Beowulf and Wiglaf as Young Warriors

Beowulf and Wiglaf as Young Warriors
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Beowulf and Wiglaf as Young Warriors
Beowulf is a heroic poem concurrently featuring two young warriors, Beowulf and Wiglaf, though captured at different periods. The poem is written in Old English (Anglo-Saxon) dialect, a prominent type of language during the poem`s setting around the early 6th Century CE. Coincidentally, when the two young warriors Beowulf (first part of the poem) and Wiglaf (second part of the poem), are introduced, they enter the stage with funeral ceremonies. King Shild`s funeral signals Beowulf`s entry as a courageous young warrior, while King Beowulf`s funeral presents Wiglaf as a brave warrior.
King Shild`s death sets the stage for his great-grandson, King Hrothgar, to take over the Danish throne. Hrothgar is a popular and charismatic ruler who leads the Danes to conquer Denmark`s enemies successfully. Besides, he is a generous leader who believes in rewarding hard work. After the numerous conquests, he rewards his warriors by building them a grand hall (Herot/Heorot) for their shelter. However, troubles begin in the kingdom when the king decides to hold a banquet for his soldiers at night when the hall is completed. The celebratory noise that went for the better part of the night angered Grendel, a monster who lived in the nearby swamps. Grendel made his way into the hall when the soldiers were asleep and devoured approximately thirty of them.
For the following years, the fear of the monster`s return haunted the Danes for a dozen years, and the king did not know what to do to appease the monster. However, when Beowulf, prince of the Geats from Sweden, learned of the Danes` miseries, he summoned a couple of his best retainers and traveled to Denmark. On his arrival, Beowulf informs king Hrothgar of his past war successes, including fighting monsters. He is invited to a banquet and promised treasure rewards if he succeeds in killing Grendel. That same night Beowulf kills the monster with his bare hands. The king is pleased and lives up to his words to reward Beowulf and his men. Still, when Grendel`s mother learns of her son`s death, she makes a mission to avenge and later kills the king`s chief advisor, Aeschere. Beowulf retreats for the second mission and dives into the waters in pursuit of Grendel`s mother. He comes out of the water, having killed Grendel`s mother too. King Hrothgar is delighted, rewards Beowulf with a lot of treasure, and sees him and his men off on their way back to Sweden. Eventually, the Geats` King Hygelac, Beowulf`s uncle, dies, and Beowulf supports Hygelac’s son to the kingship as the rightful heir to the throne. However, Hygelac`s son eventually dies, and Beowulf becomes the Geats king several years later.
Wiglaf is introduced in the poem`s second part as a brave young warrior, which happens several years after Beowulf`s introduction. Beowulf has been the Geats` king for fifty years since his uncle`s death when he is introduced. By this time, Beowulf is an old warrior and the king of the Geats, but Wiglaf is the reincarnated Beowulf, a courageous young warrior. His heroic stance manifests when a dragon decides to avenge its stolen jeweled cup by breathing fire and torching numerous houses across the kingdom, including Beowulf`s residence. The dragon`s actions anger Beowulf, and he decides to kill it by himself. He goes to the cave and strikes with his sword; however, the battle turns fiery, and the dragon fights back, unleashing flames and venom that attack Beowulf`s neck. When the king`s men witness the scenario, they escape leaving only Wiglaf to reach King Beowulf`s aid. Wiglaf strikes the dragon, kills it, and reaches for Beowulf, who is now dying due to the dragon`s venom infection through his neck. Beowulf requests Wiglaf to bury him by the sea with a treasure trove. After Wiglaf accords Beowulf a decent royal burial, he scolds the soldiers who abandoned King Beowulf, citing that Beowulf would not have abandoned them. Wiglaf later becomes king.
Analysis of epithets: The various human character epithets category examples for Beowulf and Wiglaf as warriors are enumerated below. The categories for analysis for this sub-section include father`s name, tribe, name of lord, profession, status in society, and moral evaluation.
Beowulf`s epithet categories: (a) Father`s name: “Beowulf spoke, the son of the Ecgtheow” (Beowulf 39; 41; 45), (b) Tribe: &...