyldan,
40þonne Hnæfe guldon his hæg-stealdas.
Hig fuhton fīf dagas, swā hyra nān ne fēol
driht-gesīða, ac hig þā duru hēoldon. †
Þā gewāt him wund hæleð on wæg gangan,
sǣde þæt his byrne ābrocen wǣre,
45here-sceorpum hrōr, and ēac wæs his helm †
þyrl.
Þā hine sōna frægn folces hyrde,
hū þā wīgend hyra wunda genǣson †
oððe hwæðer þǣra hyssa . . . . . . .

LIST OF NAMES; NOTES; AND GLOSSARY.
ABBREVIATIONS

m.: masculine.
f.: feminine.
n.: neuter.
nom., gen.: nominative, genitive, etc.
w.: weak.
w. v.: weak verb.
st.: strong.
st. v.: strong verb.
I., II., III.: first, second, third person.
comp.: compound.
imper.: imperative.
w.: with.
instr.: instrumental.
G. and Goth.: Gothic.
O.N.: Old Norse.
O.S.: Old Saxon.
O.H.G.: Old High German.
M.H.G.: Middle High German.
The vowel æ = a in glad }
The diphthong ǣ = a in hair } approximately.

The names Leo, Bugge, Rieger, etc., refer to authors of
emendations.

Words beginning with ge- will be found under their root-word.

Obvious abbreviations, like subj., etc., are not included in this list.

LIST OF NAMES.
Ābel, Cain's brother, 108.

Ælf-here (gen. Ælf-heres, 2605), a kinsman of Wīglāf's, 2605.

Æsc-here, confidential adviser of King Hrōðgār (1326), older
brother of Yrmenlāf (1325), killed by Grendel's mother, 1295,
1324, 2123.

Bān-stān, father of Breca, 524.

Bēo-wulf, son of Scyld, king of the Danes, 18, 19. After the death
of his father, he succeeds to the throne of the Scyldings, 53. His
son is Healfdene, 57.

Bēo-wulf (Bīowulf, 1988, 2390; gen. Bēowulfes, 857, etc.,
Bīowulfes, 2195, 2808, etc.; dat. Bēowulfe, 610, etc., Bīowulfe,
2325, 2843), of the race of the Gēatas. His father is the
Wǣgmunding Ecgþēow (263, etc.); his mother a daughter of
Hrēðel, king of the Gēatas (374), at whose court he is brought up
after his seventh year with Hrēðel's sons, Herebeald, Hæðcyn,
and Hygelāc, 2429 ff. In his youth lazy and unapt (2184 f., 2188 f.);
as man he attains in the gripe of his hand the strength of thirty
men, 379. Hence his victories in his combats with bare hands (711
ff., 2502 ff.), while fate denies him the victory in the battle with
swords, 2683 f. His swimming-match with Breca in his youth, 506
ff. Goes with fourteen Gēatas to the assistance of the Danish king,
Hrōðgār, against Grendel, 198 ff. His combat with Grendel, and his
victory, 711 ff., 819 ff. He is, in consequence, presented with rich
gifts by Hrōðgār, 1021 ff. His combat with Grendel's mother, 1442
ff. Having again received gifts, he leaves Hrōðgār (1818-1888),
and returns to Hygelāc, 1964 ff.—After Hygelāc's last battle and
death, he flees alone across the sea, 2360 f. In this battle he
crushes Dæghrefn, one of the Hūgas, to death, 2502 f. He rejects

at the same time Hygelāc's kingdom and the hand of his widow
(2370 ff.), but carries on the government as guardian of the young
Heardrēd, son of Hygelāc, 2378 ff. After Heardrēd's death, the
kingdom falls to Bēowulf, 2208, 2390.—Afterwards, on an
expedition to avenge the murdered Heardrēd, he kills the Scylfing,
Ēadgils (2397), and probably conquers his country. —His fight with
the drake, 2539 ff. His death, 2818. His burial, 3135 ff.

Breca (acc. Brecan, 506, 531), son of Bēanstān, 524. Chief of the
Brondings, 521. His swimming-match with Bēowulf, 506 ff.

Brondingas (gen. Brondinga, 521), Breca, their chief, 521.

Brōsinga mene, corrupted from, or according to Müllenhoff,
written by mistake for, Breosinga mene (O.N., Brisinga men, cf.
Haupts Zeitschr. XII. 304), collar, which the Brisingas once
possessed.

Cain (gen. Caines, 107): descended from him are Grendel and his
kin, 107, 1262 ff.

Dæg-hrefn (dat. Dæghrefne, 2502), a warrior of the Hūgas, who,
according to 2504-5, compared with 1203, and with 1208, seems
to have been the slayer of King Hygelāc, in his battle against the
allied Franks, Frisians, and Hūgas. Is crushed to death by Bēowulf
in a hand-to-hand combat, 2502 ff.

Dene (gen. Dena, 242, etc., Denia, 2126, Deniga, 271, etc.; dat.
Denum, 768, etc.), as subjects of Scyld and his descendants, they
are also called Scyldings; and after the first king of the East
Danes, Ing (Runenlied, 22), Ing-wine, 1045, 1320. They are also
once called Hrēðmen, 445. On account of their renowned warlike
character, they bore the names Gār-Dene, 1, 1857, Hring-Dene
(Armor-Danes), 116, 1280, Beorht-Dene, 427, 610. The great
extent of this people is indicated by their names from the four
quarters of the heavens: Ēast-Dene, 392, 617, etc., West-Dene,
383, 1579, Sūð-Dene, 463, Norð-Dene, 784.—Their dwelling-

place "in Scedelandum," 19, "on Scedenigge," 1687, "be sǣm
twēonum," 1686.

Ecg-lāf (gen. Ecglāfes, 499), Hunferð's father, 499.

Ecg-þēow (nom. Ecgþēow, 263, Ecgþēo, 373; gen. Ecgþēowes,
529, etc., Ecgþīowes, 2000), a far-famed hero of the Gēatas, of
the house of the Wǣgmundings. Bēowulf is the son of Ecgþēow,
by the only daughter of Hrēðel, king of the Gēatas, 262, etc.
Among the Wylfings, he has slain Heaðolāf (460), and in
consequence he goes over the sea to the Danes (463), whose
king, Hrōðgār, by means of gold, finishes the strife for him, 470.

Ecg-wela (gen. Ecg-welan, 1711). The Scyldings are called his
descendants, 1711. Grein considers him the founder of the older
dynasty of Danish kings, which closes with Heremōd. See
Heremōd.

Elan, daughter of Healfdene, king of the Danes, (?) 62. According
to the restored text, she is the wife of Ongenþēow, the Scylfing,
62, 63.

Earna-næs, the Eagle Cape in the land of the Gēatas, where
occurred Bēowulf's fight with the drake, 3032.

Ēadgils (dat. Ēadgilse, 2393), son of Ōhthere, and grandson of
Ongenþēow, the Scylfing, 2393. His older brother is

Ēanmund (gen. Ēanmundes, 2612). What is said about both in
our poem (2201-2207, 2380-2397, 2612-2620) is obscure, but the
following may be conjectured:—

The sons of Ōhthere, Ēanmund and Ēadgils, have rebelled against
their father (2382), and must, in consequence, depart with their
followers from Swīorīce, 2205-6, 2380. They come into the country
of the Gēatas to Heardrēd (2380), but whether with friendly or
hostile intent is not stated; but, according to 2203 f., we are to
presume that they came against Heardrēd with designs of

conquest. At a banquet (on feorme; or feorme, MS.) Heardrēd
falls, probably through treachery, by the hand of one of the
brothers, 2386, 2207. The murderer must have been Ēanmund, to
whom, according to 2613, "in battle the revenge of Wēohstān
brings death." Wēohstān takes revenge for his murdered king, and
exercises upon Ēanmund's body the booty-right, and robs it of
helm, breastplate, and sword (2616-17), which the slain man had
received as gifts from his uncle, Onela, 2617-18. But Wēohstān
does not speak willingly of this fight, although he has slain Onela's
brother's son, 2619-20.—After Heardrēd's and Ēanmund's death,
the descendant of Ongenþēow, Ēadgils, returns to his home,
2388. He must give way before Bēowulf, who has, since
Heardrēd's death, ascended the throne of the Gēatas, 2390. But
Bēowulf remembers it against him in after days, and the old feud
breaks out anew, 2392-94. Ēadgils makes an invasion into the
land of the Gēatas (2394-95), during which he falls at the hands of
Bēowulf, 2397. The latter must have then obtained the sovereignty
over the Swēonas (3005-6, where only the version, Scylfingas,
can give a satisfactory sense).

Eofor (gen. Eofores, 2487, 2965; dat. Jofore, 2994, 2998), one of
the Gēatas, son of Wonrēd and brother of Wulf (2965, 2979), kills
the Swedish king, Ongenþēow (2487 ff., 2978-82), for which he
receives from King Hygelāc, along with other gifts, his only
daughter in marriage, 2994-99.

Eormen-rīc (gen. Eormenrīces, 1202), king of the Goths (cf. about
him, W. Grimm, Deutsche Heldensage, p. 2, ff.). Hāma has
wrested the Brōsinga mene from him, 1202.

Eomǣr, son of Offa and Þrȳðo (cf. Þrȳðo), 1961.

Eotenas (gen. pl. Eotena, 1073, 1089, 1142; dat. Eotenum, 1146),
the subjects of Finn, the North Frisians: distinguished from eoton,
giant. Vid eoton. Cf. Bugge, Beit., xii. 37; Earle, Beowulf in Prose,
pp. 146, 198.

Finn (gen. Finnes, 1069, etc.; dat. Finne, 1129), son of Folcwalda
(1090), king of the North Frisians, i.e. of the Eotenas, husband of
Hildeburg, a daughter of Hōc, 1072, 1077. He is the hero of the
inserted poem on the Attack in Finnsburg, the obscure incidents of
which are, perhaps, as follows: In Finn's castle, Finnsburg,
situated in Jutland (1126-28), the Hōcing, Hnæf, a relative—
perhaps a brother—of Hildeburg is spending some time as guest.
Hnæf, who is a liegeman of the Danish king, Healfdene, has sixty
men with him (Finnsburg, 38). These are treacherously attacked
one night by Finn's men, 1073. For five days they hold the doors
of their lodging-place without losing one of their number
(Finnsburg, 41, 42). Then, however, Hnæf is slain (1071), and the
Dane, Hengest, who was among Hnæf's followers, assumes the
command of the beleaguered band. But on the attacking side the
fight has brought terrible losses to Finn's men. Their numbers are
diminished (1081 f.), and Hildeburg bemoans a son and a brother
among the fallen (1074 f., cf. 1116, 1119). Therefore the Frisians
offer the Danes peace (1086) under the conditions mentioned
(1087-1095), and it is confirmed with oaths (1097), and money is
given by Finn in propitiation (1108). Now all who have survived the
battle go together to Friesland, the homo proper of Finn, and here
Hengest remains during the winter, prevented by ice and storms
from returning home (Grein). But in spring the feud breaks out
anew. Gūðlāf and Oslāf avenge Hnæf's fall, probably after they
have brought help from home (1150). In the battle, the hall is filled
with the corpses of the enemy. Finn himself is killed, and the
queen is captured and carried away, along with the booty, to the
land of the Danes, 1147-1160.

Finna land. Bēowulf reaches it in his swimming-race with Breca,
580.

Fitela, the son and nephew of the Wälsing, Sigemund, and his
companion in arms, 876-890. (Sigemund had begotten Fitela by
his sister, Signȳ. Cf. more at length Leo on Bēowulf, p. 38 ff.,
where an extract from the legend of the Walsungs is given.)

Folc-walda (gen. Folc-waldan, 1090), Finn's father, 1090.

Francan (gen. Francna, 1211; dat. Froncum, 2913). King Hygelāc
fell on an expedition against the allied Franks, Frisians, and
Hūgas, 1211, 2917.

Frēsan, Frȳsan (gen. Frēsena, 1094, Frȳsna, 1105, Frēsna, 2916:
dat. Frȳsum, 1208, 2913). To be distinguished, are: 1) North
Frisians, whose king is Finn, 1069 ff.; 2) West Frisians, in alliance
with the Franks and Hūgas, in the war against whom Hygelāc falls,
1208, 2916. The country of the former is called Frȳsland, 1127;
that of the latter, Frēsna land, 2916.

Fr..es wæl (in Fr..es wæle, 1071), mutilated proper name.

Frēawaru, daughter of the Danish king, Hrōðgār; given in
marriage to Ingeld, the son of the Heaðobeard king, Frōda, in
order to end a war between the Danes and the Heaðobeardnas,
2023 ff., 2065.

Frōda (gen. Frōdan), father of Ingeld, the husband of Frēaware,
2026.

Gārmund (gen. Gārmundes, 1963) father of Offa. His grandson is
Ēomǣr, 1961-63.

Gēatas (gen. Gēata, 205, etc.; dat. Gēatum, 195, etc.), a tribe in
Southern Scandinavia, to which the hero of this poem belongs;
also called Wedergēatas, 1493, 2552; or, Wederas, 225, 423, etc.;
Gūðgēatas, 1539; Sǣgēatas, 1851, 1987. Their kings named in
this poem are: Hrēðel; Hæðcyn, second son of Hrēðel; Hygelāc,
the brother of Hæðcyn; Heardrēd, son of Hygelāc; then Bēowulf.

Gifðas (dat. Gifðum, 2495), Gepidǣ, mentioned in connection
with Danes and Swedes, 2495.

Grendel, a fen-spirit (102-3) of Cain's race, 107, 111, 1262, 1267.
He breaks every night into Hrōðgār's hall and carries off thirty

warriors, 115 ff., 1583ff. He continues this for twelve years, till
Bēowulf fights with him (147, 711 ff.), and gives him a mortal
wound, in that he tears out one of his arms (817), which is hung up
as a trophy in the roof of Heorot, 837. Grendel's mother wishes to
avenge her son, and the following night breaks into the hall and
carries off Æschere, 1295. Bēowulf seeks for and finds her home
in the fen-lake (1493 ff.), fights with her (1498 ff.), and kills her
(1567); and cuts off the head of Grendel, who lay there dead
(1589), and brings it to Hrōðgār, 1648.

Gūð-lāf and Oslāf, Danish warriors under Hnæf, whose death they
avenge on Finn, 1149.

Hālga, with the surname, til, the younger brother of the Danish
king, Hrōðgār, 61. His son is Hrōðulf, 1018, 1165, 1182.

Hāma wrests the Brōsinga mene from Eormenrīc, 1199.

Hæreð (gen. Hæreðes, 1982), father of Hygd, the wife of Hygelāc,
1930, 1982.

Hæðcyn (dat. Hæðcynne, 2483), second son of Hrēðel, king of
the Gēatas, 2435. Kills his oldest brother, Herebeald, accidentally,
with an arrow, 2438 ff. After Hrēðel's death, he obtains the
kingdom, 2475, 2483. He falls at Ravenswood, in the battle
against the Swedish king, Ongenþēow, 2925. His successor is his
younger brother, Hygelāc, 2944 ff., 2992.

Helmingas (gen. Helminga, 621). From them comes Wealhþēow,
Hrōðgār's wife, 621.

Heming (gen. Heminges, 1945, 1962). Offa is called Heminges
mǣg, 1945; Ēomǣr, 1962. According to Bachlechner (Pfeiffer's
Germania, I., p. 458), Heming is the son of the sister of Gārmund,
Offa's father.

Hengest (gen. Hengestes, 1092; dat. Hengeste, 1084): about him
and his relations to Hnæf and Finn, see Finn.

Here-beald (dat. Herebealde, 2464), the oldest son of Hrēðel, king
of the Gēatas (2435), accidentally killed with an arrow by his
younger brother, Hæðcyn, 2440.

Here-mōd (gen. Heremōdes, 902), king of the Danes, not
belonging to the Scylding dynasty, but, according to Grein,
immediately preceding it; is, on account of his unprecedented
cruelty, driven out, 902 ff., 1710.

Here-rīc (gen. Hererīces, 2207) Heardrēd is called Hererīces nefa,
2207. Nothing further is known of him.

Het-ware or Franks, in alliance with the Frisians and the Hūgas,
conquer Hygelāc, king of the Gēatas, 2355, 2364 ff., 2917.

Healf-dene (gen. Healfdenes, 189, etc.), son of Bēowulf, the
Scylding (57); rules the Danes long and gloriously (57 f.); has
three sons, Heorogār, Hrōðgār, and Hālga (61), and a daughter,
Elan, who, according to the renewed text of the passage, was
married to the Scylfing, Ongenþēow, 62, 63.

Heard-rēd (dat. Heardrēde, 2203, 2376), son of Hygelāc, king of
the Gēatas, and Hygd. After his father's death, while still under
age, he obtains the throne (2371, 2376, 2379); wherefore Bēowulf,
as nephew of Heardrēd's father, acts as guardian to the youth till
he becomes older, 2378. He is slain by Ōhthere's sons, 2386. This
murder Bēowulf avenges on Ēadgils, 2396-97.

Heaðo-beardnas (gen. -beardna, 2033, 2038, 2068), the tribe of
the Lombards. Their king, Frōda, has fallen in a war with the
Danes, 2029, 2051. In order to end the feud, King Hrōðgār has
given his daughter, Frēawaru, as wife to the young Ingeld, the son
of Frōda, a marriage that does not result happily; for Ingeld,
though he long defers it on account of his love for his wife,
nevertheless takes revenge for his father, 2021-2070 (Wīdsīð, 45-
49).

Heaðo-lāf (dat. Heaðo-lāfe, 460), a Wylfingish warrior. Ecgþēow,
Bēowulf's father, kills him, 460.

Heaðo-rǣmas reached by B. in the swimming-race with Bēowulf,
519.

Heoro-gār (nom. 61; Heregār, 467; Hiorogār, 2159), son of
Healfdene, and older brother of Hrōðgār, 61. His death is
mentioned, 467. He has a son, Heoroweard, 2162. His coat of mail
Bēowulf has received from Hrōðgār (2156), and presents it to
Hygelāc, 2158.

Heoro-weard (dat. Heorowearde, 2162), Heorogār's son, 2161-
62.

Heort, 78. Heorot, 166 (gen. Heorotes, 403; dat. Heorote, 475,
Heorute, 767, Hiorte, 2100). Hrōðgār's throne-room and
banqueting hall and assembly-room for his liegemen, built by him
with unusual splendor, 69, 78. In it occurs Bēowulf's fight with
Grendel, 720 ff. The hall receives its name from the stag's antlers,
of which the one-half crowns the eastern gable, the other half the
western.

Hildeburh, daughter of Hōc, relative of the Danish leader, Hnæf,
consort of the Frisian king, Finn. After the fall of the latter, she
becomes a captive of the Danes, 1072, 1077, 1159. See also
under Finn.

Hnæf (gen. Hnæfes, 1115), a Hōcing (Wīdsīð, 29), the Danish
King Healfdene's general, 1070 ff. For his fight with Finn, his death
and burial, see under Finn.

Hond-scīo, warrior of the Gēatas: dat. 2077.

Hōc (gen. Hōces, 1077), father of Hildeburh, 1077; probably also
of Hnæf (Wīdsīð, 29).

Hrēðel (gen. Hrēðles, 1486), son of Swerting, 1204. King of the
Gēatas, 374. He has, besides, a daughter, who is married to
Ecgþēow, and has borne him Bēowulf, (374), three sons,
Herebeald, Hæðcyn, and Hygelāc, 2435. The eldest of these is
accidentally killed by the second, 2440. On account of this
inexpiable deed, Hrēðel becomes melancholy (2443), and dies,
2475.

Hrēðla (gen. Hrēðlan, MS. Hrǣdlan, 454), the same as Hrēðel (cf.
Müllenhoff in Haupts Zeitschrift, 12, 260), the former owner of
Bēowulf's coat of mail, 454.

Hrēðling, son of Hrēðel, Hygelāc: nom. sg. 1924; nom. pl., the
subjects of Hygelāc, the Geats, 2961.

Hrēð-men (gen. Hrēð-manna, 445), the Danes are so called, 445.

Hrēð-rīc, son of Hrōðgār, 1190, 1837.

Hrefna-wudu, 2926, or Hrefnes-holt, 2936, the thicket near which
the Swedish king, Ongenþēow, slew Hæðcyn, king of the Gēatas,
in battle.

Hrēosna-beorh, promontory in the land of the Gēatas, near which
Ongenþēow's sons, Ōhthere and Onela, had made repeated
robbing incursions into the country after Hrēðel's death. These
were the immediate cause of the war in which Hrēðel's son, King
Hæcyn, fell, 2478 ff.

Hrōð-gār (gen. Hrōðgāres, 235, etc.; dat. Hrōðgāre, 64, etc.), of
the dynasty of the Scyldings; the second of the three sons of King
Healfdene, 61. After the death of his elder brother, Heorogār, he
assumes the government of the Danes, 465, 467 (yet it is not
certain whether Heorogār was king of the Danes before Hrōðgār,
or whether his death occurred while his father, Healfdene, was still
alive). His consort is Wealhþēow (613), of the stock of the
Helmings (621), who has borne him two sons, Hrēðrīc and
Hrōðmund (1190), and a daughter, Frēaware (2023), who has

been given in marriage to the king of the Heaðobeardnas, Ingeld.
His throne-room (78 ff.), which has been built at great cost (74 ff.),
is visited every night by Grendel (102, 115), who, along with his
mother, is slain by Bēowulf (711 ff., 1493 ff). Hrōðgār's rich gifts to
Bēowulf, in consequence, 1021, 1818; he is praised as being
generous, 71 ff., 80, 1028 ff., 1868 ff.; as being brave, 1041 ff.,
1771 ff.; and wise, 1699, 1725.—Other information about
Hrōðgār's reign for the most part only suggested: his expiation of
the murder which Ecgþēow, Bēowulf's father, committed upon
Heaðolāf, 460, 470; his war with the Heaðobeardnas; his
adjustment of it by giving his daughter, Frēaware, in marriage to
their king, Ingeld; evil results of this marriage, 2021-2070.—
Treachery of his brother's son, Hrōðulf, intimated, 1165-1166.

Hrōð-mund, Hrōðgār's son, 1190.

Hrōð-ulf, probably a son of Hālga, the younger brother of King
Hrōðgār, 1018, 1182. Wealhþēow expresses the hope (1182) that,
in case of the early death of Hrōðgār, Hrōð-ulf would prove a good
guardian to Hrōðgār's young son, who would succeed to the
government; a hope which seems not to have been accomplished,
since it appears from 1165, 1166 that Hrōð-ulf has abused his trust
towards Hrōðgār.

Hrones-næs (dat. -næsse, 2806, 3137), a promontory on the
coast of the country of the Gēatas, visible from afar. Here is
Bēowulf's grave-mound, 2806, 3137.

Hrunting (dat. Hruntinge, 1660), Hunferð's sword, is so called,
1458, 1660.

Hūgas (gen. Hūga, 2503), Hygelāc wars against them allied with
the Franks and Frisians, and falls, 2195 ff. One of their heroes is
called Dæghrefn, whom Bēowulf slays, 2503.

[H]ūn-ferð, the son of Ecglāf, þyle of King Hrōðgār. As such, he
has his place near the throne of the king, 499, 500, 1167. He lends
his sword, Hrunting, to Bēowulf for his battle with Grendel's

mother, 1456 f. According to 588, 1168, he slew his brothers.
Since his name is always alliterated with vowels, it is probable that
the original form was, as Rieger (Zachers Ztschr., 3, 414)
conjectures, Unferð.

Hūn-lāfing, name of a costly sword, which Finn presents to
Hengest, 1144. See Note.

Hygd (dat. Hygde, 2173), daughter of Hæreð, 1930; consort of
Hygelāc, king of the Gēatas, 1927; her son, Heardrēd, 2203, etc.
—Her noble, womanly character is emphasized, 1927 ff.

Hyge-lāc (gen. Hige-lāces, 194, etc., Hygelāces, 2387; dat.
Higelāce, 452, Hygelāce, 2170), king of the Gēatas, 1203, etc. His
grandfather is Swerting, 1204; his father, Hrēðel, 1486, 1848; his
older brothers, Herebeald and Hæðcyn, 2435; his sister's son,
Bēowulf, 374, 375. After his brother, Hæðcyn, is killed by
Ongenþēow, he undertakes the government (2992 in connection
with the preceding from 2937 on). To Eofor he gives, as reward for
slaying Ongenþēow, his only daughter in marriage, 2998. But
much later, at the time of the return of Bēowulf from his expedition
to Hrōðgār, we see him married to the very young Hygd, the
daughter of Hæreð, 1930. The latter seems, then, to have been
his second wife. Their son is Heardrēd, 2203, 2376, 2387.—
Hygelāc falls during an expedition against the Franks, Frisians,
and Hūgas, 1206, 1211, 2356-59, 2916-17.

Ingeld (dat. Ingelde, 2065), son of Frōda, the Heaðobeard chief,
who fell in a battle with the Danes, 2051 ff. in order to end the war,
Ingeld is married to Frēawaru, daughter of the Danish king,
Hrōðgār, 2025-30. Yet his love for his young wife can make him
forget only for a short while his desire to avenge his father. He
finally carries it out, excited thereto by the repeated admonitions of
an old warrior, 2042-70 (Wīdsīð, 45-59).

Ing-wine (gen. Ingwina, 1045, 1320), friends of Ing, the first king
of the East Danes. The Danes are so called, 1045, 1320.

Mere-wīoingas (gen. Mere-wīoinga, 2922), as name of the
Franks, 2922.

Nægling, the name of Bēowulf's sword, 2681.

Offa (gen. Offan, 1950), king of the Angles (Wīdsīð, 35), the son of
Gārmund, 1963; married (1950) to Þrȳðo (1932), a beautiful but
cruel woman, of unfeminine spirit (1932 ff.), by whom he has a
son, Ēomǣr, 1961.

Ōht-here (gen. Ōhtheres, 2929, 2933; Ōhteres, 2381, 2393, 2395,
2613), son of Ongenþēow, king of the Swedes, 2929. His sons are
Ēanmund (2612) and Ēadgils, 2393.

Onela (gen. Onelan, 2933), Ōhthere's brother, 2617, 2933.

Ongen-þēow (nom. -þēow, 2487, -þīo, 2952; gen. -þēowes, 2476,
-þīowes, 2388; dat. -þīo, 2987), of the dynasty of the Scylfings;
king of the Swedes, 2384. His wife is, perhaps, Elan, daughter of
the Danish king, Healfdene (62), and mother of two sons, Onela
and Ōhthere, 2933. She is taken prisoner by Hæðcyn, king of the
Gēatas, on an expedition into Sweden, which he undertakes on
account of her sons' plundering raids into his country, 2480 ff. She
is set free by Ongenþēow (2931), who kills Hæðcyn, 2925, and
encloses the Gēatas, now deprived of their leader, in the
Ravenswood (2937 ff.), till they are freed by Hygelāc, 2944. A
battle then follows, which is unfavorable to Ongenþēow's army.
Ongenþēow himself, attacked by the brothers, Wulf and Eofor, is
slain by the latter, 2487 ff., 2962 ff.

Ōs-lāf, a warrior of Hnæf's, who avenges on Finn his leader's
death, 1149 f.

Scede-land, 19. Sceden-īg (dat. Sceden-īgge, 1687), O.N., Scān-
ey, the most southern portion of the Scandinavian peninsula,
belonging to the Danish kingdom, and, in the above-mentioned
passages of our poem, a designation of the whole Danish
kingdom.

Scēf or Scēaf. See Note.

Scēfing, the son (?) of Scēf, or Scēaf, reputed father of Scyld, 4.
See Note.

Scyld (gen. Scyldes, 19), a Scēfing. 4. His son is Bēowulf, 18, 53:
his grandson, Healfdene, 57; his great-grandson, Hrōðgār, who
had two brothers and a sister, 59 ff.—Scyld dies, 26; his body,
upon a decorated ship, is given over to the sea (32 ff.), just as he,
when a child, drifted alone, upon a ship, to the land of the Danes,
43 ff. After him his descendants bear his name.

Scyldingas (Scyldungas, 2053; gen. Scyldinga, 53, etc.,
Scyldunga, 2102, 2160; dat. Scyldingum, 274, etc.), a name which
is extended also to the Danes, who are ruled by the Scyldings, 53,
etc. They are also called Ār-Scyldingas, 464; Sige-Scyldingas,
598, 2005; Þēod-Scyldingas, 1020; Here-Scyldingas, 1109.

Scylfingas, a Swedish royal family, whose relationship seems to
extend to the Gēatas, since Wīglāf, the son of Wīhstān, who in
another place, as a kinsman of Bēowulf, is called a Wǣgmunding
(2815), is also called lēod Scylfinga, 2604. The family connections
are perhaps as follows:—

Scylf.
|
------------------------
Wǣgmund. .......
| |
------------------ ----------
Ecgþēow. Wēohstān. Ongenþēow.
| | |
-------- -------- ---------------
Bēowulf. Wīglāf. Onela. Ōhthere.
|
-----------------
Ēaumund. Ēadgils.

The Scylfings are also called Heaðo-Scilfingas, 63, Gūð-
Scylfingas, 2928.

Sige-mund (dat. -munde, 876, 885), the son of Wæls, 878, 898.
His (son and ) nephew is Fitela, 880, 882. His fight with the drake,
887 ff.

Swerting (gen. Swertinges, 1204), Hygelāc's grandfather, and
Hrēðel's father, 1204.

Swēon (gen. Swēona, 2473, 2947, 3002), also Swēo-þēod, 2923.
The dynasty of the Scylfings rules over them, 2382, 2925. Their
realm is called Swīorice, 2384, 2496.

Þrȳðo, consort of the Angle king, Offa, 1932, 1950. Mother of
Ēomǣr, 1961, notorious on account of her cruel, unfeminine
character, 1932 ff. She is mentioned as the opposite to the mild,
dignified Hygd, the queen of the Gēatas.

Wæls (gen. Wælses, 898), father of Sigemund, 878, 898.

Wǣg-mundingas (gen. Wǣgmundinga, 2608, 2815). The
Wǣgmundings are on one side, Wīhstān and his son Wīglāf; on
the other side, Ecgþēow and his son Bēowulf (2608, 2815). See
under Scylfingas.

Wederas (gen. Wedera, 225, 423, 498, etc.), or Weder-gēatas.
See Gēatas.

Wēland (gen. Wēlandes, 455), the maker of Bēowulf's coat of
mail, 455.

Wendlas (gen. Wendla, 348): their chief is Wulfgār. See Wulfgār.
The Wendlas are, according to Grundtvig and Bugge, the
inhabitants of Vendill, the most northern part of Jutland, between
Limfjord and the sea.

Wealh-þēow (613, Wealh-þēo, 665, 1163), the consort of King
Hrōðgār, of the stock of the Helmings, 621. Her sons are Hrēðrīc
and Hrōðmund, 1190; her daughter, Frēawaru, 2023.

Wēoh-stān (gen. Wēox-stānes, 2603, Wēoh-stānes, 2863, Wih-
stānes, 2753, 2908, etc.), a Wǣgmunding (2608), father of Wīglāf,
2603. In what relationship to him Ælfhere, mentioned 2605,
stands, is not clear.—Wēohstān is the slayer of Ēanmund (2612),
in that, as it seems, he takes revenge for his murdered king,
Heardrēd. See Ēanmund.

Wīg-lāf, Wēohstān's son, 2603, etc., a Wǣgmunding, 2815, and
so also a Scylfing, 2604; a kinsman of Ælfhere, 2605. For his
relationship to Bēowulf, see the genealogical table under
Scylfingas.—He supports Bēowulf in his fight with the drake,
2605 ff., 2662 ff. The hero gives him, before his death, his ring, his
helm, and his coat of mail, 2810 ff.

Won-rēd (gen. Wonrēdes, 2972), father of Wulf and Eofor, 2966,
2979.

Wulf (dat. Wulfe, 2994), one of the Gēatas, Wonrēd's son. He
fights in the battle between the armies of Hygelāc and Ongenþēow
with Ongenþēow himself, and gives him a wound (2966),
whereupon Ongenþēow, by a stroke of his sword, disables him,
2975. Eofor avenges his brother's fall by dealing Ongenþēow a
mortal blow, 2978 ff.

Wulf-gār, chief of the Wendlas, 348, lives at Hrōðgār's court, and
is his "ār and ombiht," 335.

Wylfingas (dat. Wylfingum, 461). Ecgþēow has slain Heoðolāf, a
warrior of this tribe, 460.

Yrmen-lāf, younger brother of Æschere, 1325.

ABBREVIATIONS.

B.: Bugge.
Br.: S.A. Brooke, Hist. of Early Eng. Lit.
C.: Cosijn.

E.: Earle, Deeds of Beowulf in Prose.
G.: Garnett, Translation of Beowulf
Gr.: Grein.
H.: Heyne.
Ha.: Hall, Translation of Beowulf.
H.-So.: Heyne-Socin, 5th ed.
Ho.: Holder.
K.: Kemble.
Kl.: Kluge.
Müllenh.: Müllenhoff.
R.: Rieger.
S.: Sievers.
Sw.: Sweet, Anglo-Saxon Reader, 6th ed.
Ten Br.: Ten Brink.
Th.: Thorpe.
Z.: Zupitza.

PERIODICALS.

Ang.: Anglia.
Beit.: Paul und Branne's Beiträge.
Eng. Stud.: Englische Studien.
Germ.: Germania.
Haupts Zeitschr.: Haupts Zeitschrift, etc.
Mod. Lang. Notes: Modern Language Notes.
Tidskr.: Tidskrift for Philologi.
Zachers Zeitschr.: Zachers Zeitschrift, etc.

NOTES.
l. 1. hwæt: for this interjectional formula opening a poem, cf.
Andreas, Daniel, Juliana, Exodus, Fata Apost., Dream of the
Rood, and the "Listenith lordinges!" of mediaeval lays.—E. Cf.
Chaucer, Prologue, ed. Morris, l. 853:

"Sin I shal beginne the game,
What, welcome be the cut, a Goddes name!"

wē ... gefrūnon is a variant on the usual epic formulǣ ic gefrægn
(l. 74) and mīne gefrǣge (l. 777). Exodus, Daniel, Phoenix, etc.,
open with the same formula.

l. 1. "Gār was the javelin, armed with two of which the warrior went
into battle, and which he threw over the 'shield-wall.' It was
barbed."—Br. 124. Cf. Maldon, l. 296; Judith, l. 224; Gnom.
Verses, l. 22; etc.

l. 4. "Scild of the Sheaf, not 'Scyld the son of Scaf'; for it is too
inconsistent, even in myth, to give a patronymic to a foundling.
According to the original form of the story, Scēaf was the
foundling; he had come ashore with a sheaf of corn, and from that
was named. This form of the story is preserved in Ethelwerd and
in William of Malmesbury. But here the foundling is Scyld, and we
must suppose he was picked up with the sheaf, and hence his
cognomen."—E., p. 105. Cf. the accounts of Romulus and Remus,
of Moses, of Cyrus, etc.

l. 6. egsian is also used in an active sense (not in the Gloss.), = to
terrify.

l. 15. S. suggests þā (which) for þæt, as object of drēogan; and
for aldor-lēase, Gr. suggested aldor-ceare.—Beit. ix. 136.

S. translates: "For God had seen the dire need which the rulerless
ones before endured."

l. 18. "Beowulf (that is, Beaw of the Anglo-Saxon genealogists, not
our Beowulf, who was a Geat, not a Dane), 'the son of Scyld in
Scedeland.' This is our ancestral myth,—the story of the first
culture-hero of the North; 'the patriarch,' as Rydberg calls him, 'of
the royal families of Sweden, Denmark, Angeln, Saxland, and
England.'"—Br., p. 78. Cf. A.-S. Chron. an. 855.

H.-So. omits parenthetic marks, and reads (after S., Beit. ix. 135)
eaferan; cf. Fata Apost.: lof wīde sprang þēodnes þegna.

"The name Bēowulf means literally 'Bee-wolf,' wolf or ravager of
the bees, = bear. Cf. beorn, 'hero,' originally 'bear,' and bēohata,
'warrior,' in Cǣdmon, literally 'bee-hater' or 'persecutor,' and hence
identical in meaning with bēowulf."—Sw.

Cf.

"Arcite and Palamon,
That foughten breme, as it were bores two."
—Chaucer, Knightes Tale, l. 841, ed. Morris.

Cf. M. Müller, Science of Lang., Sec. Series, pp. 217, 218; and
Hunt's Daniel, 104.

l. 19. Cf. l. 1866, where Scedenig is used, = Scania, in
Sweden(?).

l. 21. wine is pl.; cf. its apposition wil-gesīðas below. H.-So.
compares Héliand, 1017, for language almost identical with ll. 20,
21.

l. 22. on ylde: cf.

"In elde is bothe wisdom and usage."
—Chaucer, Knightes Tale, l. 1590, ed. Morris.

l. 26. Reflexive objects often pleonastically accompany verbs of
motion; cf. ll. 234, 301, 1964, etc.

l. 31. The object of āhte is probably geweald, to be supplied from
wordum wēold of l. 30.—H.-So.

R., Kl., and B. all hold conflicting views of this passage: Beit. xii.
80, ix. 188; Zachers Zeitschr. iii. 382, etc. Kl. suggests lǣndagas
for lange.

l. 32. "hringed-stefna is sometimes translated 'with curved prow,'
but it means, I think, that in the prow were fastened rings through
which the cables were passed that tied it to the shore."—Br., p. 26.
Cf. ll. 1132, 1898. Hring-horni was the mythic ship of the Edda.
See Toller-Bosworth for three different views; and cf. wunden-
stefna (l. 220), hring-naca (l. 1863).

ll. 34-52. Cf. the burial of Haki on a funeral-pyre ship, Inglinga
Saga; the burial of Balder, Sinfiötli, Arthur, etc.

l. 35. "And this [their joy in the sea] is all the plainer from the
number of names given to the ship-names which speak their pride
and affection. It is the AEtheling's vessel, the Floater, the Wave-
swimmer, the Ring-sterned, the Keel, the Well-bound wood, the
Sea-wood, the Sea-ganger, the Sea-broad ship, the Wide-
bosomed, the Prow-curved, the Wood of the curved neck, the
Foam-throated floater that flew like a bird."—Br., p. 168.

l. 49. "We know from Scandinavian graves ... that the illustrious
dead were buried ... in ships, with their bows to sea-ward; that
they were however not sent to sea, but were either burnt in that
position, or mounded over with earth."—E. See Du Chaillu, The
Viking Age, xix.

l. 51. (1) sele-rǣdende (K., S., C.); (2) sēle-rǣdenne (H.); (3)
sele-rǣdende (H.-So.). Cf. l. 1347; and see Ha.

l. 51. E. compares with this canto Tennyson's "Passing of Arthur"
and the legendary burial-journey of St. James of Campostella, an.
800.

l. 53. The poem proper begins with this, "There was once upon a
time," the first 52 lines being a prelude. Eleven of the "fitts," or
cantos, begin with the monosyllable þā, four with the verb
gewītan, nine with the formula Hrōðgār (Bēowulf, Unferð)
maðelode, twenty-four with monosyllables in general (him, swā,
sē, hwæt, þā, heht, wæs, mæg, cwōm, strǣt).

l. 58. gamel. "The ... characteristics of the poetry are the use of
archaic forms and words, such as mec for mé, the possessive sín,
gamol, dógor, swát for eald, dǣg, blód, etc., after they had
become obsolete in the prose language, and the use of special
compounds and phrases, such as hildenǣdre (war-adder) for
'arrow,' gold-gifa (gold-giver) for 'king,' ... goldwine gumena
(goldfriend of men, distributor of gold to men) for 'king,'" etc.—Sw.
Other poetic words are ides, ielde (men), etc.

l. 60. H.-So. reads rǣswa (referring to Heorogār alone), and
places a point (with the Ms.) after Heorogār instead of after
rǣswa. Cf. l. 469; see B., Zachers Zeitschr. iv. 193.

l. 62. Elan here (OHG. Elana, Ellena, Elena, Elina, Alyan) is
thought by B. (Tidskr. viii. 43) to be a remnant of the masc. name
Onela, and he reads: [On-]elan ewēn, Heaðoscilfingas(=es)
healsgebedda.

l. 68. For hē, omitted here, cf. l. 300. Pronouns are occasionally
thus omitted in subord. clauses.—Sw.

l. 70. þone, here = þonne, than, and micel = māre? The
passage, by a slight change, might be made to read, medo-ærn
micle mā gewyrcean,—þone = by much larger than,—in
which þone (þonne) would come in naturally.

l. 73. folc-scare. Add folk-share to the meanings in the Gloss.;
and cf. gūð-scearu.

l. 74. ic wide gefrægn: an epic formula very frequent in poetry, =
men said. Cf. Judith, ll. 7, 246; Phoenix, l. 1; and the parallel
(noun) formula, mīne gefrǣge, ll. 777, 838, 1956, etc.

ll. 78-83. "The hall was a rectangular, high-roofed, wooden
building, its long sides facing north and south. The two gables, at
either end, had stag-horns on their points, curving forwards, and
these, as well as the ridge of the roof, were probably covered with
shining metal, and glittered bravely in the sun."—Br., p. 32.

l. 84. Son-in-law and father-in-law; B., a so-called dvanda
compound. Cf. l. 1164, where a similar compound means uncle
and nephew; and Wīdsīð's suhtorfǣdran, used of the same
persons.

l. 88. "The word drēam conveys the buzz and hum of social
happiness, and more particularly the sound of music and
singing."—E. Cf. l. 3021; and Judith, l. 350; Wanderer, l. 79, etc.

ll. 90-99. There is a suspicious similarity between this passage
and the lines attributed by Bede to Cǣdmon:

Nū wē sculan herian heofonrices Weard, etc.
—Sw., p. 47.

ll. 90-98 are probably the interpolation of a Christian scribe.

ll. 92-97. "The first of these Christian elements [in Bēowulf] is the
sense of a fairer, softer world than that in which the Northern
warriors lived.... Another Christian passage (ll. 107, 1262) derives
all the demons, eotens, elves, and dreadful sea-beasts from the
race of Cain. The folly of sacrificing to the heathen gods is spoken
of (l. 175).... The other point is the belief in immortality (ll. 1202,
1761)."—Br. 71.

l. 100. Cf. l. 2211, where the third dragon of the poem is
introduced in the same words. Beowulf is the forerunner of that
other national dragon-slayer, St. George.

l. 100. onginnan in Bēowulf is treated like verbs of motion and
modal auxiliaries, and takes the object inf. without tō; cf. ll. 872,
1606, 1984, 244. Cf. gan (= did) in Mid. Eng.: gan espye (Chaucer,
Knightes Tale, l. 254, ed. Morris).

l. 101. B. and H.-So. read, fēond on healle; cf. l. 142.—Beit. xii.

ll. 101-151. "Grimm connects [Grendel] with the Anglo-Saxon
grindel (a bolt or bar).... It carries with it the notion of the bolts and
bars of hell, and hence a fiend. ... Ettmüller was the first ... to
connect the name with grindan, to grind, to crush to pieces, to
utterly destroy. Grendel is then the tearer, the destroyer."—Br., p.
83.

l. 102. gæst = stranger (Ha.); cf. ll. 1139, 1442, 2313, etc.

l. 103. See Ha., p. 4.

l. 105 MS. and Ho. read won-sǣli.

l. 106. "The perfect and pluperfect are often expressed, as in
Modern English, by hǣfð and hǣfde with the past participle."—
Sw. Cf. ll. 433, 408, 940, 205 (p. p. inflected in the last two cases),
etc.

l. 106. S. destroys period here, reads in Caines, etc., and puts
þone ... drihten in parenthesis.

l. 108. þæs þe = because, especially after verbs of thanking (cf. ll.
228, 627, 1780, 2798); according as (l. 1351).

l. 108. The def. article is omitted with Drihten (Lord) and Deofol
(devil; cf. l. 2089), as it is, generally, sparingly employed in poetry;

cf. tō sǣ (l. 318), ofer sǣ (l. 2381), on lande (l. 2311), tō ræste
(l. 1238), on wicge (l. 286), etc., etc.

l. 119. weras (S., H.-So.); wera (K., Th.).—Beit. ix. 137.

l. 120. unfǣlo = uncanny (R.).

l. 131. E. translates, majestic rage; adopting Gr.'s view that swyð
is = Icel. sviði, a burn or burning. Cf. l. 737.

l. 142. B. supposes heal-þegnes to be corrupted from helþegnes;
cf. l. 101.—Beit. xii. 80. See Gūðlāc, l. 1042.

l. 144. See Ha., p. 6, for S.'s rearrangement.

l. 146. S. destroys period after sēlest, puts wæs ... micel in
parenthesis, and inserts a colon after tīd.

l. 149. B. reads sārcwidum for syððan.

l. 154. B. takes sibbe for accus. obj. of wolde, and places a
comma after Deniga.—Beit. xii. 82.

l. 159. R. suggests ac se for atol.

l. 168. H.-So. plausibly conjectures this parenthesis to be a late
insertion, as, at ll. 180-181, the Danes also are said to be heathen.
Another commentator considers the throne under a "spell of
enchantment," and therefore it could not be touched.

l. 169. nē ... wisse: nor had he desire to do so (W.). See Ha., p. 7,
for other suggestions.

l. 169. myne wisse occurs in Wanderer, l. 27.

l. 174. The gerundial inf. with tō expresses purpose, defines a
noun or adjective, or, with the verb be, expresses duty or
necessity passively; cf. ll. 257, 473, 1004, 1420, 1806, etc. Cf. tō +
inf. at ll. 316, 2557.

ll. 175-188. E. regards this passage as dating the time and place
of the poem relatively to the times of heathenism. Cf. the opening
lines, In days of yore, etc., as if the story, even then, were very old.

l. 177. gāst-bona is regarded by Ettmüller and G. Stephens
(Thunor, p. 54) as an epithet of Thor (= giant-killer), a kenning for
Thunor or Thor, meaning both man and monster.—E.

l. 189. Cf. l. 1993, where similar language is used. H.-So. takes
both mōd-ceare and mǣl-ceare as accus., others as instr.

ll. 190, 1994. sēað: for this use of sēoðan cf. Bede, Eccles. Hist.,
ed. Miller, p. 128, where p. p. soden is thus used.

l. 194. fram hām = in his home (S., H.-So.); but fram hām may be
for fram him (from them, i.e. his people, or from Hrothgar's). Cf.
Ha., p. 8.

l. 197. Cf. ll. 791, 807, for this fixed phrase.

l. 200. See Andreas, Elene, and Juliana for swan-rād (= sea).
"The swan is said to breed wild now no further away than the
North of Sweden." —E. Cf. ganotes bæð, l. 1862.

l. 203. Concessive clauses with þēah, þēah þe, þēah ... eal, vary
with subj. and ind., according as fact or contingency is dominant in
the mind; cf. ll. 526, 1168, 2032, etc. (subj.), 1103, 1614 (ind.). Cf.
gif, nefne.

l. 204. hǣl, an OE. word found in Wülker's Glossaries in various
forms, = augury, omen, divination, etc. Cf. hǣlsere, augur; hǣl,
omen; hǣlsung, augurium, hǣlsian, etc. Cf. Tac., Germania, 10.

l. 207. C. adds "= impetrare" to the other meanings of findan given
in the Gloss.

l. 217. Cf. l. 1910; and Andreas, l. 993.—E. E. compares Byron's

"And fast and falcon-like the vessel flew,"

—Corsair, i. 17.

and Scott's

"Merrily, merrily bounds the bark."
—Lord of the Isles, iv. 7.

l. 218. Cf.

"The fomy stedes on the golden brydel
Gnawinge."
—Chaucer, Knightes Tale, l. 1648, ed. Morris.

l 218. MS. and Ho. read fāmi-heals.

l. 219. Does ān-tīd mean hour (Th.), or corresponding hour = ānd-
tīd (H.-So.), or in due time (E.), or after a time, when ōþres, etc.,
would be adv. gen.? See C., Beit. viii. 568.

l. 224. eoletes may = (1) voyage; (2) toil, labor; (3) hurried
journey; but sea or fjord appears preferable.

ll. 229-257. "The scenery ... is laid on the coast of the North Sea
and the Kattegat, the first act of the poem among the Danes in
Seeland, the second among the Geats in South Sweden."—Br., p.
15.

l. 239. "A shoal of simple terms express in Bēowulf the earliest
sea-thoughts of the English.... The simplest term is Sǣ.... To this
they added Wǣter, Flod, Stream, Lagu, Mere, Holm, Grund,
Heathu, Sund, Brim, Garsecg, Eagor, Geofon, Fifel, Hron-rad,
Swan-rad, Segl-rad, Ganotes-bǣð."—Br., p. 163-166.

l. 239. "The infinitive is often used in poetry after a verb of motion
where we should use the present participle."—Sw. Cf. ll. 711, 721,
1163 1803, 268, etc. Cf. German spazieren fahren reiten, etc., and
similar constructions in French, etc.

l. 240, W. reads hringed-stefnan for helmas bǣron. B. inserts
(?) after holmas and begins a new line at the middle of the verse.
S. omits B.'s "on the wall."

l. 245. Double and triple negatives strengthen each other and do
not produce an affirmative in A.-S. or M. E. The neg. is often
prefixed to several emphatic words in the sentence, and readily
contracts with vowels, and h or w; cf. ll. 863, 182, 2125, 1509,
575, 583, 3016, etc.

l. 249. seld-guma = man-at-arms in another's house (Wood); =
low-ranking fellow (Ha.); stubenhocker, stay-at-home (Gr.),
Scott's "carpet knight," Marmion, i. 5.

l. 250. næfne (nefne, nemne) usually takes the subj., = unless; cf.
ll. 1057, 3055, 1553. For ind., = except, see l. 1354. Cf. būtan, gif,
þēah.

l. 250. For a remarkable account of armor and weapons in
Bēowulf, see S. A. Brooke, Hist. of Early Eng. Lit. For general "Old
Teutonic Life in Bēowulf," see J. A. Harrison, Overland Monthly.

l. 252. ǣr as a conj. generally has subj., as here; cf. ll. 264, 677,
2819, 732. For ind., cf. l. 2020.

l. 253. lēas = loose, roving. Ettmüller corrected to lēase.

l. 256. This proverb (ofest, etc.) occurs in Exod. (Hunt), l. 293.

l. 258. An "elder" may be a very young man; hence yldesta, =
eminent, may be used of Beowulf. Cf. Laws of AElfred, C. 17: Nā
þæt ǣlc eald sȳ, ac þæt hē eald sȳ on wīsdōme.

l. 273. Verbs of hearing and seeing are often followed by acc. with
inf.; cf. ll. 229, 1024, 729, 1517, etc. Cf. German construction with
sehen, horen, etc., French construction with voir, entendre, etc.,
and the classical constructions.

l. 275. dǣd-hata = instigator. Kl. reads dǣd-hwata.

l. 280. ed-wendan, n. (B.; cf. 1775), = edwenden, limited by
bisigu. So ten Br. = Tidskr. viii. 291.

l. 287. "Each is denoted ... also by the strengthened forms
ǽghwæðer (ǽgðer), éghwæðer, etc. This prefixed ǽ, óe
corresponds to the Goth, aiw, OHG. eo, io, and is umlauted from
á, ó by the i of the gi which originally followed."—Cook's Sievers'
Gram., p. 190.

l. 292. "All through the middle ages suits of armour are called
'weeds.'"—E.

l. 299. MS. reads gōd-fremmendra. So H.-So.

l. 303. "An English warrior went into battle with a boar-crested
helmet, and a round linden shield, with a byrnie of ringmail ... with
two javelins or a single ashen spear some eight or ten feet long,
with a long two-edged sword naked or held in an ornamental
scabbard.... In his belt was a short, heavy, one-edged sword, or
rather a long knife, called the seax ... used for close quarters."—
Br., p. 121.

l. 303. For other references to the boar-crest, cf. ll. 1112, 1287,
1454; Grimm, Myth. 195; Tacitus, Germania, 45. "It was the
symbol of their [the Baltic AEstii's] goddess, and they had great
faith in it as a preservative from hard knocks."—E. See the print in
the illus. ed. of Green's Short History, Harper & Bros.

l. 303. "See Kemble, Saxons in England, chapter on heathendom,
and Grimm's Teutonic Mythology, chapter on Freyr, for the
connection these and other writers establish between the Boar-
sign and the golden boar which Freyr rode, and his worship."—Br.,
p. 128. Cf. Elene, l. 50.

l. 304. Gering proposes hlēor-bergan = cheek-protectors; cf. Beit.
xii. 26. "A bronze disk found at Öland in Sweden represents two

warriors in helmets with boars as their crests, and cheek-guards
under; these are the hlēor-bergan."—E. Cf. hauberk, with its
diminutive habergeon, < A.-S. heals, neck + beorgan, to cover or
protect; and harbor, < A.-S. here, army + beorgan, id.—Zachers
Zeitschr. xii. 123. Cf. cinberge, Hunt's Exod. l. 175.

l. 305. For ferh wearde and gūðmōde grummon, B. and ten Br.
read ferh-wearde (l. 305) and gūðmōdgum men (l. 306), = the
boar-images ... guarded the lives of the warlike men.

l. 311. lēoma: cf. Chaucer, Nonne Preestes Tale, l. 110, ed. Morris:

"To dremen in here dremes
Of armes, and of fyr with rede lemes."

l. 318. On the double gender of sǣ, cf. Cook's Sievers' Gram., p.
147; and note the omitted article at ll. 2381, 318, 544, with the
peculiar tmesis of between at ll. 859, 1298, 1686, 1957. So
Cǣdmon, l. 163 (Thorpe), Exod. l. 562 (Hunt), etc.

l. 320. Cf. l. 924; and Andreas, l. 987, where almost the same
words occur. "Here we have manifestly before our eye one of
those ancient causeways, which are among the oldest visible
institutions of civilization." —E.

l. 322. S. inserts comma after scīr, and makes hring-īren (= ring-
mail) parallel with gūð-byrne.

l. 325. Cf. l. 397. "The deposit of weapons outside before entering
a house was the rule at all periods.... In provincial Swedish almost
everywhere a church porch is called våkenhus,... i.e. weapon-
house, because the worshippers deposited their arms there before
they entered the house."—E., after G. Stephens.

l. 333. Cf. Dryden's "mingled metal damask'd o'er with gold."—E.

l. 336. "ǣl-, el-, kindred with Goth. aljis, other, e.g. in ǣlþéodig,
elþéodig, foreign."—Cook's Sievers' Gram., p. 47.

l. 336. Cf. l. 673 for the functions of an ombiht-þegn.

l. 338. Ho. marks wræc- and its group long.

l. 343. Cf. l. 1714 for the same bēod-genēatas,—"the
predecessor title to that of the Knights of the Table Round."—E.
Cf. Andreas (K.), l. 2177.

l. 344. The future is sometimes expressed by willan + inf.,
generally with some idea of volition involved; cf. ll. 351, 427, etc.
Cf. the use of willan as principal vb. (with omitted inf.) at ll. 318,
1372, 543, 1056; and sculan, ll. 1784, 2817.

l. 353. sīð here, and at l. 501, probably means arrival. E.
translates the former by visit, the latter by adventure.

l. 357. unhār = hairless, bald (Gr., etc.).

l. 358. ēode is only one of four or five preterits of gān (gongan,
gangan, gengan), viz. gēong (gīong: ll. 926, 2410, etc.), gang (l.
1296, etc.), gengde (ll. 1402, 1413). Sievers, p. 217, apparently
remarks that ēode is "probably used only in prose." (?!). Cf. geng,
Gen. ll. 626, 834; Exod. (Hunt) l. 102.

l. 367. The MS. and H.-So. read with Gr. and B. glædman
Hrōðgār, abandoning Thorkelin's glædnian. There is a glass.
hilaris glædman.—Beit. xii. 84; same as glæd.

l. 369. dugan is a "preterit-present" verb, with new wk. preterit, like
sculan, durran, magan, etc. For various inflections, see ll. 573,
590, 1822, 526. Cf. do in "that will do"; doughty, etc.

l. 372. Cf. l. 535 for a similar use; and l. 1220. Bede, Eccles. Hist.,
ed. Miller, uses the same expression several times. "Here, and in
all other places where cniht occurs in this poem, it seems to carry
that technical sense which it bore in the military hierarchy [of a
noble youth placed out and learning the elements of the art of war
in the service of a qualified warrior, to whom he is, in a military

sense, a servant], before it bloomed out in the full sense of
knight."—E.

l. 373. E. remarks of the hyphened eald-fæder, "hyphens are risky
toys to play with in fixing texts of pre-hyphenial antiquity"; eald-
fæder could only = grandfather. eald here can only mean
honored, and the hyphen is unnecessary. Cf. "old fellow," "my old
man," etc.; and Ger. alt-vater.

l. 378. Th. and B. propose Gēatum, as presents from the Danish
to the Geatish king.—Beit. xii.

l. 380. hæbbe. The subj. is used in indirect narration and question,
wish and command, purpose, result, and hypothetical comparison
with swelce = as if.

ll. 386, 387. Ten Br. emends to read: "Hurry, bid the kinsman-
throng go into the hall together."

l. 387. sibbe-gedriht, for Beowulf's friends, occurs also at l. 730. It
is subject-acc. to sēon. Cf. ll. 347, 365, and Hunt's Exod. l. 214.

l. 404. "Here, as in the later Icelandic halls, Beowulf saw Hrothgar
enthroned on a high seat at the east end of the hall. The seat is
sacred. It has a supernatural quality. Grendel, the fiend, cannot
approach it."—Br., p. 34. Cf. l. 168.

l. 405. "At Benty Grange, in Derbyshire, an Anglo-Saxon barrow,
opened in 1848, contained a coat of mail. 'The iron chain work
consists of a large number of links of two kinds attached to each
other by small rings half an inch in diameter; one kind flat and
lozenge-shaped ... the others all of one kind, but of different
lengths.'"—Br., p. 126.

l. 407. Wes ... hāl: this ancient Teutonic greeting afterwards grew
into wassail. Cf. Skeat's Luke, i. 28; Andreas (K.), 1827;
Layamon, l. 14309, etc.

l. 414. "The distinction between wesan and weorðan [in passive
relations] is not very clearly defined, but wesan appears to
indicate a state, weorðan generally an action."—Sw. Cf. Mod.
German werden and sein in similar relations.

l. 414. Gr. translates hādor by receptaculum; cf. Gering, Zachers
Zeitschr. xii. 124. Toller-Bosw. ignores Gr.'s suggestion.

ll. 420, 421. B. reads: þǣr ic (on) fīfelgeban (= ocean) ȳðde
eotena cyn. Ten Br. reads: þǣr ic fīfelgeban ȳðde, eotena hām.
Ha. suggests fīfelgeband = monster-band, without further
changes.

l. 420. R. reads þǣra = of them, for þǣr.—Zachers Zeitschr. iii.
399; Beit. xii. 367.

l. 420. "niht has a gen., nihtes, used for the most part only
adverbially, and almost certainly to be regarded as masculine."—
Cook's Sievers' Gram., p. 158.

l. 425. Cf. also ll. 435, 635, 2345, for other examples of Beowulf's
determination to fight single-handed.

l. 441. þe hine = whom, as at l. 1292, etc. The indeclinable þe is
often thus combined with personal pronouns, = relative, and is
sometimes separated from them by a considerable interval.—Sw.

l. 443. The MS. has Geotena. B. and Fahlbeck, says H.-So., do
not consider the Gēatas, but the Jutes, as the inhabitants of
Swedish West-Gothland. Alfred translates Juti by Gēatas, but
Jutland by Gotland. In the laws they are called Guti.—Beit. xii. 1,
etc.

l. 444. B., Gr., and Ha. make unforhte an adv. = fearlessly,
modifying etan. Kl. reads anforhte = timid.

l. 446. Cf. l. 2910. Th. translates: thou wilt not need my head to
hide (i.e. bury). Simrock supposes a dead-watch or lyke-wake to

be meant. Wood, thou wilt not have to bury so much as my head!
H.-So. supposes hēafod-weard, a guard of honor, such as
sovereigns or presumptive rulers had, to be meant by hafalan
hȳdan; hence, you need not give me any guard, etc. Cf. Schmid,
Gesetze der A., 370-372.

l. 447. S. places a colon after nimeð.

l. 451. H.-So., Ha., and B. (Beit. xii. 87) agree essentially in
translating feorme, food. R. translates consumption of my corpse.
Maintenance, support, seems preferable to either.

l. 452. Rönning (after Grimm) personifies Hild.—Beovulfs Kvadet,
l. 59. Hildr is the name of one of the Scandinavian Walkyries, or
battle-maidens, who transport the spirits of the slain to Walhalla.
Cf. Kent's Elene, l. 18, etc.

l. 455. "The war-smiths, especially as forgers of the sword, were
garmented with legend, and made into divine personages. Of
these Weland is the type, husband of a swan maiden, and
afterwards almost a god."— Br., p. 120. Cf. A. J. C. Hare's account
of "Wayland Smith's sword with which Henry II. was knighted," and
which hung in Westminster Abbey to a late date.—Walks in
London, ii. 228.

l. 455. This is the ǣlces mannes wyrd of Boethius (Sw., p. 44)
and the wyrd bið swīðost of Gnomic Verses, 5. There are about a
dozen references to it in Bēowulf.

l. 455. E. compares the fatalism of this concluding hemistich with
the Christian tone of l. 685 seq.

ll. 457, 458. B. reads wǣre-ryhtum ( = from the obligations of
clientage).

l. 480. Cf. l. 1231, where the same sense, "flown with wine,"
occurs.

l. 488. "The duguð, the mature and ripe warriors, the aristocracy
of the nation, are the support of the throne."—E. The M. E. form of
the word, douth, occurs often. Associated with geogoð, ll. 160 and
622.

l. 489. Kl. omits comma after meoto and reads (with B.) sige-
hrēð-secgum, = disclose thy thought to the victor-heroes. Others,
as Körner, convert meoto into an imperative and divide on sǣl =
think upon happiness. But cf. onband beadu-rūne, l. 501. B.
supposes onsǣl meoto =speak courteous words. Tidskr. viii. 292;
Haupts Zeitschr. xi. 411; Eng. Stud. ii. 251.

l. 489. Cf. the invitation at l. 1783.

l. 494. Cf. Grimm's Andreas, l. 1097, for deal, =proud, elated,
exulting; Phoenix (Bright), l. 266.

l. 499. MS. has Hunferð, but the alliteration requires Unferð, as at
ll. 499, 1166, 1489; and cf. ll. 1542, 2095, 2930. See List of
Names.

l. 501. sīð = arrival (?); cf. l. 353.

l. 504. þon mā = the more (?), may be added to the references
under þon.

l. 506. E. compares the taunt of Eliab to David, I Sam. xvii. 28.

l. 509. dol-gilp = idle boasting. The second definition in the Gloss.
is wrong.

l. 513. "Eagor-stream might possibly be translated the stream of
Eagor, the awful terror-striking stormy sea in which the terrible
[Scandinavian] giant dwelt, and through which he acted."—Br., p.
164. He remarks, "The English term eagre still survives in
provincial dialect for the tide-wave or bore on rivers. Dryden uses
it in his Threnod. Angust. 'But like an eagre rode in triumph o'er the

tide.' Yet we must be cautious," etc. Cf. Fox's Boethius, ll. 20, 236;
Thorpe's Cǣdmon, 69, etc.

l. 524. Krüger and B. read Bānstānes.—Beit. ix. 573.

l. 525. R. reads wyrsan (= wyrses: cf. Mod. Gr. guten Muthes)
geþinges; but H.-So. shows that the MS. wyrsan ... þingea =
wyrsena þinga, can stand; cf. gen. pl. banan, Christ, l. 66, etc.

l. 545 seq. "Five nights Beowulf and Breca kept together, not
swimming, but sailing in open boats (to swim the seas is to sail the
seas), then storm drove them asunder ... Breca is afterwards chief
of the Brondings, a tribe mentioned in Wīdsíth. The story seems
legendary, not mythical."—Br., pp. 60, 61.

ll. 574-578. B. suggests swā þǣr for hwæðere, = so there it
befell me. But the word at l. 574 seems = however, and at l. 578 =
yet; cf. l. 891; see S.; Beit. ix. 138; Tidskr. viii. 48; Zacher, iii. 387,
etc.

l. 586. Gr. and Grundt. read fāgum sweordum (no ic þæs fela
gylpe!), supplying fela and blending the broken half-lines into one.
Ho. and Kl. supply geflites.

l. 599. E. translates nȳd-bāde by blackmail; adding "nēd bād, toll;
nēd bādere, tolltaker."—Land Charters, Gloss, v.

l. 601. MS. has ond = and in three places only (601, 1149, 2041);
elsewhere it uses the symbol 7 = and.

l. 612. seq. Cf. the drinking ceremony at l. 1025. "The royal lady
offers the cup to Beowulf, not in his turn where he sate among the
rest, but after it has gone the round; her approach to Beowulf is an
act apart."—E.

l. 620. "The [loving] cup which went the round of the company and
was tasted by all," like the Oriel and other college anniversary
cups.—E.

l. 622. Cf. ll. 160, 1191, for the respective places of young and old.

l. 623. Cf. the circlet of gold worn by Wealhþēow at l. 1164.

l. 631. gyddode. Cf. Chaucer, Prol. l. 237 (ed. Morris):

"Of yeddynges he bar utterly the prys."

Cf. giddy.

l. 648. Kl. suggests a period after geþinged, especially as B.
(Tidskr. viii. 57) has shown that oþþe is sometimes = ond. Th.
supplies ne.

l. 650. oþþe here and at ll. 2476, 3007, probably = and.

l. 651. Cf. 704, where sceadu-genga (the night-ganger of
Leechdoms, ii. 344) is applied to the demon.—E.

l. 659. Cf. l. 2431 for same formula, "to have and to hold" of the
Marriage Service.—E.

l. 681. B. considers þēah ... eal a precursor of Mod. Eng.
although.

l. 682. gōdra = advantages in battle (Gr.), battle-skill (Ha.), skill in
war (H.-So.). Might not nāt be changed to nah = ne + āh (cf. l.
2253), thus justifying the translation ability (?) —he has not the
ability to, etc.

l. 695. Kl. reads hiera.—Beit. ix. 189. B. omits hīe as occurring in
the previous hemistich.—Beit. xii. 89.

l. 698. "Here Destiny is a web of cloth."—E., who compares the
Greek Clotho, "spinster of fate." Women are also called "weavers
of peace," as l. 1943. Cf. Kent's Elene, l. 88; Wīdsīð, l. 6, etc.

l. 711. B. translates þā by when and connects with the preceding
sentences, thus rejecting the ordinary canto-division at l. 711. He
objects to the use of cōm as principal vb. at ll. 703, 711, and 721.
(Beit, xii.)

l. 711. "Perhaps the Gnomic verse which tells of Thyrs, the giant,
is written with Grendel in the writer's mind,—þyrs sceal on fenne

gewunian āna inuan lande, the giant shall dwell in the fen, alone
in the land (Sweet's Read., p. 187)."—Br. p. 36.

l. 717. Dietrich, in Haupt. xi. 419, quotes from AElfric, Hom. ii. 498:
hē beworhte þā bigelsas mid gyldenum lǣfrum, he covered the
arches with gold-leaf,—a Roman custom derived from Carthage.
Cf. Mod. Eng. oriel = aureolum, a gilded room.—E. (quoting
Skeat). Cf. ll. 2257, 1097, 2247, 2103, 2702, 2283, 333, 1751, for
various uses of gold-sheets.

l. 720. B. and ten Br. suggest hell-thane (Grendel) for heal-
þegnas, and make hæle refer to Beowulf. Cf. l. 142.

l. 723. Z. reads [ge]hrān.

l. 727. For this use of standan, cf. ll. 2314, 2770; and Vergil, Ecl.
ii. 26:

"Cum placidum ventis staret mare."

l. 757. gedræg. Tumult is one of the meanings of this word. Here,
appar. = occupation, lair.

l. 759. R. reads mōdega for gōda, "because the attribute cannot
be separated from the word modified unless the two alliterate."

l. 762. Cf. Andreas, l. 1537, for a similar use of ūt = off.—E.

l. 769. The foreign words in Bēowulf (as ceaster-here) are not
numerous; others are (aside from proper names like Cain, Abel,
etc.) dēofol (diabolus), candel (l. 1573), ancor (l. 303), scrīfan
(for- ge-), segn (l. 47), gīgant (l. 113), mīl- (l. 1363), strǣt (l.
320), ombeht (l. 287), gim (l. 2073), etc.

l. 770. MS. reads cerwen, a word conceived by B. and others to
be part of a fem. compd.: -scerwen like -wenden in ed-wenden, -
rǣden, etc. (cf. meodu-scerpen in Andreas, l. 1528); emended to
-scerwen, a great scare under the figure of a mishap at a drinking-

bout; one might compare bescerwan, to deprive, from bescyrian
(Grein, i. 93), hence ealu-scerwen would = a sudden taking away,
deprivation, of the beer.—H.-So., p. 93. See B., Tidskr. viii. 292.

l. 771. Ten Br. reads rēðe, rēnhearde, = raging, exceeding bold.

l. 792. Instrumental adverbial phrases like ǣnige þinga, nǣnige
þinga (not at all), hūru þinga (especially) are not infrequent. See
Cook's Sievers' Gram., p. 178; March, A.-S. Gram., p. 182.

l. 811. myrðe. E. translates in wanton mood. Toller-Bosw. does not
recognize sorrow as one of the meanings of this word.

ll. 850, 851. S. reads dēop for dēog and erases semicolon after
wēol, = the death-stained deep welled with sword-gore; cf. l. 1424.
B. reads dēað-fǣges dēop, etc., = the deep welled with the
doomed one's gore.—Beit. xii. 89.

l. 857. The meaning of blaneum is partly explained by fealwe
mēaras below, l. 866. Cf. Layamon's "and leop on his blancke" =
steed, l. 23900; Kent's Elene, l. 1185.

l. 859. Körner, Eng. Stud. i. 482, regards the oft-recurring be sǣm
twēonum as a mere formula = on earth; cf. ll. 1298, 1686. twēone
is part of the separable prep. between; see be-. Cf. Baskerville's
Andreas, l. 558.

l. 865. Cf. Voyage of Ōhthere and Wulfstān for an account of
funeral horse-racing, Sweet's Read., p. 22.

l. 868. See Ha., p. 31, for a variant translation.

l. 871 seq. R. considers this a technical description of improvised
alliterative verse, suggested by and wrought out on the spur of the
moment.

l. 872. R. and B. propose secg[an], = rehearse, for secg, which
suits the verbs in the next two lines.

ll. 878-98. "It pleases me to think that it is in English literature we
possess the first sketch of that mighty saga [the Volsunga Saga =
Wælsinges gewin] which has for so many centuries engaged all
the arts, and at last in the hands of Wagner the art of music."—Br.,
p. 63. Cf. Nibelung. Lied, l. 739.

l. 894. Intransitive verbs, as gān, weorðan, sometimes take
habban, "to indicate independent action."—Sw. Cf. hafað ...
geworden, l. 2027.

l. 895. "brūcan (enjoy) always has the genitive."—Sw.; cf. l. 895;
acc., gen., instr., dat., according to March, A.-S. Gram., p. 151.

l. 898. Scherer proposes hāte, = from heat, instr. of hāt, heat; cf. l.
2606.

l. 901. hē þæs āron þāh = he throve in honor (B.). Ten Br. inserts
comma after þāh, making siððan introduce a depend. clause.—
Beit. viii. 568. Cf. weorð-myndum þāh, l. 8; ll. 1155, 1243.—H.-
So.

l. 902. Heremōdes is considered by Heinzel to be a mere epithet
= the valiant; which would refer the whole passage to Sigmund
(Sigfrid), the eotenas, l. 903, being the Nibelungen. This, says H.-
So., gets rid of the contradiction between the good "Heremōd"
here and the bad one, l. 1710 seq.—B. however holds fast to
Heremōd.—Beit. xii. 41. on fēonda geweald, l. 904,—into the
hands of devils, says B.; cf. ll. 809, 1721, 2267; Christ, l. 1416;
Andreas, l. 1621; for hine fyren onwōd, cf. Gen. l. 2579; Hunt's
Dan. 17: hīe wlenco anwōd.

l. 902 seq. "Heremōd's shame is contrasted with the glory of
Sigemund, and with the prudence, patience, generosity, and
gentleness of Beowulf as a chieftain."—Br., p. 66.

l. 906. MS. has lemede. Toller-Bosw. corrects to lemedon.

l. 917. Cf. Hunt's Exod., l. 170, for similar language.

l. 925. hōs, G. hansa, company, "the word from which the
mercantile association of the 'Hanseatic' towns took their
designation."—E.

l. 927. on staþole = on the floor (B., Rask, ten Br.).—Beit. xii. 90.

l. 927. May not stēapne here = bright, from its being immediately
followed by golde fāhne? Cf. Chaucer's "his eyen stepe," Prol. l.
201 (ed. Morris); Cockayne's Ste. Marherete, pp. 9, 108; St. Kath.,
l. 1647.

l. 931. grynna may be for gyrnna (= sorrows), gen. plu. of gyrn,
as suggested by one commentator.

l. 937. B. (Beit. xii. 90) makes gehwylcne object of wīd-scofen
(hæfde). Gr. makes wēa nom. absolute.

l. 940. scuccum: cf. G. scheuche, scheusal; Prov. Eng. old-
shock; perhaps the pop. interjection O shucks! (!)

l. 959. H. explains wē as a "plur. of majesty," which Bēowulf
throws off at l. 964.

l. 963. fēond þone frætgan (B. Beit. xii. 90).

l. 976. synnum. "Most abstract words in the poetry have a very
wide range of meanings, diverging widely from the prose usage,
synn, for instance, means simply injury, mischief, hatred, and the
prose meaning sin is only a secondary one; hata in poetry is not
only hater, but persecutor, enemy, just as nīð is both hatred and
violence, strength; heard is sharp as well as hard."—Sw.

l. 986. S. places wæs at end of l. 985 and reads stīðra nægla,
omitting gehwylc and the commas after that and after
scēawedon. Beit. ix. 138; stēdra (H.-So.); hand-sporu (H.-So.) at
l. 987.

l. 986. Miller (Anglia, xii. 3) corrects to ǣghwylene, in apposition
to fingras.

l. 987. hand-sporu. See Anglia, vii. 176, for a discussion of the
intrusion of u into the nom. of n-stems.

l. 988. Cf. ll. 2121, 2414, for similar use of unhēoru = ungeheuer.

l. 992. B. suggests hēatimbred for hāten, and gefrætwon for -od;
Kl., hroden (Beit. ix. 189).

l. 995, 996. Gold-embroidered tapestries seem to be meant by
web = aurifrisium.

l. 997. After þāra þe = of those that, the depend, vb. often takes
sg. for pl.; cf. ll. 844, 1462, 2384, 2736.—Sw.; Dietrich.

l. 998. "Metathesis of l takes place in seld for setl, bold for botl,"
etc.—Cook's Sievers' Gram., p. 96. Cf. Eng. proper names,
Bootle, Battlefield, etc.—Skeat, Principles, i. 250.

l. 1000. heorras: cf. Chaucer, Prol. (ed. Morris) l. 550:

"Ther was no dore that he nolde heve of harre."

ll. 1005-1007. See Zachers Zeitschr. iii. 391, and Beit. xii. 368, for
R.'s and B.'s views of this difficult passage.

l. 1009. Cf. l. 1612 for sǣl and mǣl, surviving still in E. Anglia in
"mind your seals and meals," = times and occasions, i.e. have
your wits about you.—E.

ll. 1012, 1013. Cf. ll. 753, 754 for two similar comparatives used in
conjunction.

l. 1014. Cf. l. 327 for similar language.

ll. 1015, 1016. H.-So. puts these two lines in parentheses (fylle ...
þāra). Cf. B., Beit. xii. 91.

l. 1024. One of the many famous swords spoken of in the poem.
See Hrunting, ll. 1458, 1660; Hūnlāfing, l. 1144, etc. Cf.
Excalibur, Roland's sword, the Nibelung Balmung, etc.

l. 1034. scūr-heard. For an ingenious explanation of this disputed
word see Professor Pearce's article in Mod. Lang. Notes, Nov. 1,
1892, and ensuing discussion.

l. 1039. eoderas is of doubtful meaning. H. and Toller-Bosw.
regard the word here = enclosure, palings of the court. Cf.
Cǣdmon, ll. 2439, 2481. The passage throws interesting light on
horses and their trappings

l. 1043. Grundt. emends wīg to wicg, = charger; and E. quotes
Tacitus, Germania, 7.

l. 1044. "Power over each and both"; cf. "all and some," "one and
all."

For Ingwin, see List of Names.

l. 1065. Gr. contends that fore here = de, concerning, about
(Ebert's Jahrb., 1862, p. 269).

l. 1069. H.-So. supplies fram after eaferum, to govern it, =
concerning (?). Cf. Fight at Finnsburg, Appendix.

l. 1070. For the numerous names of the Danes, "bright-" "spear-"
"east-" "west-" "ring-" Danes, see these words.

l. 1073. Eotenas = Finn's people, the Frisians; cf. ll. 1089, 1142,
1146, etc., and Beit. xii. 37. Why they are so called is not known.

l. 1084. R. proposes wiht Hengeste wið gefeohtan (Zachers
Zeitschr. iii. 394). Kl., wið H. wiht gefeohtan.

ll. 1085 and 1099. wēa-lāf occurs in Wulfstan, Hom. 133, ed.
Napier.—E. Cf. daroða lāf, Brunanb., l. 54; ādes lāfe, Phoenix,
272 (Bright), etc.

l. 1098. elne unflitme = so dass der eid (der inhalt des eides)
nicht streitig war.—B., Beit. iii. 30. But cf. 1130, where Hengist and
Finn are again brought into juxtaposition and the expression
ealles (?) unhlitme occurs.

l. 1106. The pres. part. + be, as myndgiend wǣre here, is
comparatively rare in original A.-S. literature, but occurs
abundantly in translations from the Latin. The periphrasis is
generally meaningless. Cf. l. 3029.

l. 1108. Körner suggests ecge, = sword, in reference to a
supposed old German custom of placing ornaments, etc., on the
point of a sword or spear (Eng. Stud. i. 495). Singer, ince-gold =
bright gold; B., andīege = Goth, andaugjo, evidently. Cf. incge
lāfe, l. 2578. Possibly: and inge (= young men) gold āhōfon of
horde. For inge, cf. Hunt's Exod. l. 190.

ll. 1115-1120. R. proposes (hēt þā ...) bānfatu bærnan ond on
bǣl dōn, earme on eaxe = to place the arms in the ashes,
reading gūðrēc = battle-reek, for -rinc (Zachers Zeitschr. iii. 395).
B., Sarrazin (Beit. xi. 530), Lichtenfeld (Haupts Zeitschr. xvi. 330),
C., etc., propose various emendations. See H.-So., p. 97, and
Beit. viii. 568. For gùðrinc āstāh, cf. Old Norse, stiga á bál,
"ascend the bale-fire."

l. 1116. sweoloðe. "On Dartmoor the burning of the furze up the
hillsides to let new grass grow, is called zwayling."—E. Cf. sultry,
G. schwül, etc.

l. 1119. Cf. wudu-rēc āstāh, l. 3145; and Exod. (Hunt), l. 450:
wǣlmist āstāh.

l. 1122. ætspranc = burst forth, arose (omitted from the Gloss.), <
æt + springan.

l. 1130. R. and Gr. read elne unflitme, = loyally and without
contest, as at l. 1098. Cf. Ha., p. 39; H.-So., p. 97.

l. 1137. scacen = gone; cf. ll. 1125, 2307, 2728.

l. 1142. "The sons of the Eotenas" (B., Beit. xii. 31, who
conjectures a gap after 1142).

l. 1144. B. separates thus: Hūn Lāfing, = Hūn placed the sword
Lāfing, etc.—Beit. xii. 32; cf. R., Zachers Zeitschr. iii. 396. Heinzel
and Homburg make other conjectures (Herrig's Archiv, 72, 374,
etc.).

l. 1143. B., H.-So., and Möller read: worod rǣdenne, þonne him
Hūn Lāfing, = military brotherhood, when Hūn laid upon his breast
(the sword) Lāfing. There is a sword Laufi, Lövi in the Norse
sagas; but swords, armor, etc., are often called the leaving (lāf) of
files, hammers, etc., especially a precious heirloom; cf. ll. 454,
1033, 2830, 2037, 2629, 796, etc., etc.

l. 1152. roden = reddened (B., Tidskr. viii. 295).

l. 1160. For ll. 1069-1160, containing the Finn episode, cf. Möller,
Alteng. Volksepos, 69, 86, 94; Heinzel, Anz. f. dtsch. Altert., 10,
226; B., Beit. xii. 29-37. Cf. Wīdsīð, l. 33, etc.

ll. 1160, 1161. lēoð (lied = song, lay) and gyd here appear
synonyms.

ll. 1162-1165. "Behind the wars and tribal wanderings, behind the
contentions of the great, we watch in this poem the steady,
continuous life of home, the passions and thoughts of men, the
way they talked and moved and sang and drank and lived and
loved among one another and for one another."—Br., p. 18.

l. 1163. Cf. wonderwork. So wonder-death, wonder-bidding,
wonder-treasure, -smith, -sight, etc. at ll. 1748, 3038, 2174, 1682,
996, etc. Cf. the German use of the same intensive, = wondrous,
in wunder-schön, etc.

l. 1165. þā gȳt points to some future event when "each" was not
"true to other," undeveloped in this poem, suhtor-gefæderan =
Hrōðgār and Hrōðulf, l. 1018. Cf. āðum-swerian, l. 84.

l. 1167 almost repeats l. 500, æt fōtum, etc., where Unferð is first
introduced.

l. 1191. E. sees in this passage separate seats for youth and
middle-aged men, as in English college halls, chapels,
convocations, and churches still.

l. 1192. ymbutan, round about, is sometimes thus separated: ymb
hīe ūtan; cf. Voyage of Ōhthere, etc. (Sw.), p. 18, l. 34, etc.;
Bēowulf, ll. 859, 1686, etc.

l. 1194. bewægned, a ἃπαξ λεγόμενον, tr. offered by Th. Probably
a p. p. wægen, made into a vb. by -ian, like own, drown, etc. Cf.
hafenian ( < hafen, < hebban), etc.

l. 1196. E. takes the expression to mean "mantle and its rings or
broaches." "Rail" long survived in Mid. Eng. (Piers Plow., etc.).

l. 1196. This necklace was afterwards given by Beowulf to Hygd, ll.
2173, 2174.

ll. 1199-1215. From the obscure hints in the passage, a part of the
poem may be approximately dated,—if Hygelāc is the Chochi-
laicus of Gregory of Tours, Hist. Francorum, iii. 3,—about A.D.
512-20.

l. 1200. The Breosinga men (Icel. Brisinga men) is the necklace
of the goddess Freya; cf. Elder Edda, Hamarshemt. Hāma stole
the necklace from the Gothic King Eormenrīc; cf. Traveller's Song,
ll. 8, 18, 88, 111. The comparison of the two necklaces leads the
poet to anticipate Hygelāc's history,—a suggestion of the poem's
mosaic construction.

l. 1200. For Brōsinga mene, cf. B., Beit. xii. 72. C. suggests
flēah, = fled, for fealh, placing semicolon after byrig, and making
hē subject of flēah and gecēas.

l. 1202. B. conjectures gecēas ēcne rǣd to mean he became a
pious man and at death went to heaven. Heime (Hāma) in the
Thidrekssaga goes into a cloister = to choose the better part (?).
Cf. H.-So., p. 98. But cf. Hrōðgār's language to Beowulf, ll. 1760,
1761.

l. 1211. S. proposes feoh, = property, for feorh, which would be a
parallel for brēost-gewǣdu ... bēah below.

l. 1213. E. remarks that in the Laws of Cnut, i. 26, the devil is
called se wōdfreca werewulf, the ravening werwolf.

l. 1215. C. proposes heals-bēge onfēng. Beit. viii. 570. For hreā-
Kl. suggests hrǣ-.

l. 1227. The son referred to is, according to Ettmüller, the one that
reigns after Hrōðgār.

l. 1229. Kl. suggests sī, = be, for is.

l. 1232. S. gives wine-elated as the meaning of druncne.—Beit. ix.
139; Kl. ibid. 189, 194. But cf. Judith, ll. 67, 107.

l. 1235. Cf. l. 119 for similarity of language.

l. 1235. Kl. proposes gea-sceaft; but cf. l. 1267.

l. 1246. Ring armor was common in the Middle Ages. E. points out
the numerous forms of byrne in cognate languages,—Gothic,
Icelandic, OHG., Slavonic, O. Irish, Romance, etc. Du Chaillu, The
Viking Age, i. 126. Cf. Murray's Dict. s. v.

l. 1248. ānwīg-gearwe = ready for single combat (C.); but cf. Ha.
p. 43; Beit. ix. 210, 282.

l. 1252. Some consider this fitt the beginning of Part (or Lay) II. of
the original epic, if not a separate work in itself.

l. 1254. K., W., and Ho. read farode = wasted; Kolbing reads
furode; but cf. wēsten warode, l. 1266. MS. has warode.

ll. 1255-1258. This passage is a good illustration of the constant
parallelism of word and phrase characteristic of A.-S. poetry, and
is quoted by Sw. The changes are rung on ende and swylt, on
gesȳne and wīdcūð, etc.

l. 1259. "That this story of Grendel's mother was originally a
separate lay from the first seems to be suggested by the fact that
the monsters are described over again, and many new details
added, such as would be inserted by a new singer who wished to
enhance and adorn the original tale."—Br., p. 41.

l. 1259. Cf. l. 107, which also points to the ancestry of murderers
and monsters and their descent from "Cain."

l. 1261. The MS. has sē þe, m.; changed by some to seo þe. At ll.
1393, 1395, 1498, Grendel's mother is referred to as m.; at ll.
1293, 1505, 1541-1546, etc., as f., the uncertain pronoun
designating a creature female in certain aspects, but masculine in
demonic strength and savageness.—H.-So.; Sw. p. 202. Cf. the
masc. epithets at ll. 1380, 2137, etc.

l. 1270. āglǣca = Grendel, though possibly referring to Beowulf,
as at l. 1513.—Sw.

l. 1273. "It is not certain whether anwalda stands for onwealda, or
whether it should be read ānwealda, = only ruler.—Sw.

l. 1279. The MS. has sunu þeod wrecan, which R. changes to
sunu þēod-wrecan, þēod- = monstrous; but why not regard þēod
as opposition to sunu, = her son, the prince? See Sweet's Reader,
and Körner's discussion, Eng. Stud. i. 500.

l. 1281. Ten Br. suggests (for sōna) sāra = return of sorrows.

l. 1286. "geþuren (twice so written in MSS.) stands for geþrúen,
forged, and is an isolated p. p."—Cook's Sievers' Gram., 209. But
see Toller-Bosw. for examples; Sw., Gloss.; March, p. 100, etc.

ll. 1292. þe hine = whom; cf. ll. 441, 1437, 1292; Hēliand, l. 1308.

l. 1298. be sǣm tweonum; cf. l. 1192; Hunt's Exod. l. 442; and
Mod. Eng. "to us-ward, etc.—Earle's Philol., p. 449. Cf. note, l.
1192.

l. 1301. C. proposes ōðer him ærn = another apartment was
assigned him.

l. 1303. B. conjectures under hrōf genam; but Ha., p. 45, shows
this to be unnecessary, under also meaning in, as in (or under)
these circumstances.

l. 1319. E. and Sw. suggest nǣgde or nēgde, accosted, nēgan =
Mid. Ger. nēhwian, pr. p. nēhwiandans, approach. For hnǣgan,
press down, vanquish, see ll. 1275, 1440, etc.

l. 1321. C. suggests nēad-lāðum for nēod-laðu, after crushing
hostility; but cf. frēond-laðu, l. 1193.

l. 1334. K. and ten Br. conjecture gefægnod = rejoicing in her fill,
a parallel to ǣse wlanc, l. 1333.

l. 1340. B. translates: "and she has executed a deed of blood-
vengeance of far-reaching consequence."—Beit. xii. 93.

l. 1345. B. reads gēo for ēow (Zachers Zeitschr. iv. 205).

ll. 1346-1377. "This is a fine piece of folk-lore in the oldest extant
form.... The authorities for the story are the rustics (ll. 1346,
1356)." —E.

l. 1347. Cf. sele-rǣdende at l. 51.

l. 1351. "The ge [of gewitan] may be merely a scribal error,—a
repetition (dittography) of the preceding ge of gewislīcost."—Sw.

l. 1352. ides, like fīras, men, etc., is a poetic word supposed by
Grimm to have been applied, like Gr. νύμφη, to superhuman or
semi-divine women.

ll. 1360-1495 seq. E. compares this Dantesque tarn and scenery
with the poetical accounts of AEneid, vii. 563; Lucretius, vi. 739,
etc.

l. 1360. firgenstrēam occurs also in the Phoenix (Bright, p. 168) l.
100; Andreas, ll. 779, 3144 (K.); Gnomic Verses, l. 47, etc.

l. 1363. The genitive is often thus used to denote measure = by or
in miles; cf. l. 3043; and contrast with partitive gen. at l. 207.

l. 1364. The MS. reads hrinde = hrīnende (?), which Gr. adopts;
K. and Th. read hrinde-bearwas; hringde, encircling (Sarrazin,
Beit. xi. 163); hrīmge = frosty (Sw.); with frost-whiting covered
(Ha.). See Morris, Blickling Hom., Preface, vi., vii.

l. 1364. Cf. Ruin, hrīmige edoras behrofene, rimy, roofless halls.

l. 1366. nīðwundor may = nið- (as in nið-sele, q. v.) wundor,
wonder of the deep.

l. 1368. The personal pronoun is sometimes omitted in
subordinate and even independent clauses; cf. wite here; and
Hunt's Exod., l. 319.

l. 1370. hornum. Such "datives of manner or respect" are not
infrequent with adj.

l. 1371. "seleð is not dependent on ǣr, for in that case it would be
in the subjunctive, but ǣr is simply an adverb, correlative with the
conjunction ǣr in the next line: 'he will (sooner) give up his life,
before he will,' etc."—Sw.

l. 1372. Cf. ll. 318 and 543 for willan with similar omitted inf.

l. 1373. heafola is found only in poetry.—Sw. It occurs thirteen or
fourteen times in this poem. Cf. the poetic gamol, swāt (l. 2694),
etc., for eald, blōd.

l. 1391. uton: hortatory subj. of wītan, go, = let us go; cf. French
allons, Lat. eamus, Ital. andiamo, etc. + inf. Cf. ll. 2649, 3102.

l. 1400. H. is dat. of person indirectly affected, = advantage.

l. 1402. geatolīc probably = in his equipments, as B. suggests
(Beit. xii. 83), comparing searolīc.

ll. 1402, 1413 reproduce the wk. form of the pret. of gān (Goth,
gaggida). Cf. Andreas, l. 1096, etc.

l. 1405. S. (Beit. ix. 140) supplies [þǣr hēo] gegnum fōr; B. (ibid.
xii. 14) suggests hwǣr hēo.

l. 1411. B., Gr., and E. take ān-paðas = paths wide enough for
only one, like Norwegian einstig; cf. stīge nearwe, just above.
Trail is the meaning. Cf. enge ānpaðas, uncūð gelād, Exod.
(Hunt), l. 58.

l. 1421. Cf. oncȳð, l. 831. The whole passage (ll. 1411-1442) is
replete with suggestions of walrus-hunting, seal-fishing,
harpooning of sea-animals (l. 1438), etc.

l. 1425. E. quotes from the 8th cent. Corpus Gloss., "Falanx
foeða."

l. 1428. For other mention of nicors, cf. ll. 422, 575, 846. E.
remarks, "it survives in the phrase 'Old Nick' ... a word of high
authority ... Icel. nykr, water-goblin, Dan. nök, nisse, Swed.
näcken, G. nix, nixe, etc." See Skeat, Nick.

l. 1440. Sw. reads gehnǣged, prostrated, and regards nīða as
gen. pl. "used instrumentally," = by force.

l. 1441. -bora = bearer, stirrer; occurs in other compds., as
mund-, rǣd-, wǣg-bora.

l. 1447. him = for him, a remoter dative of reference.—Sw.

l. 1455. Gr. reads brondne, = flaming.

l. 1457. lēon is the inf. of lāh; cf. onlāh (< onlēon) at l. 1468.
līhan was formerly given as the inf.; cf. lǣne = lǣhne.

l. 1458. Cf. the similar dat. of possession as used in Latin.

l. 1458. H.-So. compares the Icelandic saga account of Grettir's
battle with the giant in the cave. hæft-mēce may be = Icel.
heptisax (Anglia, iii. 83), "hip-knife."

l. 1459. "The sense seems to be 'pre-eminent among the old
treasures.' ... But possibly foran is here a prep. with the gen.: 'one
before the old treasures.'".—Sw. For other examples of foran, cf.
ll. 985, 2365.

l. 1460. āter-tēarum = poison-drops (C., Beit. viii. 571; S., ibid. xi.
359).

l. 1467. þæt, comp. relative, = that which; "we testify that we do
know."

l. 1480. forð-gewitenum is in appos. to me, = mihi defuncto.—M.
Callaway, Am. Journ. of Philol., October, 1889.

l. 1482. nime. Conditional clauses of doubt or future contingency
take gif or būton with subj.; cf. ll. 452, 594; of fact or certainty, the
ind.; cf. ll. 442, 447, 527, 662, etc. For būton, cf. ll. 967, 1561.

l. 1487. "findan sometimes has a preterit funde in W. S. after the
manner of the weak preterits."—Cook's Sievers' Cram., p, 210.

l. 1490. Kl. reads wæl-sweord, = battle-sword.

l. 1507. "This cave under the sea seems to be another of those
natural phenomena of which the writer had personal knowledge (ll.
2135, 2277), and which was introduced by him into the mythical
tale to give it a local color. There are many places of this kind.
Their entrance is under the lowest level of the tide."—Br., p. 45.

l. 1514. B. (Beit. xii. 362) explains niðsele, hrōfsele as roof-
covered hall in the deep; cf. Grettir Saga (Anglia, iii. 83).

l. 1538. Sw., R., and ten Br. suggest feaxe for eaxle, = seized by
the hair.

l. 1543. and-lēan (R.); cf. l. 2095. The MS. has hand-lēan.

l. 1546. Sw. and S. read seax.—Beit. ix. 140.

l. 1557. H.-So. omits comma and places semicolon after ȳðelīce;
Sw. and S. place comma after gescēd.

l. 1584. ōðer swylc = another fifteen (Sw.); = fully as many (Ha.).

ll. 1592-1613 seq. Cf. Anglia, iii; 84 (Grettir Saga).

l. 1595. blondenfeax = grizzly-haired (Bright, Reader, p. 258); cf.
Brunanb., l. 45 (Bright).

l. 1599. gewearð, impers. vb., = agree, decide = many agreed
upon this, that, etc. (Ha., p. 55; cf. ll. 2025-2027, 1997; B., Beit. xii.
97).

l. 1605. C. supposes wiston = wīscton = wished.—Beit. viii. 571.

l. 1607. brōden mǣl is now regarded as a comp. noun, = inlaid or
damascened sword.—W., Ho.

l. 1611. wæl-rāpas = water-ropes = bands of frost (l. 1610) (?).
Possibly the Prov. Eng. weele, whirlpool. Cf. wǣl, gurges, Wright,
Voc., Gnom. Verses, l. 39.—E.

l. 1611. wǣgrāpas (Sw.) = wave-bands (Ha.).

l. 1622. B. suggests eatna = eotena, eardas, haunts of the giants
(Northumbr. ea for eo).

l. 1635. cyning-holde (B., Beit. xii. 369); cf. l. 290.

l. 1650. H., Gr., and Ettmüller understand idese to refer to the
queen.

l. 1651. Cf. Anglia, iii. 74, Beit. xi. 167, for coincidences with the
Grettir Saga (13th cent.).

l. 1664. B. proposes eotenise ... èste for ēacen ... oftost, omitting
brackets (Zackers Zeitschr. iv. 206). G. translates mighty ... often.

l. 1675. ondrǣdan. "In late texts the final n of the preposition on
is frequently lost when it occurs in a compound word or
stereotyped phrase, and the prefix then appears as a: abútan,
amang, aweg, aright, adr'ǣdan."—Cook's Sievers' Gram., p. 98.

ll. 1680-1682. Giants and their work are also referred to at ll. 113,
455, 1563, 1691, etc.

l. 1680. Cf. ceastra ... orðanc enta geweorc, Gnomic Verses, l. 2;
Sweet's Reader, p. 186.

ll. 1687-1697. "In this description of the writing on the sword, we
see the process of transition from heathen magic to the notions of
Christian times .... The history of the flood and of the giants ...
were substitutes for names of heathen gods, and magic spells for
victory."—E. Cf. Mohammedan usage.

ll. 1703, 1704. þæt þē eorl nǣre geboren betera (B., Tidskr. 8,
52).

l. 1715. āna hwearf = he died solitary and alone (B., Beit. xii. 38);
= lonely (Ha.); = alone (G.).

l. 1723. lēod-bealo longsum = eternal hell-torment (B., Beit. xii.
38, who compares Ps. Cott. 57, līf longsum).

l. 1729. E. translates on lufan, towards possession; Ha., to
possessions.

l. 1730. mōdgeþonc, like lig, sǣ, segn, niht, etc., is of double
gender (m., n. in the case of mōdgeþ.).

l. 1741. The doctrine of nemesis following close on ὓβρις, or
overweening pride, is here very clearly enunciated. The only
protector against the things that "assault and hurt" the soul is the
"Bishop and Shepherd of our souls" (l. 1743).

l. 1745 appears dimly to fore-shadow the office of the evil archer
Loki, who in the Scandinavian mythology shoots Balder with a
mistletoe twig. The language closely resembles that of Psalm 64.

l. 1748. Kl. regards wom = wō(u)m; cf. wōh-bogen, l. 2828. See
Gloss., p. 295, under wam. Contrast the construction of
bebeorgan a few lines below (l. 1759), where the dat. and acc.
are associated.

l. 1748. See Cook's Sievers' Gram., p. 167, for declension of wōh,
wrong = gen. wōs or wōges, dat. wō(u)m, etc.; pl. gen. wōra, dat.
wō(u)m, etc.; and cf. declension of hēah, hrēoh, rūh, etc.

l. 1748. wergan gāstes; cf. Blickl. Hom. vii.; Andreas, l. 1171.
"Auld Wearie is used in Scotland, or was used a few years ago, ...
to mean the devil."—E. Bede's Eccles. Hist. contains (naturally)
many examples of the expression = devil.

l. 1750. on gyld = in reward (B. Beit. xii. 95); Ha. translates
boastfully; G., for boasting; Gr., to incite to boastfulness. Cf. Christ,
l. 818.

l. 1767. E. thinks this an allusion to the widespread superstition of
the evil eye (mal occhio, mauvais ǣil). Cf. Vergil, Ecl. iii. 103. He

remarks that Pius IX., Gambetta, and President Carnot were
charged by their enemies with possessing this weapon.

l. 1784. wigge geweorðad (MS. wigge weorðad) is C.'s
conjecture; cf. Elene, l. 150. So G., honored in war.

l. 1785. The future generally implied in the present of bēon is
plainly seen in this line; cf. ll. 1826, 661, 1830, 1763, etc.

l. 1794. Some impers. vbs. take acc. (as here, Geat) of the person
affected; others (as þyncan) take the dat. of the person, as at ll.
688, 1749, etc. Cf. verbs of dreaming, being ashamed, desiring,
etc.—March, A.-S. Gram., p. 145.

l. 1802. E. remarks that the blaca hrefn here is a bird of good
omen, as opposed to se wonna hrefn of l. 3025. The raven, wolf,
and eagle are the regular epic accompaniments of battle and
carnage. Cf. ll. 3025-3028; Maldon, 106; Judith, 205-210, etc.

l. 1803. S. emends to read: "then came the light, going bright after
darkness: the warriors," etc. Cf. Ho., p. 41, l. 23. G. puts period
before "the warriors." For ōnettan, cf. Sw.'s Gloss, and Bright's
Read., Gloss.

ll. 1808-1810. Müllenh. and Grundt. refer se hearda to Beowulf,
correct sunu (MS.) to suna Ecglāfes (i.e. Unferth); [he] (Beo.)
thanked him (Un.) for the loan. Cf. ll. 344, 581, 1915.

ll. 1823-1840. "Beowulf departing pledges his services to Hroðgar,
to be what afterwards in the mature language of chivalry was
called his 'true knight'"—E.

l. 1832. Kl. corrects to dryhtne, in appos. with Higelāce.

l. 1835 gār-holt more properly means spear-shaft; cf. æsc-holt.

l. 1855. sēl = better (Grundt.; B., Beit. xii. 96), instead of MS. wēl.

ll. 1855-1866. "An ideal picture of international amity according to
the experience and doctrine of the eighth century."—E.

l. 1858. S. and Kl. correct to gemǣne, agreeing with sib.—Beit. ix.
140, 190.

l. 1862. "The gannet is a great diver, plunging down into the sea
from a considerable height, such as forty feet."—E.

l. 1863. Kl. suggests heafu, = seas.

l. 1865. B. proposes geþōhte, = with firm thought, for geworhte;
cf. l. 611.

l. 1876. gesēon = see again (Kl., Beit. ix. 190). S. and B. insert nā
to modify gesēon and explain Hrōðgār's tears. Ha. and G. follow
Heyne's text. Cf. l. 567.

l. 1881. Is beorn here = bearn (be-arn?) of l. 67? or more likely =
born, barn, = burned?—S., Th.

l. 1887. orleahtre is a ἃπαξ λεγόμενον. E. compares Tennyson's
"blameless" king. Cf. also ll. 2015, 2145; and the gōd cyning of l.
11.

l. 1896. scaðan = warriors (cf. l. 1804) has been proposed by C.;
but cf. l. 253.

l. 1897. The boat had been left, at ll. 294-302, in the keeping of
Hrōðgār's men; at l. 1901 the bāt-weard is specially honored by
Beowulf with a sword and becomes a "sworded squire."—E. This
circumstance appears to weld the poem together. Cf. also the
speed of the journey home with ymb ān-tīd ōþres dōgores of l.
219, and the similarity of language in both passages (fāmig-heals,
clifu, næssas, sǣlde, brim, etc.).—The nautical terms in Beowulf
would form an interesting study.

l. 1904. R. proposes, gewāt him on naca, = the vessel set out, on
alliterating as at l. 2524 (Zachers Zeitschr. iii. 402). B. reads on
nacan, but inserts irrelevant matter (Beit. xii. 97).

l. 1913. Cf. the same use of cēol, = ship, in the A.-S. Chron., ed.
Earle-Plummer; Gnomic Verses, etc.

l. 1914. S. inserts þæt hē before on lande.

l. 1916. B. makes lēofra manna depend on wlātode, = looked for
the dear men ready at the coast (Beit. xii. 97).

l. 1924. Gr., W., and Ho. propose wunade, = remained; but cf. l.
1929. S. conceives ll. 1924, 1925 as "direct speech" (Beit. ix. 141).

l. 1927 seq. "The women of Beowulf are of the fine northern type;
trusted and loved by their husbands and by the nobles and people;
generous, gentle, and holding their place with dignity."—Br., p. 67.
Thrytho is the exception, l. 1932 seq.

l. 1933. C. suggests frēcnu, = dangerous, bold, for Thrytho could
not be called "excellent." G. writes "Modthrytho" as her name. The
womanly Hygd seems purposely here contrasted with the terrible
Thrytho, just as, at l. 902 seq., Sigemund and Heremōd are
contrasted. For Thrytho, etc., cf. Gr., Jahrb. für rom. u. eng. Lit. iv.
279; Müllenhoff, Haupts Zeitschr. xiv. 216; Matthew Paris; Suchier,
Beit. iv. 500-521; R. Zachers Zeitschr. iii. 402; B., ibid. iv. 206;
Körner, Eng. Stud. i. 489-492; H.-So., p. 106.

l. 1932-1963. K. first pointed out the connection between the
historical Offa, King of Mercia, and his wife Cwendrida, and the
Offa and Þrȳðo (Gr.'s Drida of the Vita Offǣ Secundi) of the
present passage. The tale is told of her, not of Hygd.

l. 1936. Suchier proposes andǣges, = eye to eye; Leo proposes
āndǣges, = the whole day; G., by day. No change is necessary if
an be taken to govqern hire, = on her, and dæges be explained
(like nihtes, etc.) as a genitive of time, = by day.

l. 1943. R. and Suchier propose onsēce, = seek, require; but cf.
2955.

l. 1966. Cf. the heofoncandel of Exod. l. 115 (Hunt). Shak.'s
'night's candles.'

l. 1969. Cf. l. 2487 seq. for the actual slayer of Ongenþēow, i.e.
Eofor, to whom Hygelāc gave his only daughter as a reward, l.
2998.

l. 1981. meodu-scencum = with mead-pourers or mead-cups (G.,
Ha.); draught or cup of mead (Toller-Bosw.).

l. 1982. K., Th., W., H. supply [heal-]reced; Holler [hēa-].

l. 1984. B. defends the MS., reading hǣ nū (for hǣðnū), which he
regards as = Heinir, the inhabitants of the Jutish "heaths" (hǣð).
Cf. H.-So., p. 107; Beit. xii. 9.

l. 1985. sīnne. "In poetry there is a reflexive possessive of the
third person, sīn (declined like mīn). It is used not only as a true
reflexive, but also as a non-reflexive (= Lat. ejus)"—Sw.; Cook's
Sievers' Gram., p. 185. Cf. ll. 1508, 1961, 2284, 2790.

l. 1994. Cf. l. 190 for a similar use of sēað; cf. to "glow" with
emotion, "boil" with indignation, "burn" with anger, etc. weallan is
often so used; cf. ll. 2332, 2066, etc.

l. 2010. B. proposes fācne, = in treachery, for fenne. Cf. Juliana, l.
350; Beit. xii. 97.

l. 2022. Food of specific sorts is rarely, if at all, mentioned in the
poem. Drink, on the other hand, occurs in its primitive varieties,—
ale (as here: ealu-wǣg), mead, beer, wine, līð (cider? Goth.
leiþus, Prov. Ger. leit- in leit-haus, ale-house), etc.

l. 2025. Kl. proposes is for wæs.

l. 2027. Cf. l. 1599 for a similar use of weorðan, = agree, be
pleased with (Ha.); appear (Sw., Reader, 6th ed.).

ll. 2030, 2031. Ten Br. proposes: oft seldan ( = gave) wǣre æfter
lēod-hryre: lȳtle hwīle bongār būgeð, þēah sēo brȳd duge = oft
has a treaty been given after the fall of a prince: but little while the
murder-spear resteth, however excellent the bride be. Cf. Kl., Beit.
ix. 190; B., Beit. xii. 369; R., Zachers Zeitschr. in. 404; Ha., p. 69;
G., p. 62.

l. 2036. Cf. Kl, Beit. ix. 191; R., Zachers Zeitschr. iii. 404.

l. 2042. For bēah B. reads bā, = both, i.e. Freaware and the Dane.

l. 2063. Thorkelin and Conybeare propose wīgende, = fighting, for
lifigende.

l. 2068. W.'s edition begins section xxx. (not marked in the MS.)
with this line. Section xxxix. (xxxviii. in copies A and B, xxxix. in
Thorkelin) is not so designated in the MS., though þā (at l. 2822) is
written with capitals and xl. begins at l. 2893.

l. 2095. Cf. l. 1542, and note.

l. 2115 seq. B. restores thus:

Þǣr on innan gīong
niðða nāthwylc, nēode tō gefēng
hǣðnum horde; hond ætgenam
seleful since fāh; nē hē þæt syððan āgeaf,
þēah þe hē slǣpende besyrede hyrde
þēofes cræfte: þæt se þīoden onfand,
bȳ-folc beorna, þæt hē gebolgen wæs.
—Beit. xii. 99; Zachers Zeitschr. iv. 210.

l. 2129. B. proposes fǣrunga, = suddenly, for Gr.'s reading in the
text.—Beit. xii. 98.

l. 2132. MS. has þine life, which Leo translates by thy leave (=
ON. leyfi); B., by thy life.—Beit. xii. 369.

l. 2150. B. renders gēn, etc., by "now I serve thee alone again as
my gracious king" (Beit. xii. 99).

l. 2151. The forms hafu [hafo], hafast, hafað, are poetic
archaisms.—Sw.

l. 2153. Kl. proposes ealdor, = prince, for eafor. W. proposes the
compd. eafor-hēafodsegn, = helm; cf. l. 1245.

l. 2157. The wk. form of the adj. is frequent in the vocative,
especially when postponed: "Beowulf lēofa," l. 1759. So, often, in
poetry in nom.: wudu selesta, etc.

l. 2158. ǣrest is possibly the verbal subs. from ārīsan, to arise, =
arising, origin. R. suggested ǣrist, arising, origin. Cf. Bede,
Eccles. Hist., ed. Miller, where the word is spelt as above, but =
(as usual) resurrection. See Sweet, Reader, p. 211; E.-Plummer's
Chronicle, p. 302, etc. The MS. has est. See Ha., p. 73; S., Beit. x.
222; and cf. l. 2166.

l. 2188. Gr., W., H. supply [wēn]don, = weened, instead of Th.'s
[oft sæg]don.

l. 2188. The "slack" Beowulf, like the sluggish Brutus, ultimately
reveals his true character, and is presented with a historic sword of
honor. It is "laid on his breast" (l. 2195) as Hun laid Lāfing on
Hengest's breast, l. 1145.

l. 2188. "The boy was at first slothful, and the Geats thought him
an unwarlike prince, and long despised him. Then, like many a
lazy third son in the folk tales, a change came, he suddenly
showed wonderful daring and was passionate for adventure."—
Br., p. 22.

l. 2196. "Seven of thousands, manor and lordship" (Ha.). Kl., Beit.
ix. 191, thinks with Ettm. that þūsendo means a hide of land (see
Schmid, Ges. der Angl, 610), Bede's familia = 1/2 sq. meter;
seofan being used (like hund, l. 2995) only for the alliteration.

l. 2196. "A vast Honour of 7000 hides, a mansion, and a judgment-
seat" [throne].—E.

l. 2210. MS. has the more correct wintra.

l. 2211. Cf. similar language about the dragon at l. 100. Beowulf's
"jubilee" is fitly solemnized by his third and last dragon-fight.

l. 2213. B. proposes sē þe on hearge hǣðen hord beweotode;
cf. Ha., p. 75.

l. 2215. "The dragon lies round the treasures in a cave, as Fafnir,
like a Python, lay coiled over his hoard. So constant was this habit
among the dragons that gold is called Worms' bed, Fafnir's couch,
Worms' bed-fire. Even in India, the cobras ... are guardians of
treasure."—Br., p. 50.

l. 2216. nēode. E. translates deftly; Ha., with ardor. H.-So. reads
nēode, = with desire, greedily, instr. of nēod.

l. 2223. E. begins his "Part Third" at this point as he begins "Part
Second" at l. 1252, each dragon-fight forming part of a trilogy.

ll. 2224, 2225. B. proposes: nealles mid gewealdum wyrmes
weard gæst sylfes willum.—Zachers Zeitschr. iv. 211; Beit. xii.
100.

l. 2225. For þēow read þegn.—K. and Z.

l. 2227. For ofer-þearfe read ǣrnes þearfa.—Z.

ll. 2229-2231. B. proposes:

secg synbysig sōna onwlātode,

þēah þām gyste gryrebrōga stōd,
hwæðre earmsceapen innganges þearfa
..........
fēasceapen, þā hyne se fǣr begeat.
—Beit. xii. 101. Cf. Ha., p. 69.

l. 2232. W. suggests seah or seīr for geseah, and Gr. suggests
searolīc.

l. 2233. Z. surmises eorð-hūse (for -scræfe).

l. 2241. B. proposes lǣn-gestrēona, = transitory, etc.; Th., R.
propose leng (= longer) gestrēona; S. accepts the text but
translates "the long accumulating treasure."

l. 2246. B. proposed (1) hard-fyndne, = hard to find; (2) hord-
wynne dǣl,—a deal of treasure-joy (cf. l. 2271).—Zachers
Zeitschr. iv. 211; Beit. xii. 102.

l. 2247. fecword = banning words (?) MS. has fec.

l. 2254. Others read feor-[mie], = furbish, for fetige: I own not one
who may, etc.

l. 2261. The Danes themselves were sometimes called the "Ring-
Danes," = clad in ringed (or a ring of) armor, or possessing rings.
Cf. ll. 116, 1280.

l. 2263. Koeppel suggests nis for næs.

The editors are much indebted to E. Koeppel (in Eng. Stud. xiii. 3)
for numerous corrections in text and glossary.

l. 2264. Note the early reference to hawking. Minstrelsy (hearpan
wyn), saga-telling, racing, swimming, harpooning of sea-animals,
feasting, and the bestowal of jewels, swords, and rings, are the
other amusements most frequent in Bēowulf.

l. 2264. Cf. Maldon, ll. 8, 9, for a reference to hawking.

l. 2276. Z. suggests swȳðe ondrǣdað; Ho. puts gesēcean for
Gr.'s gewunian.

l. 2277. Z. and K. read: hord on hrūsan. "Three hundred winters,"
at l. 2279, is probably conventional for "a long time," like hund
missēra, l. 1499; hund þūsenda, l. 2995; þrītig (of Beowulf's
strength), l. 379; þrītig (of the men slain by Grendel), l. 123;
seofan þūsendo, l. 2196, etc.

l. 2285. B. objects to hord as repeated in ll. 2284, 2285; but cf.
Ha., p. 77. C. prefers sum to hord. onboren = inminutus; cf. B.,
Beit. xii. 102.

l. 2285. onberan is found also at line 991, = carry off, with on- =
E. un—(un-bind, -loose, -tie, etc.), G. ent-. The negro still
pronounces on-do, etc.

l. 2299. Cf. H.-So., p. 112, for a defense of the text as it stands. B.
proposes "nor was there any man in that desert who rejoiced in
conflict," etc. So ten Br.

l. 2326. B. and ten Br,. propose hām, = home, for him.—Beit. xii.
103.

l. 2335. E. translates ēalond utan by the sea-board front, the
water-washed land on the (its) outside. See B., Beit. xii. 1, 5.

l. 2346. Cf. l. 425, where Beowulf resolves to fight the dragon
single-handed. E. compares Guy of Warwick, ll. 49, 376.

l. 2355. Ten Br. proposes laðan cynne as apposition to mǣgum.

l. 2360. Cf. Beowulf's other swimming-feat with Breca, ll. 506 seq.

l. 2362. Gr. inserts āna, = lone-going, before xxx.: approved by B.;
and Krüger, Beit. ix. 575. Cf. l. 379.

l. 2362. "Beowulf has the strength of thirty men in the original tale.
Here, then, the new inventor makes him carry off thirty coats of

mail."—Br., p. 48.

l. 2364. Hetware = Chattuarii, a nation allied against Hygelāc in
his Frisian expedition; cf. ll. 1208 seq., 2917, etc.

l. 2368. B. proposes quiet sea as trans, of sioleða bigong, and
compares Goth. anasilan, to be still; Swed. dial, sil, still water
between waterfalls.—Zachers Zeitschr. iv. 214.

l. 2380. hyne—Heardrēd; so him, l. 2358.

l. 2384. E. calls attention to Swīo-rīce as identical with the modern
Sverige = Sweden; cf. l. 2496.

l. 2386. Gr. reads on feorme, = at the banquet; cf. Möller, Alteng.
Volksepos, 111, who reads (f)or feorme. The MS. has or.

l. 2391. Cf. l. 11.

l. 2394. B., Gr., and Mūllenh. understand ll. 2393-2397 to mean
that Ēadgils, Ōhthere's son, driven from Sweden, returns later,
supported by Beowulf, takes the life of his uncle Onela, and
probably becomes himself O.'s successor and king of Sweden.
For another view see H.-So., p. 115. MS. has freond (l. 2394),
which Leo, etc., change to fēond. G. translates friend.—Beit. xii.
13; Anzeiger f. d. Altert. iii. 177.

l. 2395. Ēadgils is Ōhthere's son; cf. l. 2381; Onela is Ōhthere's
brother; cf. ll. 2933, 2617.

l. 2402. "Twelfsome"; cf. "fifteensome" at l. 207, etc. As Bēowulf is
essentially the Epic of Philanthropy, of the true love of man, as
distinguished from the ordinary love-epic, the number twelve in
this passage may be reminiscent of another Friend of Man and
another Twelve. In each case all but one desert the hero.

l. 2437. R. proposes stȳred, = ordered, decreed, for strēd.—
Zachers Zeitschr. iii. 409.

l. 2439. B. corrects to frēo-wine = noble friend, asking, "How can
Herebeald be called Hæðcyn's frēa-wine [MS.], lord?"

l. 2442. feohlēas gefeoht, "a homicide which cannot be atoned
for by money—in this case an unintentional fratricide."—Sw.

l. 2445. See Ha., pp. 82, 83, for a discussion of ll. 2445-2463. Cf.
G., p. 75.

l. 2447. MS. reads wrece, justified by B. (Tidskr. viii. 56). W.
conceives wrece as optative or hortative, and places a colon
before þonne.

l. 2449. For helpan read helpe.—K., Th., S. (Zeitschr. f. D. Phil.
xxi. 3, 357).

ll. 2454-2455. (1) Müllenh. (Haupts Zeitschr. xiv. 232) proposes:

þonne se ān hafað
þurh dǣda nȳd dēaðes gefandod.

(2) B. proposes:

þurh dǣda nīð dēaðes gefondad.
—Zachers Zeitschr. iv. 215.

l. 2458. Cf. scēotend, pl., ll. 704, 1155, like rīdend. Cf. Judith, l.
305, etc.

l. 2474. Th. considers the "wide water" here as the Mälar lake, the
boundary between Swedes and Goths.

l. 2477. On oþþe = and, cf. B., Tidskr. viii. 57. See Ha., p. 83.

l. 2489. B. proposes hrēa-blāc for Gr.'s heoro-.—Tikskr. viii. 297.

l. 2494. S. suggests ēðel-wynne.

l. 2502. E. translates for dugeðum, of my prowess; so Ettmüller.

ll. 2520-2522. Gr. and S. translate, "if I knew how else I might
combat the monster's boastfulness."—Ha., p. 85.

l. 2524. and-hāttres is H.'s invention. Gr. reads oreðes and
attres, blast and venom. Cf. oruð, l. 2558, and l. 2840 (where
attor- also occurs).

l. 2526. E. quotes flēon fōtes trym from Maldon, l. 247.

l. 2546. Gr., H.-So., and Ho. read standan stān-bogan (for stōd
on stān-bogan) depending on geseah.

l. 2550. Grundt. and B. propose dēor, brave one, i.e. Beowulf, for
dēop.

L. 2565. MS. has ungleaw (K., Th.), unglaw (Grundt.). B.
proposes unslāw, = sharp.—Beit. xii. 104. So H.-So., Ha., p. 86.

ll. 2570, 2571. (1) May not gescīfe (MS. to gscipe) = German
schief, "crooked," "bent," "aslant," and hence be a parallel to
gebogen, bent, coiled? cf. l. 2568, þā se wyrm gebēah snūde
tōsomne, and l. 2828. Coiled serpents spring more powerfully for
the coiling. (2) Or perhaps destroy comma after tō and read
gescæpe, = his fate; cf. l. 26: him þā Scyld gewāt tō gescæp-
hwīle. G. appar. adopts this reading, p. 78.

l. 2589. grund-wong = the field, not the earth (so B.); H.-So.,
cave, as at l. 2771. So Ha., p. 87.

l. 2595. S. proposes colon after stefne.—Beit. ix. 141.

l. 2604. Müllenh. explains lēod Scylfinga in Anzeiger f. d. Altert.
iii. 176-178.

l. 2607. āre = possessions, holding (Kl., Beit. ix. 192; Ha., p. 88).

l. 2609. folcrihta. Add "folk-right" to the meanings in the Gloss.;
and cf. ēðel-, land-riht, word-riht.

l. 2614. H.-So. reads with Gr. wrǣccan winelēasum Wēohstān
bana, = whom, a friendless exile, W. had slain.

ll. 2635-61. E. quotes Tacitus, Germania, xiv.: "turpe comitatui
virtutem principis non adaequare." Beowulf had been deserted by
his comitatus.

l. 2643. B. proposes ūser.—Zachers Zeitschr. iv. 216.

l. 2649. wutun; l. 3102, uton = pres. subj. pl. 1st person of wītan,
to go, used like Mod. Eng. let us + inf., Lat. eamus, Ital. andiamo,
Fr. allons; M. E. (Layamon) uten. Cf. Psa. ii. 3, etc. March, A.-S.
Gram., pp. 104, 196.

l. 2650. B. suggests hāt for hyt,.—Beit. xii. 105.

l. 2656. fāne = fāh-ne; cf. fāra = fāh-ra, l. 578; so hēanne (MS.) =
hēah-ne, etc., l. 984. See Cook's Sievers' Gram.

ll. 2660, 2661. Why not read beadu-scrūd, as at l. 453, = battle-
shirt? B. and R. suppose two half-verses omitted between byrdu-
scrūd and bām gemǣne. B. reads bȳwdu, = handsome, etc. Gr.
suggests unc nū, = to us two now, for ūrum; and K. and Grundt.
read bēon gemǣne for bām, etc. This makes sense. Cf. Ha., p.
89.

l. 2666. Cf. the dat. absolute without preposition.

l. 2681. Nægling; cf. Hrunting, Lāfing, and other famous
wundor-smiða geweorc of the poem.

l. 2687. B. changes þonne into þone (rel. pro.) = which.—Beit. xii.
105.

l. 2688. B. supports the MS. reading, wundum.

l. 2688. Cf. l. 2278 for similar language.

l. 2698. B. (Beit. xii. 105) renders: "he did not heed the head of the
dragon (which Beowulf with his sword had struck without effect),
but he struck the dragon somewhat further down." Cf. Saxo, vi. p.
272.

l. 2698. Cf. the language used at ll. 446 and 1373, where hafelan
also occurs; and hȳdan.

l. 2700. hwēne; cf. Lowl. Sc. wheen, a number; Chaucer's woon,
number.

l. 2702. S. proposes þā (for þæt) þæt fȳr, etc., = when the fire
began, etc.

l. 2704. "The (hup)-seax has often been found in Saxon graves on
the hip of the skeleton."—E.

l. 2707. Kl. proposes: feorh ealne wræc, = drove out all the life;
cf. Gen. l. 1385.—Beit. ix. 192. S. suggests gefylde,—he felled
the foe, etc.—Ibid. Parentheses seem unnecessary.

l. 2727. dæg-hwīl = time allotted, lifetime.

l. 2745, 2745. Ho. removes geong from the beginning of l. 2745
and places it at the end of l. 2744.

l. 2750. R. proposes sigle searogimmas, as at l. 1158.

l. 2767. (1) B. proposes doubtfully oferhīgean or oferhīgan, =
Goth, ufarhauhjan, p. p. ufarhauhids (Gr. τυφωθείς) = exceed in
value.—Tidskr. viii. 60. (2) Kl. proposes oferhȳdian, = to make
arrogant, infatuate; cf. oferhȳd.—Beit. ix. 192.

l. 2770. gelocen leoðocræftum = (1) spell-bound (Th., Arnold,
E.); (2) wrought with hand-craft (G.); (3) meshed, linked together
(H., Ho.); cf. Elene, ll. 1251, 522.

l. 2778. B. considers bill ... ealdhlāfordes as Beowulf's short
sword, with which he killed the dragon, l. 2704 (Tidskr. viii. 299). R.

proposes ealdhlāforde. Müllenh. understands ealdhlāford to
mean the former possessor of the hoard. W. agrees to this, but
conceives ǣrgescōd as a compd. = ǣre calceatus, sheathed in
brass. Ha. translates ǣrgescōd as vb. and adv.

l. 2791. Cf. l. 224, eoletes æt ende; landes æt ende, Exod.
(Hunt).

l. 2792. MS. reads wæteres weorpan, which R. would change to
wætere sweorfan.

l. 2806. "Men saw from its height the whales tumbling in the
waves, and called it Whale's Ness (Hrones-nǣs)."—Br. p. 28. Cf.
l. 3137.

l. 2815. Wīglāf was the next of kin, the last of the race, and hence
the recipient of Beowulf's kingly insignia. There is a possible play
on the word lāf (Wīg-lāf, ende-lāf).

l. 2818. gingeste word; cf. novissima verba, and Ger. jüngst,
lately.

l. 2837. E. translates on lande, in the world, comparing on līfe, on
worulde.

l. 2840. gerǣsde = pret. of gerǣsan (omitted from the Gloss.),
same as rǣsan; cf. l. 2691.

l. 2859. B. proposes dēað ārǣdan, = determine death.—Beit. xii.
106.

l. 2861. Change geongum to geongan as a scribal error (?), but
cf. Lichtenheld, Haupts Zeitschr. xvi. 353-355.

l. 2871. S. and W. propose ōwēr.—Beit. ix. 142.

l. 2873. S. punctuates: wrāðe forwurpe, þā, etc.

l. 2874. H.-So. begins a new sentence with nealles, ending the
preceding one with beget.

l. 2879. ætgifan = to render, to afford; omitted in Gloss.

ll. 2885-2892. "This passage ... equals the passage in Tacitus
which describes the tie of chief to companion and companion to
chief among the Germans, and which recounts the shame that fell
on those who survived their lord."—Br., p. 56.

l. 2886. cyn thus has the meaning of gens or clan, just as in many
Oriental towns all are of one blood. E. compares Tacitus,
Germania, 7; and cf. "kith and kin."

l. 2892. Death is preferable to dishonor. Cf. Kemble, Saxons, i.
235.

l. 2901. The ἄγγελος begins his ἀγγελία here.

l. 2910. S. proposes higemēðe, sad of soul; cf. ll. 2853 and 2864
(Beit. ix. 142). B. considers higemēðum a dat. or instr. pl. of an
abstract in -u (Beit. xii. 106). H. makes it a dat. pl. = for the dead.
For heafod-wearde, etc., cf. note on l. 446.

l. 2920-2921. B. explains "he could not this time, as usual, give
jewels to his followers."—Beit. xii. 106.

l. 2922. The Merovingian or Frankish race.

l. 2940 seq. B. conjectures:

cwæð hīe on mergenne mēces ecgum
gētan wolde, sumon galgtreowu
āhēawan on holte ond hīe āhōan on þā
fuglum tō gamene.
—Beit. xii. 107, 372.

Cf. S., Beit. ix. 143. gētan = cause blood to be shed.

l. 2950. B. proposes gomela for gōda; "a surprising epithet for a
Geat to apply to the 'terrible' Ongentheow."—Ha. p. 99. But "good"
does not necessarily mean "morally excellent," as a "good" hater,
a "good" fighter.

l. 2959. See H.-So. for an explanatory quotation from Paulus
Diaconus, etc. B., K., and Th. read segn Higelāces, = H.'s banner
uplifted began to pursue the Swede-men.—Beit. xii. 108. S.
suggests sǣce, = pursuit.

l. 2977. gewyrpton: this vb. is also used reflexively in Exod.
(Hunt), l. 130: wyrpton hīe wērige.

l. 2989. bær is Grundt.'s reading, after the MS. "The surviving
victor is the heir of the slaughtered foe."—H.-So. Cf. Hildebrands
Lied, ll. 61, 62.

l. 2995. "A hundred of thousands in land and rings" (Ha., p. 100).
Cf. ll. 2196, 3051. Cf. B., Beit. xii. 20, who quotes Saxo's bis senas
gentes and remarks: "Hrolf Kraki, who rewards his follower, for the
slaying of the foreign king, with jewels, rich lands, and his only
daughter's hand, answers to the Jutish king Hygelāc, who rewards
his liegeman, for the slaying of Ongenthēow, with jewels,
enormous estates, and his only daughter's hand."

l. 3006. H.-So. suggests Scilfingas for Scyldingas, because, at l.
2397, Beowulf kills the Scylfing Ēadgils and probably acquires his
lands. Thus ll. 3002, 3005, 3006, would indicate that, after
Beowulf's death, the Swedes desired to shake off his hated yoke.
Müllenh., however, regards l. 3006 as a thoughtless repetition of l.
2053.—Haupts Zeitschr. xiv. 239.

l. 3008. Cf. the same proverb at l. 256; and Exod. (Hunt.) l. 293.

l. 3022. E. quotes:

"Thai token an harp gle and game
And maked a lai and yaf it name."

—Weber, l. 358.

and from Percy, "The word glee, which peculiarly denoted their art
(the minstrels'), continues still in our own language ... it is to this
day used in a musical sense, and applied to a peculiar piece of
composition."

l. 3025. "This is a finer use than usual of the common poetic
attendants of a battle, the wolf, the eagle, and the raven. The three
are here like three Valkyrie, talking of all that they have done."—
Br., p. 57.

l. 3033. Cf. Hunt's Dan. l. 731, for similar language.

l. 3039. B. supplies a supposed gap here:

[banan ēac fundon bennum sēocne
(nē) ǣr hī þǣm gesēgan syllīcran wiht]
wyrm on wonge...
—Beit. xii. 372.

Cf. Ha., p. 102. W. and Ho. insert [þǣr] before gesēgan.

l. 3042. Cf. l. 2561, where gryre-giest occurs as an epithet of the
dragon. B. proposes gry[re-fāh].

l. 3044. lyft-wynne, in the pride of the air, E.; to rejoice in the air,
Ha.

l. 3057. (1) He (God) is men's hope; (2) he is the heroes' hope; (3)
gehyld = the secret place of enchanters; cf. hēlsmanna gehyld,
Gr.'s reading, after A.-S. hǣlsere, haruspex, augur.

l. 3060. B. suggests gehȳðde, = plundered (i.e. by the thief), for
gehȳdde.

ll. 3063-3066. (1) B. suggests wundur [dēaðe] hwār þonne eorl
ellenrof ende gefēre = let a brave man then somewhere meet his
end by wondrous venture, etc.—Zachers Zeitschr. iv. 241; cf. l.

3038. (2) S. supposes an indirect question introduced by hwār
and dependent upon wundur, = a mystery is it when it happens
that the hero is to die, if he is no longer to linger among his people.
—Beit. ix. 143. (3) Müllenh. suggests: is it to be wondered at that a
man should die when he can no longer live?—Zachers Zeitschr.
xiv. 241. (4) Possibly thus:

Wundrað hwæt þonne,
eorl ellen-rōf, ende gefēre
līf-gesceafta, þonne leng ne mæg (etc.),

in which hwæt would = þurh hwæt at l. 3069, and eorl would be
subject of the conjectural vb. wundrað: "the valiant earl wondereth
then through what he shall attain his life's end, when he no longer
may live. ... So Bēowulf knew not (wondered how) through what
his end should come," etc. W. and Ho. join þonne to the next line.
Or, for hwār read wǣre: Wundur wǣre þonne (= gif), etc., =
"would it be any wonder if a brave man," etc., which is virtually
Müllenhoff's.

l. 3053. galdre bewunden, spell-bound, throws light on l. 2770,
gelocen leoðo-cræftum. The "accursed" gold of legend is often
dragon-guarded and placed under a spell. Even human ashes (as
Shakespeare's) are thus banned. ll. 3047-3058 recall the so-called
"Treasury of Atreus."

l. 3070. H.-So. begins a new line with swā.

l. 3073. herh, hearh, temple, is conjectured by E. to survive in
Harrow. Temple, barrow, etc., have thus been raised to proper
names. Cf. Bīowulfes biorh of l. 2808.

l. 3074. H.-So. has strude, = ravage, and compares l. 3127. MS.
has strade. S. suggests stride, = tread.

l. 3074. H.-So. omits strādan, = tread, stride over, from the Gloss.,
referring ll. 3174 and 3074 to strūdan, q. v.

l. 3075. S. proposes: næs hē goldhwætes gearwor hæfde, etc.,
= Beowulf had not before seen the greedy possessor's favor.—
Beit. ix. 143. B. reads, goldhwæte gearwor hæfde, etc., making
goldhwæte modify ēst, = golden favor; but see Beit. xii. 373, for
B.'s later view.

l. 3086-3087. B. translates, "that which (i.e. the treasure) drew the
king thither was granted indeed, but it overwhelmed us."—Beit. xii.
109.

l. 3097. B. and S. propose æfter wine dēadum, = in memory of
the dead friend.—Beit. ix. 144.

l. 3106. The brād gold here possibly includes the iū-monna gold
of l. 3053 and the wunden gold of l. 3135. E. translates brād by
bullion.

l. 3114. B. supposes folc-āgende to be dat. sg. to gōdum,
referring to Beowulf.

l. 3116. C. considers weaxan, = Lat. vescor, to devour, as a
parallel to fretan, and discards parentheses.—Beit. viii. 573.

l. 3120. fūs = furnished with; a meaning which must be added to
those in the Gloss.

ll. 3124-3125. S. proposes:

ēode eahta sum under inwit-hrōf
hilderinca: sum on handa bær, etc.
—Beit. ix. 144.

l. 3136. H.-So. corrects (after B.) to æðelingc, the MS. having e.

l. 3145. "It was their [the Icelanders'] belief that the higher the
smoke rose in the air the more glorious would the burnt man be in
heaven."— Ynglinga Saga, 10 (quoted by E.). Cf. the funeral pyre
of Herakles.

l. 3146-3147. B. conjectures:

... swōgende lēc
wōpe bewunden windblonda lēg

(lēc from lācan, see Gloss.).—Beit. xii. 110. Why not windblonda
lāc?

l. 3147. Müllenhoff rejected wind-blond gelæg because a great
fire raises rather than "lays" the wind; hence B., as above, =
"swoughing sported the flame wound with the howling of wind-
currents."

l. 3151 seq. B. restores conjecturally:

swylce giōmor-gyd sio geō-meowle
[æfter Bēowulfe] bunden-heorde
[song] sorg-cearig, sǣde geneahhe,
þæt hīo hyre [hearm-]dagas hearde on [dr]ēde,
wælfylla worn, [w]īgendes egesan,
hȳ[n]ðo ond hæftnȳd, hēof on rīce wealg.
—Beit. xii. 100.

Here geō-meowle = old woman or widow; bunden-heorde = with
bound locks; hēof = lamentation; cf. l. 3143. on rīce wealg is less
preferable than the MS. reading, heofon rēce swealg = heaven
swallowed the smoke.—H.-So. B. thinks Beowulf's widow
(geōmeowle) was probably Hygd; cf. ll. 2370, 3017-3021.

l. 3162. H.-So. reads (with MS.) bronda be lāfe, for betost, and
omits colon after bēcn. So B., Zachers Zeitschr. iv. 224.

l. 3171. E. quotes Gibbon's accounts of the burial of Attila when
the "chosen squadrons of the Hun, wheeling round in measured
evolutions, chanted a funeral song to the memory of a hero."

ll. 3173-3174. B. proposes:

woldon gēn cwīðan [ond] kyning
wordgyd wrecan ond ymb wēl sprecan.
—Beit. xii. 112.

l. 3183. Z., K., Th. read manna for mannum.

l. 3184. "It is the English ideal of a hero as it was conceived by an
Englishman some twelve hundred years ago."—Br., p. 18.

NOTES TO THE FIGHT AT FINNSBURG.

The original MS. of this fragment has vanished, but a copy had
been made and printed by Hickes in his Thesaurus Linguarum
Septentrionalium, i. 192. The original was written on a single sheet
attached to a codex of homilies in the Lambeth Library. Möller,
Alteng. Epos, p. 65, places the fragment in the Finn episode,
between ll. 1146 and 1147. Bugge (Beit. xii. 20) makes it illustrate
the conflict in which Hnæf fell, i.e. as described in Bēowulf as
antecedent to the events there given. Heinzel (Anzeiger f. d.
Altert.), however, calls attention to the fact that Hengest in the
fragment is called cyning, whereas in Bēowulf, l. 1086, he is
called þegn. See H.-So., p. 125.

"The Fight at Finnsburg and the lays from which our Bēowulf was
composed were, as it seems to me, sung among the English who
dwelt in the north of Denmark and the south of Sweden, and
whose tribal name was the Jutes or Goths."—Br., p. 101.

l. 1. R. supposes [hor]nas, and conjectures such an introductory
conversation as follows: "Is it dawning in the east, or is a fiery
dragon flying about, or are the turrets of some castle burning?"
questions which the king negatives in the same order. Then comes
the positive declaration, "rather they are warriors marching whose
armor gleams in the moonlight." —Alt- und Angels. Lesebuch,
1861. Heinzel and B. conjecture, [beorhtor hor]nas byrnað
nǣfre. So. G.—Beit. xii. 22; Anzeiger f. d. Altert. x. 229.

l. 5. B. conjectures fugelas to mean arrows, and supplies:

ac hēr forð berað [fyrdsearu rincas,
flacre flānbogan], fugelas singað.

He compares Saxo, p. 95, cristatis galeis hastisque sonantibus
instant, as explanatory of l. 6.—Beit. xii. 22. But see Brooke, Early
Eng. Literature, who supposes fugelas = raven and eagle, while
grǣg-hama is = wulf (the "grey-coated one"), the ordinary
accompaniers of battle.

l. 11. hicgeað, etc.: cf. Maldon, l. 5; Exod. l. 218.

l. 15. Cf. B. (Beit. xii. 25), etc., and Saxo, p. 101, for l. 13.

ll. 18-21. H.-So. remarks: "If, according to Möller and Bugge,
Gārulf is one of the attackers, one of Finn's men, this does not
harmonize with his character as Gūðlāf's son (l. 33), who (l. 16,
and Bēowulf, l. 1149) is a Dane, therefore one of Finn's
antagonists." B. (Beit. xii. 25) conjectures:

þā gȳt Gūðdene Gārulf styrode,
þæt hē swā frēolīc feorh forman sīðe
tō þǣre healle durum hyrsta ne bǣre,
nū hīe nīða heard ānyman wolde;

in which Gūðdene is the same as Sigeferð, l. 24; hē (l. 22) refers
to Gārulf; and hīe (l. 21) to hyrsta.

l. 27. swæðer = either (bad or good, life or death).—H.-So.

l. 29. cēlod: meaning doubtful; cf. Maldon, l. 283. G. renders
"curved board"; Sw. suggests "round"? "hollow"?

l. 30. B. suggests bār-helm, = boar-helm. Cf. Saxo, p. 96.—Beit.
xii. 26.

l. 34. B. conjectures: (1) hwearf flacra hrǣw hræfen, wandrode;
(2) hwearf flacra hrǣw hræfen fram ōðrum = flew from one
corpse to another.—Beit. xii. 27.

l. 43. B. supposes wund hæleð to be a Dane, folces hyrde to be
Hnæf, in opposition to Holtzmann (Germania, viii. 494), who
supposes the wounded man to be a Frisian, and folces hyrde to
be their king, Finn.—Beit. xii. 28.

l. 45. B. adopts Th.'s reading heresceorp unhrōr = equipments
useless.—Beit. xii. 28.

l. 47. "Though wounded, they had retained their strength and
activity in battle."—B., Beit. xii. 28.

GLOSSARY
A

ac, conj. denoting contrariety: hence 1) but (like N.H.G. sondern),
109, 135, 339, etc.—2) but (N.H.G. aber), nevertheless, 602, 697,
etc.—3) in direct questions: nonne, numquid, 1991.

āglǣca, āhlǣca, ǣglǣca, -cea, w. m. (cf. Goth, aglo, trouble,
O.N. agi, terror, + lāc, gift, sport: = misery, vexation, = bringer of
trouble; hence): 1) evil spirit, demon, a demon-like being; of
Grendel, 159, 433, 593, etc.; of the drake, 2535, 2906, etc.—2)
great hero, mighty warrior; of Sigemund, 894; of Bēowulf: gen. sg.
āglǣcan(?), 1513; of Bēowulf and the drake: nom. pl. þā
āglǣcean, 2593.

āglǣc-wīf, st. n., demon, devil, in the form of a woman; of
Grendel's mother, 1260.

aldor. See ealdor.

al-wealda. See eal-w.

am-biht (from and-b., Goth, and-baht-s), st. m., servant, man-
servant: nom. sg. ombeht, of the coast-guard, 287; ombiht, of
Wulfgār, 336.

ambiht-þegn (from ambiht n. officium and þegn, which see),
servant, man-servant: dat. sg. ombiht-þegne, of Bēowulf's servant,
674.

an, prep, with the dat., on, in, with respect to, 678; with, among, at,
upon (position after the governed word), 1936; with the acc., 1248.
Elsewhere on, which see.

ancor, st. m., anchor: dat. sg. ancre, 303, 1884.

ancor-bend, m. (?) f. (?), anchor-cable: dat. pl. oncer-bendum,
1919.

and, conj. (ond is usual form; for example, 601, 1149, 2041), and
33, 39, 40, etc. (See Appendix.)

anda, w. m., excitement, vexation, horror: dat. wrāðum on andan,
709, 2315.

and-git, st. n., insight, understanding: nom. sg., 1060. See gitan.

and-hātor, st. m. n., heat coming against one: gen. sg. rēðes and-
hāttres, 2524.

and-lang, -long, adj., very long. hence 1) at whole length, raised
up high: acc. andlongne eorl, 2696 (cf. Bugge upon this point,
Zachers Ztschr., 4, 217).—2) continual, entire; andlangne dæg,
2116, the whole day; andlonge niht, 2939.

and-lēan, st. n., reward, payment in full: acc. sg., 1542, 2095
(hand-, hond-lean, MS.).

and-risno, st. f. (see rīsan, surgere, decere), that which is to be
observed, that which is proper, etiquette: dat. pl. for andrysnum,
according to etiquette, 1797.

and-saca, w. m., adversary: godes andsaca (Grendel), 787, 1683.

and-slyht, st. m., blow in return: acc. sg., 2930, 2973 (MS. both
times hond-slyht).

and-swaru, st. f., act of accosting: 1) to persons coming up, an
address, 2861.—2) in reply to something said, an answer, 354,
1494, 1841.

and-weard, adj., present, existing: acc. sg. n. swīn ofer helme
and-weard (the image of the boar, which stands on his helm),

1288.

and-wlita, w. m., countenance: acc. sg. -an, 690.

an-sund, adj., entirely unharmed: nom. sg. m., 1001.

an-sȳn, f., the state of being seen: hence 1) the exterior, the form,
251: ansȳn ȳwde, showed his form, i.e. appeared, 2835.—2)
aspect, appearance, 929; on-sȳn, 2773.

an-walda, w. m., He who rules over all, God, 1273. See Note.

atelīc, adj., terrible, dreadful: atelīc egesa, 785.

atol, adj. (also eatol, 2075, etc.), hostile, frightful, cruel: of
Grendel, 159, 165, 593, 2075, etc.; of Grendel's mother's hands
(dat. pl. atolan), 1503; of the undulation of the waves, 849; of
battle, 597, 2479.—cf. O.N. atall, fortis, strenuus.

attor, st. n., poison, here of the poison of the dragon's bite: nom.,
2716.

attor-sceaða, w. m., poisonous enemy, of the poisonous dragon:
gen. sg. -sceaðan, 2840.

āwa, adv. (certainly not the dative, but a reduplicated form of ā,
which see), ever: āwa tō aldre, fōr ever and ever, 956.

Ā

ā, adv. (Goth, áiv, acc. from aiv-s aevum), ever, always, 455, 882,
931, 1479: ā syððan, ever afterwards, ever, ever after, 283, 2921.
—ever, 780.—Comp. nā.

ād st. m. funeral pile: acc. sg. ād, 3139; dat. sg. āde, 1111, 1115.

ād-faru, st. f., way to the funeral pile, dat. sg. on ād-fære, 3011.

ādl, st. f. sickness, 1737, 1764, 1849.

āð, st. m., oath in general, 2740; oath of allegiance, 472 (?); oath
of reconciliation of two warring peoples, 1098, 1108.

āð-sweord, st. n., the solemn taking of an oath, the swearing of
an oath: nom. pl., 2065. See sweord.

āðum-swerian, m. pl., son-in-law and father-in-law: dat. pl., 84.

āgan, verb, pret. and pres., to have, to possess, w. acc.: III. prs.
sg. āh, 1728; inf. āgan, 1089; prt. āhte, 487, 522, 533; with object,
geweald, to be supplied, 31. Form contracted with the negative:
prs. sg. I. nāh hwā sweord wege (I have no one to wield the
sword), 2253.

āgen, adj., own, peculiar, 2677.

āgend (prs. part. of āgan), possessor, owner, lord: gen. sg.
āgendes, of God, 3076.—Compounds: blǣd-, bold-, folc-, mægen-
āgend.

āgend-frēa, w. m., owner, lord: gen. sg. āgend-frēan, 1884.

āhsian, ge-āhsian, w. v.: 1) to examine, to find out by inquiring:
pret. part. ge-āhsod, 433.—2) to experience, to endure: pret.
āhsode, 1207; pl. āhsodon, 423.

āht, st. n. (contracted from ā-wiht, which see), something,
anything: āht cwices, 2315.

ān, num. The meaning of this word betrays its apparent
demonstrative character: 1) this, that, 2411, of the hall in the earth
mentioned before; similarly, 100 (of Grendel; already mentioned),
cf. also 2775.—2) one, a particular one among many, a single one,
in numerical sense: ymb āne niht (the next night), 135; þurh ānes
cræft, 700; þāra ānum, 1038; ān æfter ānum, one for the other
(Hrēðel for Herebeald), 2462: similarly, ān æfter eallum, 2269;
ānes hwæt, some single thing, a part, 3011; se ān lēoda duguðe,
the one of the heroes of the people, 2238; ānes willan, for the

sake of a single one, 3078, etc.—Hence, again, 3) alone,
distinguished, 1459, 1886.—4) a, in the sense of an indefinite
article: ān ... fēond, 100; gen. sg. ānre bēne (or to No.2[?]), 428;
ān ... draca, 2211—5) gen. pl. ānra, in connection with a pronoun,
single; ānra gehwylces, every single one, 733; ānra gehwylcum,
785. Similarly, the dat. pl. in this sense: nemne fēaum ānum,
except a few single ones, 1082.—6) solus, alone: in the strong
form, 1378, 2965; in the weak form, 145, 425, 431, 889, etc.; with
the gen., āna Gēata duguðe, alone of the warriors of the Gēatas,
2658.—7) solitarius, alone, lonely, see ǣn.—Comp. nān.

ān-feald, adj., simple, plain, without reserve: acc. sg. ānfealdne
geþōht, simple opinion, 256.

ān-genga, -gengea, w. m., he who goes alone, of Grendel, 165,
449.

ān-haga, w. m., he who stands alone, solitarius, 2369.

ān-hȳdig, adj. (like the O.N. ein-rād-r, of one resolve, i.e. of firm
resolve), of one opinion, i.e. firm, brave, decided, 2668.

ānga, adj. (only in the weak form), single, only: acc. sg. āngan
dōhtor, 375, 2998; āngan eaferan, 1548; dat. sg. āngan brēðer,
1263.

ān-pæð, st. m., lonely way, path: acc. pl. ānpaðas, 1411.

ān-rǣd, adj. (cf. under ān-hȳdig), of firm resolution, resolved,
1530, 1576.

ān-tīd, st. f., one time, i.e. the same time, ymb ān-tīd ōðres
dōgores, about the same time the second day (they sailed twenty-
four hours), 219.—ān stands as in ān-mod, O.H.G. ein-muoti,
harmonious, of the same disposition.

ānunga, adv., throughout, entirely, wholly, 635.

ār, st. m., ambassador, messenger, 336, 2784.

ār, st. f., 1) honor, dignity: ārum healdan, to hold in honor, 296;
similarly, 1100, 1183.—2) favor, grace, support: acc. sg. āre, 1273,
2607; dat. sg. āre, 2379; gen. pl. hwæt ... ārna, 1188.—Comp.
worold-ār; also written ǣr.

ār-fæst, adj., honorable, upright, 1169; of Hunferð (with reference
to 588). See fæst.

ārian, w. v., (to be gracious), to spare: III. sg. prs. w. dat.
nǣnegum ārað; of Grendel, 599.

ār-stæf, st. m.,(elementum honoris), grace, favor: dat. pl. mid
ārstafum, 317.—Help, support: dat. pl. for ār-stafum, to the
assistance, 382, 458. See stæf.

āter-tēar, m., poisonous drop: dat. pl. īren āter-tēarum fāh (steel
which is dipped in poison or in poisonous sap of plants), 1460.

Æ

æðele, adj., noble: nom. sg., of Bēowulf, 198, 1313; of Bēowulf's
father, 263, where it can be understood as well in a moral as in a
genealogical sense; the latter prevails decidedly in the gen. sg.
æðelan cynnes, 2235.

æðeling, st. m., nobleman, man of noble descent, especially the
appellation of a man of royal birth; so of the kings of the Danes, 3;
of Scyld, 33; of Hrōðgār, 130; of Sigemund, 889; of Bēowulf, 1226,
1245, 1597, 1816, 2189, 2343, 2375, 2425, 2716, 3136; perhaps
also of Dæghrefn, 2507;—then, in a broader sense, also denoting
other noble-born men: Æschere, 1295; Hrōðgār's courtiers, 118,
983; Heremōd's courtiers, 907; Hengest's warriors, 1113;
Bēowulf's retinue, 1805, 1921, 3172; noble-born in general, 2889.
—Comp. sib-æðeling.

æðelu, st. n., only in the pl., noble descent, nobility, in the sense
of noble lineage: acc. pl. æðelu, 392; dat. pl. cyning æðelum gōd,
the king, of noble birth, 1871; æðelum dīore, worthy on account of
noble lineage, 1950; æðelum (hǣleþum, MS.), 332.—Comp.
fæder-æðelu.

æfnan, w. v. w. acc., to perform, to carry out, to accomplish: inf.
ellen-weorc æfnan, to do a heroic deed, 1465; pret. unriht æfnde,
perpetrated wrong, 1255.

ge-æfnan, 1) to carry out, to do, to accomplish: pret. pl. þæt
geæfndon swā, so carried that out, 538; pret. part. āð wæs
geæfned, the oath was sworn, 1108.—2) get ready, prepare: pret.
part. geæfned, 3107. See efnan.

æfter (comparative of af, Ags. of, which see; hence it expresses
the idea of forth, away, from, back), a) adv., thereupon, afterwards,
12, 341, 1390, 2155.—ic him æfter sceal, I shall go after them,
2817; in word æfter cwæð, 315, the sense seems to be, spoke
back, having turned; b) prep. w. dat., 1) (temporal) after, 119, 128,
187, 825, 1939, etc.; æfter beorne, after the (death of) the hero,
2261, so 2262; æfter māððum-welan, after (obtaining) the
treasure, 2751.—2) (causal) as proceeding from something,
denoting result and purpose, hence, in consequence of,
conformably to: æfter rihte, in accordance with right, 1050, 2111;
æfter faroðe, with the current, 580; so 1321, 1721, 1944, 2180,
etc., æfter heaðo-swāte, in consequence of the blood of battle,
1607; æfter wælnīðe, in consequence of mortal enmity, 85; in
accordance with, on account of, after, about: æfter æðelum
(hǣleþum, MS.)frægn, asked about the descent, 332; ne frīn þū
æfter sǣlum, ask not after my welfare, 1323; æfter sincgyfan
grēoteð, weeps for the giver of treasure, 1343; him æfter dēorum
men dyrne langað, longs in secret for the dear man, 1880; ān
æfter ānum, one for the other, 2462, etc.—3) (local), along: æfter
gumcynnum, throughout the races of men, among men, 945;
sōhte bed æfter būrum, sought a bed among the rooms of the
castle (the castle was fortified, the hall was not), 140; æfter recede

wlāt, looked along the hall, 1573; stone æfter stāne, smelt along
the rocks, 2289; æfter lyfte, along the air through the air, 2833;
similarly, 996, 1068, 1317, etc.

æf-þunca, w. m., anger, chagrin, vexatious affair: nom., 502.

ge-æhtan, w. v., to prize, to speak in praise of: pret. part.
geæhted, 1866.

ge-æhtla, w. m., or ge-æhtle, w. f., a speaking of with praise, high
esteem: gen. sg. hȳ ... wyrðe þinceað eorla geæhtlan, seem
worthy of the high esteem of the noble-born, 369.

æglǣcea. See āglǣcea.

æl-fylce (from æl-, Goth. ali-s, ἄλλος, and fylce, O.N. fylki,
collective form from folc), st. n., other folk, hostile army: dat. pl. wið
ælfylcum, 2372.

æl-mihtig (for eal-m.), adj., almighty: nom. sg. m., of the weak
form, se æl-mihtiga, 92.

æl-wiht, st. m., being of another species, monster: gen. pl. æl-
wihta eard, of the dwelling-place of Grendel's kindred, 1501.

æppel-fealu, adj., dappled sorrel, or apple-yellow: nom. pl. æppel-
fealuwe mēaras, apple-yellow steeds, 2166.

ærn, st. n., house, in the compounds heal-, hord-, medo-, þrȳð-,
win-ærn.

æsc, st. m., ash (does not occur in Bēowulf in this sense), lance,
spear, because the shaft consists of ash wood: dat. pl. (quā instr.)
æscum and ecgum, with spears and swords, 1773.

æsc-holt, st. n., ash wood, ashen shaft: nom. pl. æsc-holt ufan
grǣg, the ashen shafts gray above (spears with iron points), 330.

æsc-wiga, w. m., spear-fighter, warrior armed with the spear:
nom. sg., 2043.

æt, prep. w. dat., with the fundamental meaning of nearness to
something, hence 1) local, a) with, near, at, on, in (rest): æt hȳðe,
in harbor, 32; æt symle, at the meal, 81, æt āde, on the funeral-
pile, 1111, 1115; æt þē ānum, with thee alone, 1378; æt wīge, in
the fight, 1338; æt hilde, 1660, 2682; æt ǣte, in eating, 3027, etc.
b) to, towards, at, on (motion to): dēaðes wylm hrān æt heortan,
seized upon the heart, 2271; gehēton æt hærgtrafum, vowed at (or
to) the temples of the gods, 175. c) with verbs of taking away,
away from (as starting from near an object): geþeah þæt ful æt
Wealhþēon, took the cup from W., 630; fela ic gebād grynna æt
Grendle, from Grendel, 931; æt mīnum fæder genam, took me
from my father to himself, 2430.—2) temporal, at, in, at the time of:
æt frumsceafte, in the beginning, 45; æt ende, at an end, 224;
fand sīnne dryhten ealdres æt ende, at the end of life, dying, 2791;
similarly, 2823; æt feohgyftum, in giving gifts, 1090; æt sīðestan,
finally, 3014.

æt-grǣpe, adj., laying hold of, prehendens, 1270.

æt-rihte, adv., almost, 1658.

Ǣ

ǣdre, ēdre, st. f., aqueduct, canal (not in Bēow.), vein (not in
Bēow.), stream, violent pouring forth: dat. pl. swāt ǣdrum sprong,
the blood sprang in streams, 2967; blōd ēdrum dranc, drank the
blood in streams(?), 743.

ǣdre, adv., hastily, directly, immediately, 77, 354, 3107.

ǣðm, st. m., breath, gasp, snort: instr. sg. hreðer ǣðme wēoll, the
breast (of the drake) heaved with snorting, 2594.

ǣfen, st. m., evening, 1236.

ǣfen-gram, adj., hostile at evening, night-enemy: nom. sg. m.
ǣfen-grom, of Grendel, 2075.

ǣfen-lēoht, st. n., evening-light: nom. sg., 413.

ǣfen-ræst, st. f., evening-rest: acc. sg. -ræste, 647, 1253.

ǣfen-sprǣc, st. f., evening-talk: acc. sg. gemunde ...ǣfen-
sprǣce, thought about what he had spoken in the evening, 760.

ǣfre, adv., ever, at any time, 70, 280, 504, 693, etc.: in negative
sentences, ǣfre ne, never, 2601.—Comp. nǣfre.

ǣg-hwā (O.H.G. ēo-ga-hwër), pron., every, each: dat. sg.
ǣghwǣm, 1385. The gen. sg. in adverbial sense, in all,
throughout, thoroughly: ǣghwæs untǣle, thoroughly blameless,
1866; ǣghwæs unrīm, entirely innumerable quantity, i.e. an
enormous multitude, 2625, 3136.

ǣg-hwæðer (O.H.G. ēo-ga-hwëdar): 1) each (of two): nom. sg.
hæfde ǣghwæðer ende gefēred, each of the two (Bēowulf and the
drake) had reached the end, 2845; dat. sg. ǣghwæðrum wæs
brōga fram ōðrum, to each of the two (Bēowulf and the drake) was
fear of the other, 2565; gen. sg. ǣghwæðres ... worda and worca,
287.—2) each (of several): dat. sg. heora ǣghwæðrum, 1637.

ǣg-hwǣr, adv., everywhere, 1060.

ǣg-hwilc (O.H.G. ēo-gi-hwëlih), pron., unusquisque, every (one):
1) used as an adj.: acc. sg. m. dǣl ǣghwylcne, 622.—2) as
substantive, a) with the partitive genitive: nom. sg. ǣg-hwylc, 9,
2888; dat. sg. ǣghwylcum, 1051. b) without gen.: nom. sg.
ǣghwylc, 985, 988; (wæs) ǣghwylc ōðrum trȳwe, each one (of
two) true to the other, 1166.

ǣg-weard, st. f., watch on the sea shore: acc. sg. ǣg-wearde,
241.

ǣht (abstract form from āgan, denoting the state of possessing),
st. f.: 1) possession, power: acc. sg. on flōdes ǣht, 42; on
wæteres ǣht, into the power of the water, 516; on ǣht gehwearf
Denigea frēan, passed over into the possession of a Danish
master, 1680.—2) property, possessions, goods: acc. pl. ǣhte,
2249.—Comp. māðm-, gold-ǣht.

ǣht (O.H.G. āhta), st. f., pursuit: nom. þā wæs ǣht boden
Swēona lēodum, segn Higelāce, then was pursuit offered to the
people of the Swēonas, (their) banner to Hygelāc (i.e. the banner
of the Swedes, taken during their flight, fell into the hands of
Hygelāc), 2958.

ǣled (Old Sax. eld, O.N. edl-r), st. m., fire, 3016.

ǣled-lēoma, w. m., (fire-light), torch: acc. sg. lēoman, 3126. See
lēoma.

ǣn (oblique form of ān), num., one: acc. sg. m. þone ǣnne
þone..., the one whom..., 1054; oftor micle þonne on ǣnne sīð,
much oftener than one time, 1580; forð onsendon ǣnne, sent him
forth alone, 46.

ǣne, adv., once: oft nalles ǣne, 3020.

ǣnig, pron., one, any one, 474, 503, 510, 534, etc.: instr. sg.
nolde ... 0nige þinga, would in no way, not at all, 792; lȳt ǣnig
mearn, little did any one sorrow (i.e. no one), 3130.—With the
article: næs se folccyning ... ǣnig, no people's king, 2735.—
Comp. nǣnig.

ǣn-līc, adj., alone, excellent, distinguished: ǣnlīc ansȳn,
distinguished appearance, 251; þēah þe hīo ǣnlīcu sȳ, though she
be beautiful, 1942.

ǣr (comparative form, from ā): 1) adv., sooner, before,
beforehand, 15, 656, 695, 758, etc., for a long time, 2596; eft swā
ǣr, again as formerly, 643; ǣr nē siððan, neither sooner nor later,

719; ǣr and sīð, sooner and later (all times), 2501; nō þȳ ǣr (not
so much the sooner), yet not, 755, 1503, 2082, 2161, 2467.—2)
conjunct., before, ere: a) with the ind.: ǣr hīo tō setle gēong, 2020.
b) w. subjunc.: ǣr gē fyr fēran, before you travel farther, 252; ǣr
hē on hwurfe 164, so 677, 2819; ǣr þon dæg cwōme, ere the day
break, 732; ǣr correlative to ǣr adv.: ǣr hē feorh seleð, aldor an
ōfre, ǣr hē wille ..., he will sooner (rather) leave his life upon the
shore, before (than) he will ..., 1372.—3) prepos. with dat., before
ǣr dēaðe, before death, 1389; ǣr dæges hwīle, before daybreak,
2321; ǣr swylt-dæge, before the day of death, 2799.

ǣror, comp. adv., sooner, before-hand, 810; formerly, 2655.

ǣrra, comp. adj., earlier; instr. pl., ǣrran mǣlum, in former times,
908, 2238, 3036.

ǣrest, superl.: 1) adv., first of all, foremost, 6, 617, 1698, etc.—2)
as subst. n., relation to, the beginning: acc. þæt ic his ǣrest þē eft
gesægde (to tell thee in what relation it stood at first to the coat of
mail that has been presented), 2158. See Note.

ǣr-dæg, st. m. (before-day), morning-twilight, gray of morning:
dat. sg. mid ǣrdæge, 126; samod ǣrdæge, 1312, 2943.

ǣrende, st. n., errand, trust: acc. sg., 270, 345.

ǣr-fæder, st. m., late father, deceased father: nom sg. swā his
ǣrfæder, 2623.

ǣr-gestrēon, st. n., old treasure, possessions dating from old
times: acc sg., 1758; gen. sg. swylcra fela ǣrgestrēona, much of
such old treasure, 2233. See gestrēon.

ǣr-geweorc, st. n., work dating from old times: nom. sg. enta ǣr-
geweorc, the old work of the giants (of the golden sword-hilt from
Grendel's water-hall), 1680. See geweorc.

ǣr-gōd, adj., good since old times, long invested with dignity or
advantages: æðeling ǣrgōd, 130; (eorl) ǣrgōd, 1330; īren ǣrgōd
(excellent sword), 990, 2587.

ǣr-wela, w. m., old possessions, riches dating from old times: acc.
sg. ǣrwelan, 2748. See wela.

ǣs, st. n., carcass, carrion: dat. (instr.) sg. ǣse, of Æschere's
corpse, 1333.

ǣt, st. m., food, meat: dat, sg., hū him æt ǣte spēow, how he
fared well at meat, 3027.

ǣttren (see attor), adj., poisonous: wæs þæt blōd tō þæs hāt,
ǣttren ellorgāst, se ǣr inne swealt, so hot was the blood, (and)
poisonous the demon (Grendel's mother) who died therein, 1618

B

bana, bona, w. m., murderer, 158, 588, 1103, etc.: acc. sg. bonan
Ongenþēowes, of Hygelāc, although in reality his men slew
Ongenþēow (2965 ff.), 1969. Figuratively of inanimate objects: ne
wæs ecg bona, 2507; wearð wracu Wēohstānes bana, 2614.—
Comp.: ecg-, feorh-, gāst-, hand-, mūð-bana.

bon-gār, st. m. murdering spear, 2032.

ge-bannan, st. v. w. acc. of the thing and dat. of the person, to
command, to bid: inf., 74.

bād, st. f., pledge, only in comp.: nȳd-bād.

bān, st. n., bone: dat. sg. on bāne (on the bony skin of the drake),
2579; dat. pl. heals ealne ymbefēng biteran bānum (here of the
teeth of the drake), 2693.

bān-cofa, w. m., "cubile ossium" (Grimm) of the body: dat. sg. -
cofan, 1446.

bān-fāg, adj., variegated with bones, either with ornaments made
of bone-work, or adorned with bone, perhaps deer-antlers; of
Hrōðgār's hall, 781. The last meaning seems the more probable.

bān-fæt, st. n., bone-vessel, i.e. the body: acc. pl. bān-fatu, 1117.

bān-hring, st. m., the bone-structure, joint, bone-joint: acc. pl. hire
wið halse ... bānhringas bræc (broke her neck-joint), 1568.

bān-hūs, st. n., bone-house, i.e. the body: acc. sg. bānhūs
gebræc, 2509; similarly, 3148.

bān-loca, w. m., the enclosure of the bones, i.e. the body: acc. sg.
bāt bānlocan, bit the body, 743; nom. pl. burston bānlocan, the
body burst (of Grendel, because his arm was torn out), 819.

bāt, st. m., boat, craft, ship, 211.—Comp. sǣ-bāt.

bāt-weard, st. m., boat-watcher, he who keeps watch over the
craft. dat. sg. -wearde, 1901.

bæð, st. n., bath: acc. sg. ofer ganotes bæð, over the diver's bath
(i.e. the sea), 1862.

bærnan, w. v., to cause to burn, to burn: inf. hēt ... bānfatu
bærnan, bade that the bodies be burned, 1117; ongan ... beorht
hofu bærnan, began to consume the splendid country-seats (the
dragon), 2314.

for-bærnan, w. v., consume with fire: inf. hȳ hine ne mōston ...
brondefor-bærnan, they (the Danes) could not burn him (the dead
Æschere) upon the funeral-pile, 2127.

bǣdan (Goth, baidjan, O.N. beðia), to incite, to encourage: pret.
bǣdde byre geonge, encouraged the youths (at the banquet),
2019.

ge-bǣdan, w. v., to press hard: pret. part. bysigum gebǣded,
distressed by trouble, difficulty, danger (of battle), 2581; to drive, to

send forth: strǣla storm strengum gebǣded, the storm of arrows
sent with strength, 3118; overcome: draca ... bealwe gebǣded,
the dragon ... overcome by the ills of battle, 2827.

bǣl (O.N. bāl), st. n., fire, flames: (wyrm) mid bǣle fōr, passed
(through the air) with fire, 2309; hæfde landwara līge befangan,
bǣle and bronde, with fire and burning, 2323.—Especially, the fire
of the funeral-pile, the funeral-pile, 1110, 1117, 2127; ǣr hē bǣl
cure, ere he sought the burning (i.e. died), 2819; hātað ... hlǣw
gewyrcean ... æfter bǣle, after I am burned, let a burial mound be
thrown up (Bēowulf's words), 2804.

bǣl-fȳr, st. n., bale-fire, fire of the funeral-pile: gen. pl. bǣlfȳra
mǣst, 3144.

bǣl-stede, st. m., place for the funeral-pile: dat. sg. in bǣl=stede,
3098.

bǣl-wudu, st. m., wood for the funeral-pile, 3113.

bǣr, st. f., bier, 3106.

ge-bǣran, w. v., to conduct one's self, behave: inf. w. adv., ne
gefrægen ic þā mǣgðe ... sēl gebǣran, I did not hear that a troop
bore itself better, maintained a nobler deportment, 1013; hē on
eorðan geseah þone lēofestan līfes æt ende blēate gebǣran, saw
the best-beloved upon the earth, at the end of his life, struggling
miserably (i.e. in a helpless situation), 2825.

ge-bǣtan (denominative from bǣte, the bit), w. v., to place the bit
in the mouth of an animal, to bridle: pret. part. þā wæs Hrōðgāre
hors gebǣted, 1400.

be, prep. w. dat. (with the fundamental meaning near, "but not of
one direction, as æt, but more general"): 1) local, near by, near, at,
on (rest): be ȳdlāfe uppe lǣgon, lay above, upon the deposit of the
waves (upon the strand, of the slain nixies), 566; hæfde be honda,
held by the hand (Bēowulf held Grendel), 815; be sǣm tweonum,

in the circuit of both the seas, 859, 1686; be mæste, on the mast,
1906; by fȳre, by the fire, 2220; be næsse, at the promontory,
2244; sæt be þǣm gebrōðrum twǣm, sat by the two brothers,
1192; wæs se gryre lǣssa efne swā micle swā bið mægða cræft
be wǣpnedmen, the terror was just so much less, as is the
strength of woman to the warrior (i.e. is valued by), 1285, etc.—2)
also local, but of motion from the subject in the direction of the
object, on, upon, by: gefēng be eaxle, seized by the shoulder,
1538; ālēdon lēofne þēoden be mæste, laid the dear lord near the
mast, 36; be healse genam, took him by the neck, fell upon his
neck, 1873; wǣpen hafenade be hiltum, grasped the weapon by
the hilt, 1757, etc.—3) with this is connected the causal force, on
account of, for, according to: ic þis gid be þē āwræc, I spake this
solemn speech for thee, for thy sake, 1724; þū þē lǣr be þon,
learn according to this, from this, 1723; be fæder lāre, according to
her father's direction, 1951.—4) temporal, while, during: be þē
lifigendum, while thou livest, during thy life, 2666. See bī.

bed, st. n., bed, couch: acc. sg. bed, 140, 677; gen. sg. beddes,
1792; dat. pl. beddum, 1241.—Comp: deað-, hlin-, læger-,
morðor-, wæl-bed.

ge-bedde, w. f., bed-fellow: dat. sg. wolde sēcan ewēn tō
gebeddan, wished to seek the queen as bed-fellow, to go to bed
with her, 666.—Comp. heals-gebedde.

bēgen, fem. bā, both: nom. m., 536, 770, 2708; acc. fem. on bā
healfa, on two sides (i.e. Grendel and his mother), 1306; dat. m.
bām, 2197; and in connection with the possessive instead of the
personal pronoun, ūrum bām, 2661; gen. n. bēga, 1874, 2896;
bēga gehwæðres, each one of the two, 1044; bēga folces, of both
peoples, 1125.

ge-belgan, st. v. (properly, to cause to swell, to swell), to irritate: w.
dat. (pret. subj.) þæt hē ēcean dryhtne bitre gebulge, that he had
bitterly angered the eternal Lord, 2332; pret. part. gebolgen, 1540;
(gebolge, MS.), 2222; pl. gebolgne, 1432; more according to the
original meaning in torne gebolgen, 2402.

ā-belgan, to anger: pret. sg. w. acc. oð þæt hyne ān ābealh mon
on mōde, till a man angered him in his heart, 2281; pret. part.
ābolgen, 724.

ben, st. f., wound: acc. sg. benne, 2725.—Comp.: feorh-, seax-
ben.

benc, st. f., bench: nom. sg. benc, 492; dat. sg. bence, 327, 1014,
1189, 1244.—Comp.: ealu-, medu-benc.

benc-swēg, st. m., (bench-rejoicing), rejoicing which resounds
from the benches, 1162.

benc-þel, st. n., bench-board, the wainscotted space where the
benches stand: nom. pl. benc-þelu, 486; acc. pl. bencþelu
beredon, cleared the bench-boards (i.e. by taking away the
benches, so as to prepare couches), 1240.

bend, st. m. f., bond, fetter: acc. sg. forstes bend, frost's bond,
1610; dat. pl. bendum, 978.—Comp.: fȳr-, hell-, hyge-, īren-,
oncer-, searo-, wæl-bend.

ben-geat, st. n., (wound-gate), wound-opening: nom. pl. ben-
geato, 1122.

bera (O.N. beri), w. m., bearer: in comp. hleor-bera.

beran, st. v. w. acc., to carry; III. sg. pres. byreð, 296, 448; þone
māððum byreð, carries the treasure (upon his person), 2056; pres.
subj. bere, 437; pl. beren, 2654; inf. beran, 48, 231, 291, etc.; heht
þā se hearda Hrunting beran, to bring Hrunting, 1808; up beran,
1921; in beran, 2153; pret. bær, 495, 712, 847, etc.; mandryhtne
bær fǣted wǣge, brought the lord the costly vessel, 2282; pl.
bǣron, 213, 1636, etc.; bǣran, 2851; pret. part. boren, 1193,
1648, 3136.—The following expressions are poetic paraphrases of
the forms go, come: þæt wē rondas beren eft tō earde, 2654;
gewītað forð beran wǣpen and gewǣdu, 291; ic gefrægn sunu
Wīhstānes hringnet beran, 2755; wīgheafolan bær, 2662; helmas

bǣron, 240 (conjecture); scyldas bǣran, 2851: they lay stress
upon the connection of the man with his weapons.

æt-beran, to carry to: inf. tō beadulāce (battle) ætberan, 1562;
pret. þā hine on morgentīd on Heaðorǣmas holm up ætbær, the
sea bore him up to the Heaðorǣmas, 519; hīo Bēowulfe medoful
ætbær brought Bēowulf the mead-cup, 625; mægenbyrðenne ...
hider ūt ætbær cyninge mīnum, bore the great burden hither to my
king, 3093; pl. hī hyne ætbǣron tō brimes faroðe, 28.—2) bear
away: æt līc ætbær, 2128.

for-beran, to hold, to suppress: inf. þæt hē þone brēostwylm
forberan ne mehte, that he could not suppress the emotions of his
breast, 1878.

ge-beran, to bring forth, to bear: pret. part. þæt lā mæg secgan sē
þe sōð and riht fremeð on folce ... þæt þes eorl wǣre geboren
betera (that may every just man of the people say, that this
nobleman is better born), 1704.

oð-beran, to bring hither: pret. þā mec sǣ oðbær on Finna land,
579.

on-beran (O.H.G. in bëran, intpëran, but in the sense of carere),
auferre, to carry off, to take away: inf. īren ǣrgōd þæt þæs
āhlǣcan blōdge beadufolme onberan wolde, excellent sword
which would sweep off the bloody hand of the demon, 991; pret.
part. (wæs) onboren bēaga hord, the treasure of the rings had
been carried off, 2285.—Compounds with the pres. part.: helm-,
sāwl-berend.

berian (denominative from bær, naked), w. v., to make bare, to
clear: pret. pl. bencþelu beredon, cleared the bench-place (by
removing the benches), 1240.

berstan, st. v., to break, to burst: pret. pl. burston bānlocan, 819;
bengeato burston, 1122.—to crack, to make the noise of breaking:
fingras burston, the fingers cracked (from Bēowulf's gripe), 761.

for-berstan, break, to fly asunder: pret. Nægling forbærst, Nægling
(Bēowulf's sword) broke in two, 2681.

betera, adj. (comp.), better: nom. sg. m. betera, 469, 1704.

bet-līc, adj., excellent, splendid: nom. sg. n., of Hrōðgār's hall,
781; of Hygelāc's residence, 1926.

betst, betost (superl.), best, the best: nom. sg. m. betst
beadurinca, 1110; neut. nū is ofost betost, þæt wē ..., now is haste
the best, that we..., 3008; voc. m. secg betsta, 948; neut. acc.
beaduscrūda betst, 453; acc. sg. m. þegn betstan, 1872.

bēcn, st. n., (beacon), token, mark, sign: acc. sg. betimbredon
beadu-rōfes bēcn (of Bēowulf's grave-mound), 3162. See beacen.

bēg. See bēag.

bēn, st. f., entreaty: gen. sg. bēne, 428, 2285.

bēna, w. m., suppliant, supplex: nom. sg. swā þū bēna eart (as
thou entreatest), 352; swā hē bēna wæs (as he had asked), 3141;
nom. pl. hȳ bēnan synt, 364.

ge-betan: 1) to make good, to remove: pret. ac þū Hrōðgāre
wīdcūðne wēan wihte gebēttest, hast thou in any way relieved
Hrōðgār of the evil known afar, 1992; pret. part. acc. sg. swylce
oncȳððe ealle gebētte, removed all trouble, 831. —2) to avenge:
inf. wihte ne meahte on þām feorhbonan fǣhðe gebētan, could in
no way avenge the death upon the slayer, 2466.

beadu, st. f., battle, strife, combat: dat. sg. (as instr.) beadwe, in
combat, 1540; gen. pl. bād beadwa ge-þinges, waited for the
combats (with Grendel) that were in store for him, 710.

beadu-folm, st. f., battle-hand: acc. sg. -folme, of Grendel's hand,
991.

beado-grīma, w. m., (battle-mask), helmet: acc. pl. -grīman, 2258.

beado-hrægl, st. n., (battle-garment), corselet, shirt of mail, 552.

beadu-lāc, st. n., (exercise in arms, tilting), combat, battle: dat. sg.
tō beadu-lāce, 1562.

beado-lēoma, w. m., (battle-light), sword: nom. sg., 1524.

beado-mēce, st. m., battle-sword: nom. pl. beado-mēcas, 1455.

beado-rinc, st. m., battle-hero, warrior: gen. pl. betst beadorinca,
1110.

beadu-rōf, adj., strong in battle: gen. sg. -rōfes, of Bēowulf, 3162.

beadu-rūn, st. f., mystery of battle: acc. sg. onband beadu-rūne,
solved the mystery of the combat, i.e. gave battle, commenced the
fight, 501.

beadu-scearp, adj., battle-sharp, sharp for the battle, 2705.

beadu-scrūd, st. n., (battle-dress), corselet, shirt of mail: gen. pl.
beaduscrūda betst, 453.

beadu-serce, w. f., (battle-garment), corselet, shirt of mail: acc.
sg. brogdne beadu-sercean (because it consists of interlaced
metal rings), 2756.

beado-weorc, st. n., (battle-work), battle: gen. sg. gefeh beado-
weorces, rejoiced at the battle, 2300.

beald, adj., bold, brave: in comp. cyning-beald.

bealdian, w. v., to show one's self brave: pret. bealdode gōdum
dǣdum (through brave deeds), 2178.

bealdor, st. m., lord, prince: nom. sg. sinca baldor, 2429; winia
bealdor, 2568.

bealu, st. n., evil, ruin, destruction: instr. sg. bealwe, 2827; gen. pl.
bealuwa, 281; bealewa, 2083; bealwa, 910.—Comp.: cwealm-,
ealdor-, hreðer-, lēod-, morðor-, niht-, sweord-, wīg-bealu.

bealu, adj., deadly, dangerous, bad: instr. sg. hyne sār hafað
befongen balwon bendum, pain has entwined him in deadly
bands, 978.

bealo-cwealm, st. m., violent death, death by the sword(?), 2266.

bealo-hycgende, pres. part., thinking of death, meditating
destruction: gen. pl. ǣghwæðrum bealo-hycgendra, 2566.

bealo-hȳdig, adj., thinking of death, meditating destruction: of
Grendel, 724.

bealo-nīð, st. m., (zeal for destruction), deadly enmity: nom. sg.,
2405; destructive struggle: acc. sg. bebeorh þē þone bealonīð,
beware of destructive striving, 1759; death-bringing rage: nom. sg.
him on brēostum bealo-nīð wēoll, in his breast raged deadly fury
(of the dragon's poison), 2715.

bearhtm (see beorht): 1) st. m., splendor, brightness, clearness:
nom. sg. ēagena bearhtm, 1767.—2) sound, tone: acc. sg.
bearhtm ongeāton, gūðhorn galan, they heard the sound, (heard)
the battle-horn sound, 1432.

bearm, m., gremium, sinus, lap, bosom: nom. sg. foldan bearm,
1138; acc. sg. on bearm scipes, 35, 897; on bearm nacan, 214;
him on bearm hladan bunan and discas, 2776.—2) figuratively,
possession, property, because things bestowed were placed in the
lap of the receiver (1145 and 2195, on bearm licgan, ālecgan); dat.
sg. him tō bearme cwōm māððumfæt mǣre, came into his
possession, 2405.

bearn, st. n., 1) child, son: nom. sg. bearn Healfdenes, 469, etc.;
Ecglāfes bearn, 499, etc.; dat. sg. bearne, 2371; nom. pl. bearn,
59; dat. pl. bearnum, 1075.—2) in a broader sense, scion,
offspring, descendant: nom. sg. Ongenþēow's bearn, of his
grandson, 2388; nom. pl. yldo. bearn, 70; gumena bearn, children
of men, 879; hæleða bearn, 1190; æðelinga bearn, 3172; acc. pl.

ofer ylda bearn, 606; dat. pl. ylda bearnum, 150; gen. pl. niðða
bearna, 1006.—Comp.: brōðor-, dryht-bearn.

bearn-gebyrdu, f., birth, birth of a son: gen. sg. þæt hyre
ealdmetod ēste wǣre bearn-gebyrdo, has been gracious through
the birth of such a son (i.e. as Bēowulf), 947.

bearu, st. m., (the bearer, hence properly only the fruit-tree,
especially the oak and the beech), tree, collectively forest: nom. pl.
hrīmge bearwas, rime-covered or ice-clad, 1364.

bēacen, st. n., sign, banner, vexillum: nom. sg. beorht bēacen
godes, of the sun, 570; gen. pl. bēacna beorhtost, 2778. See
bēcn.

ge-bēacnian, w. v., to mark, to indicate: pret. part. ge-bēacnod,
140.

bēag, st. m., ring, ornament: nom. sg. bēah (neck-ring), 1212; acc.
sg. bēah (the collar of the murdered king of the Heaðobeardnas),
2042; bēg (collective for the acc. pl.), 3165; dat. sg. cwōm
Wealhþēo forð gān under gyldnum bēage, she walked along under
a golden head-ring, wore a golden diadem, 1164; gen. sg. bēages
(of a collar), 1217; acc. pl. bēagas (rings in general), 80, 523, etc.;
gen. pl. bēaga, 35, 352, 1488, 2285, etc.— Comp.: earm-, heals-
bēag.

bēag-gyfa, w. m., ring-giver, designation of the prince: gen. sg. -
gyfan, 1103.

bēag-hroden, adj., adorned with rings, ornamented with clasps:
nom. sg. bēaghroden, cwēn, of Hrōðgār's consort, perhaps with
reference to her diadem (cf. 1164, 624.

bēah-hord, st. m. n., ring-hoard, treasure consisting of rings: gen.
sg. bēah-hordes, 895; dat. pl. bēah-hordum, 2827; gen. pl. bēah-
horda weard, of King Hrōðgār, 922.