Escalante 1

Zachary Escalante
Mr. Munoz
English IV, Per. 3
22 September 2014
Beowulf Revised Draft
Hrothgar's gifts to Beowulf hold a variety of meanings and symbols, from simple examples of
safety and well being, to possible forebodings of his eventual kingship.
After having defeated Grendel by request of Hrothgar, Beowulf is presented four gifts,
the first being an embroidered banner. Often viewed as a means to announce someone's arrival,
such as a king, the banner holds a kingly aspect. In Hrothgar's giving of this gift to Beowulf, he
thinks of the warrior as having some kingly qualities. For example, he is impressed that such a
man could lead a group of "loyal" warriors that obeyed orders without question. When Beowulf
and his company prepare to leave Heorot, Hrothgar states that "the seafaring Geats won't find a
man worthier of acclaim as their king and defender" (lns. 1850-1851). Therefore, when handing
over the banner to Beowulf, Hrothgar felt that he would one day use it.
The second gift given to Beowulf, a breast mail and helmet. These two items are pieces
of armor worn for battle as a means of defense. Hrothgar might have handed these to Beowulf as
a request to protect himself. This armor could be viewed as a gesture of Hrothgar's wish to
protect him as well. To strengthen this possibility, Hrothgar adopts Beowulf shortly after the gift
giving, leading one to believe that he saw the Geat warrior as a son well before.
Next, Hrothgar handed over a sword to Beowulf's possession. This particular item is
described as, "both precious object and token of honor" (ln. 1023). For a girt of this degree to be
given to such a warrior, Beowulf must have wont the trust of the king, in that he felt he had

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earned it in Hrothgar's eyes. Another reason this could have been given to Beowulf is that the
king saw that the warrior had such great strength in his display of vanquishing Grendel, that he
felt such a reward would be fitting. We see this speculation to be proven when Beowulf is
battling Grendel's mother. HIs sword fails to do damage to his opponent, but he notices a blade
in the back of the cave next to the monster's treasure hoardings. This sword is described as being
"so huge and heavy of itself, only Beowulf could wield it in battle" (lns. 1561-1562).
The final given before the feast was a set of eight horses, each with saddles, one of which
being Hrothgar's very own, of "sumptuous design" (ln. 1037). Clearly, this sort of a gift must
represent Hrothgar's gratitude in thanking Beowulf for slaying the beast. Only a king could
present such an expensive reward of class and luxury to one whom he must really be grateful to.
In giving Hrothgar's very own saddle, which set it apart from the others by little more than status,
this set of horses can be viewed as a symbol of class towards Beowulf.
When the feast commences, Hrothgar's queen, Wealhteow, appears. After being seated
near Beowulf, she mentions to him that she heard talk of the king wanting to adopt him.
Wealhtheow orders that gifts be brought and bestowed to the warrior. Two arm bangles and a
torque, both jewelry items, indicate the queen's offer of friendship and good cheer towards
Beowulf. She uses these items as a sign of optimism in their their futures, after Grendel's reign of
terror had ended. No longer would the queen and her company have to stay awake at night
watching for the monster after so many years. Perhaps there's a sort of irony in that Beowulf's
king, Hygelac, would later wear the torque on the day of his death, which is obviously a grim
and unfortunate turnout.
Some time passes after this feast, Beowulf slays Grendel's mother, and he with his
company prepare to leave back to their homeland. Before leaving, Hrothgar presents to him

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twelve treasures of unspecified nature, He does this to remind the warrior of the twelve winters
that Heorot had to endure of Grendel's terrorizing. By sending Beowulf off with these gifts,
which are a sign of remembrance, he will always be reminded of the debt he paid off to Hrothgar
and his nation. Therefore, the treasures are a symbolism of momento recalling his battles in
saving Heorot.
Each of the gifts given to Beowulf hold an underlying meaning, some representing the
relation between two people, and others appearing to allude to other parts of the epic. Though
Hrothgar hands over these treasures for Beowulf to present them to his king, he clearly wanted
them to hold a sort of meaning to Beowulf.