Late in the epic poem Beowulf, the character of Beowulf has returned home and become king of his own people, the Geats. In this part of the story we see that Beowulf is not only a fearsome warrior, he is also a great king.
But the story, like Beowulf himself, is not destined to end peacefully. Beowulf has shown a propensity to let his warrior mentality lead him into dangerous and nearly deadly situations....
Late in the epic poem Beowulf, the character of Beowulf has returned home and become king of his own people, the Geats. In this part of the story we see that Beowulf is not only a fearsome warrior, he is also a great king.
But the story, like Beowulf himself, is not destined to end peacefully. Beowulf has shown a propensity to let his warrior mentality lead him into dangerous and nearly deadly situations. In his youth he had the power to fight his way through these situations, but now is old. So when he decides to fight a dragon that is terrorizing his kingdom, his men try to talk him out of it. But Beowulf was never one to avoid a battle, so he seeks out the dragon, which he manages to kill with Wiglaf's help. However, he is mortally wounded in the process.
Wiglaf relates the story of Beowulf's end to his men, just before his funeral:
I've seen it all, been in the tower
Where the jewels and armor were hidden, allowed
To behold them once war and its terror were done.
I gathered them up, gold and silver,
Filled my arms as full as I could
And quickly carried them back to my king.
Wiglaf carries the dragon's jewels from the dragon's den to Beowulf, perhaps to show Beowulf that the dragon is dead, perhaps to show Beowulf that his kingdom will be rich after he is gone. But the Geats decide to honor their fallen leader by burying the treasure with him, where no man can find it.
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