#Beowulf: The Wulf Returns

[skulls-and-broken-hearts]

“ There exists legends of a legendary artifact that can grant a women’s wish. . . ”

“ . . . The Skullheart. ”

A multimuse roleplay blog for the playable characters of Skullgirls. Tread carefully,

at your own risk. For Aeon is always

watching.

18+ Only Reminder.

[leohtttbriar]

‘se wonna hrefn / ... / earne secgan, hu him æt æte speow, / þenden he wið wulf wæl reafode’ (the dark raven ... will tell the eagle how he surpassed him in eating, when he with the wolf laid waste to the slain) (3024a–7).

Although Beowulf is, ostensibly, the portrait of a heroic culture that values homosocial intimacy, it is also incapable of imagining this intimacy without the shadows of failure and grief. We learn of the king’s companion only in elegy; we perceive him only as a bloodied, disembodied head and in the image of the king’s grief. Yet I do not suggest that we pursue this homosocial loss through the lens of what is now called queer mourning, grief for what has been rendered conventionally ungrievable.

While it is not sufficiently significant to some modern queer readings to merit much analysis [...], Hrothgar’s love is culturally intelligible and therefore this loss can be avenged with all available resources. Vengeance is primary, as Beowulf reminds Hrothgar, among what Judith Butler calls the ‘cultural conventions’ of mourning through which grief may be acknowledged and expunged in this world. Hence the frustrated griefs of this poem, when those who cannot avenge find shame or depression their constant companions. In the act of violence itself, and in the acts of planning, coaxing, and bragging that precede it and boasting that follow, human bodily integrity is affirmed, homosocial cohesion restored, and supremacy over the wide and terrible non-human world temporarily regained.

Avian confidences bring the cycle of loss to a new beginning. When the raven and the eagle share a boast over human corpses, they are not only recapitulating the poem’s paradigmatic moment of human helplessness, when a man past the age of strength watches the raven slowly delight in the body of his dear one and realizes the world is too much for him. Nor are they, to speak in more detached terms, only liberating avian life and language from their accustomed yoke of symbolism. They are also forging, and recounting, interspecies connections to which human intelligence is not privy, speaking a language that humans cannot even hear, much less accurately translate. They are making human flesh the material substrate of this non-human culture – our ravaged bones and bodies, our severed bonds, the fuel for animal knowledge and thought.

"What the raven told the eagle: animal language and the return of loss in Beowulf", Mo Pareles

[noperopesaredope]

One of my OCs, Moose Wulf. Gonna put info about him on this post.

Moose is a 2021 introduced character and the son of Beowulf. Moose will do anything to help his friends, even if that gets him into unnecessary trouble.

Character

Personality

Moose is the ultimate bro, an absolute jock, and a huge himbo. Okay, he has emotional intelligence, and isn't 100% stupid, but if his friends jump of a cliff, he will cannonball right behind them, and he is far from intelligent otherwise. Moose will stand beside his friends through thick and thin no matter what, even if he really shouldn't. He is also very supportive, and will act as a shoulder you can cry on without judgement. He has some common sense, but more the "why don't you guys just...IDK...talk" type of common sense. He's better at understanding people than most of his friends are, and can pick up very subtle cues as to what a person's feeling, thinking, or trying to communicate indirectly. Moose will often be the one forced to confront people on certain things, because his presence can be both comforting and intimidating depending on the situation.

Moose is a good boy. Despite being strong and tough, coming from a nation of fighters who adore fighting, he has an air of innocence to him, and he believes in everyone. He is very kind to little kids (not quite in a gentle whisper kind of way, but more a "picks them up and puts them on his shoulders, telling them they are amazing" kind of way), and wants everyone to believe in themselves. After all, the H in himbo stands for heart.

Moose loves sports, as it is a tradition to be a mighty warrior back home.

 Moose has one fatal flaw; he tends to exaggerate/lie a lot. His destiny involves him being incredibly strong, but he feels like he can't live up to those expectations. He can't perform all these amazing feats, but he needs to, so he pretends his accomplishments are bigger than they actually are. And this is even when he is good enough on his own. He thinks that nothing he does will be as cool as his dad, since his family always talks about how strong Beowulf was and how Moose was going to be just like him, even though he clearly can't be, no matter how hard he works.

 Moose has long, messy, untameable blonde hair, and it is very important to him. He is very sweet at the end of the day, but if you try to cut Moose's hair, even as a prank, you will regret it the moment he realizes what you have done. Moose's greatest pride and joy, however, is his bizarrely large, magnificent beard. He loves it, and has been cultivating it for years.

Despite being quite nice, Moose can be intimidating due to his large, muscular form. At 6'8", Moose is one of the tallest in his grade, possibly the school (if we don't count Tiny). Despite his muscular, broad-shouldered self, he has very dainty feet, something he is slightly embarrassed by, but then Sun Qiang points out that he can rock some amazing heels, which is a plus.

Story - Beowulf

How the Story Goes

According to Wikipedia:

Beowulf begins with the story of Hrothgar, who constructed the great hall, Heorot, for himself and his warriors. In it, he, his wife Wealhtheow, and his warriors spend their time singing and celebrating. Grendel, a troll-like monster said to be descended from the biblical Cain, is pained by the sounds of joy. Grendel attacks the hall and kills and devours many of Hrothgar's warriors while they sleep. Hrothgar and his people, helpless against Grendel, abandon Heorot.

Beowulf, a young warrior from Geatland, hears of Hrothgar's troubles and with his king's permission leaves his homeland to assist Hrothgar.

Beowulf and his men spend the night in Heorot. Beowulf refuses to use any weapon because he holds himself to be Grendel's equal. When Grendel enters the hall, Beowulf, who has been feigning sleep, leaps up to clench Grendel's hand. Grendel and Beowulf battle each other violently. Beowulf's retainers draw their swords and rush to his aid, but their blades cannot pierce Grendel's skin. Finally, Beowulf tears Grendel's arm from his body at the shoulder and Grendel runs to his home in the marshes where he dies. Beowulf displays "the whole of Grendel's shoulder and arm, his awesome grasp" for all to see at Heorot. This display would fuel Grendel's mother's anger in revenge.

The next night, after celebrating Grendel's defeat, Hrothgar and his men sleep in Heorot. Grendel's mother, angry that her son has been killed, sets out to get revenge. "Beowulf was elsewhere. Earlier, after the award of treasure, The Geat had been given another lodging"; his assistance would be absent in this battle. Grendel's mother violently kills Æschere, who is Hrothgar's most loyal fighter, and escapes.

Hrothgar, Beowulf, and their men track Grendel's mother to her lair under a lake. Unferð, a warrior who had earlier challenged him, presents Beowulf with his sword Hrunting. After stipulating a number of conditions to Hrothgar in case of his death (including the taking in of his kinsmen and the inheritance by Unferth of Beowulf's estate), Beowulf jumps into the lake, and while harassed by water monsters gets to the bottom, where he finds a cavern. Grendel's mother pulls him in, and she and Beowulf engage in fierce combat.

At first, Grendel's mother prevails, and Hrunting proves incapable of hurting her; she throws Beowulf to the ground and, sitting astride him, tries to kill him with a short sword, but Beowulf is saved by his armour. Beowulf spots another sword, hanging on the wall and apparently made for giants, and cuts her head off with it. Travelling further into Grendel's mother's lair, Beowulf discovers Grendel's corpse and severs his head with the sword. Its blade melts because of the monster's "hot blood", leaving only the hilt. Beowulf swims back up to the edge of the lake where his men wait. Carrying the hilt of the sword and Grendel's head, he presents them to Hrothgar upon his return to Heorot. Hrothgar gives Beowulf many gifts, including the sword Nægling, his family's heirloom. The events prompt a long reflection by the king, sometimes referred to as "Hrothgar's sermon", in which he urges Beowulf to be wary of pride and to reward his thegns.

Beowulf returns home and eventually becomes king of his own people. One day, fifty years after Beowulf's battle with Grendel's mother, a slave steals a golden cup from the lair of a dragon at Earnanæs. When the dragon sees that the cup has been stolen, it leaves its cave in a rage, burning everything in sight. Beowulf and his warriors come to fight the dragon, but Beowulf tells his men that he will fight the dragon alone and that they should wait on the barrow. Beowulf descends to do battle with the dragon, but finds himself outmatched. His men, upon seeing this and fearing for their lives, retreat into the woods. One of his men, Wiglaf, however, in great distress at Beowulf's plight, comes to his aid. The two slay the dragon, but Beowulf is mortally wounded. After Beowulf dies, Wiglaf remains by his side, grief-stricken. When the rest of the men finally return, Wiglaf bitterly admonishes them, blaming their cowardice for Beowulf's death. Afterward, Beowulf is ritually burned on a great pyre in Geatland while his people wail and mourn him, fearing that without him, the Geats are defenceless against attacks from surrounding tribes. Afterwards, a barrow, visible from the sea, is built in his memory.

Here is another great summary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcqMp_D5pdE

Moose is the next Beowulf, a pretty nice destiny in his opinion.

However, this destiny puts a lot of pressure on Moose, and everyone expects him to be as strong as his father, something he feels like he can't live up to. Yes, he is strong, but he might not be strong enough to do all those things.

History

Born and raised in the Far Northern Glades, Moose was raised by his strong warrior mother and his surrogate father Wiglaf, the current king and successor to Beowulf.

Relationships

Family

Moose doesn't really remember his father, as the man died when he was a baby, but he still looks up to him

 Trivia

- Moose's voice claim would either be P.M. Seymour as himself (but a bit deeper) or Val Kilmer as Moses

-Moose is legally unable to swear

Quotes

"I'm not sure whether or not to feel jealous.........OR MIGHT IMPRESSED! HAHA!"

"This beard is my pride and joy. It is tradition to have facial hair so magnificent."

[bexwulfxtest]

Bödvar | backstory.

Bödvar was born the son of Ecgtheow and a thrall who was taken into servitude when captured during a Wægmunding raid. Ecgtheow, however, was not cruel towards her but instead appeared to reserve a place in his heart for her. When she fell pregnant with Bödvar, Ecgtheow was prepared to take on both mother and child as his own. Though they never married, Ecgtheow had expressed the desire to but her position in society as a slave warranted ire in the eyes of Ecgtheow’s family, so they never did.

However, because of Ecgtheow’s high position in society Bödvar was able to grow up with a loving mother and father, regardless. Ecgtheow was very proud of his firstborn, despite his title as a bastard, and loved him in every way a father should.  Bödvar was five summers old when Ecgtheow was exiled. There is no concrete evidence as to what spurred Ecgtheow to kill Heaðolaf, at least not in the tales of his second son, Beowulf. When Heaðolaf came to visit the Wægmunding for the discussion of a political alliance, Heaðolaf’s eye had been caught by the woman Ecgtheow called his own. Perhaps it was out of spite for Ecgtheow or lust,  Heaðolaf had made an attempt of advancement upon her. Thankfully, Ecgtheow had intervened before anything vile could have happened but that did not mean the event was without further transgression. In a fit of rage Ecgtheow drew his sword upon the Wulfing leader and a fight ensued. The thrall begged them to stop, knowing what consequences would befall her love whether he would win or not, all the while clutching to her son as the two leaders fought. Ultimately, Ecgtheow won. However, the Wulfing tribe would not allow the slaughter of their leader to go unavenged. They demanded a weregild of unimaginable price, knowing the Wægmunding’s would never be able to pay it unless all their people starved. Ecgtheow was forced to leave his home and his family behind. What happened next to Ecgtheow is recorded in the epic. He ventured to the lands of Hrothgar who was married to a Helming lady (a Wulfling). Through both his own wealth and familial ties to the Wulfing clan, Hrothgar was able to relinquish the blood price upon Ecgtheow’s head, and so Ecgtheow swore oaths of friendship to the Danish King. However, despite the weregild being resolved, Ecgtheow could not return home. He had brought shame upon his family and even if they had wanted him to return, it would only damage the families honour further and the Wulfings would likely make even more trouble for them out of spite. So instead Ecgtheow traveled to Geatland where he married Hrethel’s daughter and served under him. With Hrethel’s daughter Ecgtheow had a second son, Beowulf. Beowulf was a bright child with a great destiny before him, or so the seers had said. But Ecgtheow never forgot about his firstborn. Although he had been banished, Ecgtheow still kept minimal contact with his family if only for the sake of making sure his son was still well. When news reached him that Bödvar’s mother had passed from illness he journeyed back home for the first time and brought his son back to Geatland. Ecgtheow’s wife did her best to look after Bödvar as one of her own, but Bödvar would not allow anyone to replace his mother and this caused tension between the two. His relationship with his half-brother however, was more simpler. Beowulf was kind and gentle ( too young to understand the significance of Bödvar only being half his brother ) and at first Bödvar hated this but eventually grew to depend on it. He came to love his younger brother but they would soon be torn apart. When Ecgtheow died, ( Beowulf was then seven and Bödvar thirteen ), the two children were separated. Beowulf remained in Hrethel’s care but Bödvar was sent to Norway, following a familial custom, to study under the guidance of one of Hrethel’s allies. The two children would not meet again until after Beowulf’s fight with Grendel, during the Swedish Geatish wars. ( note: the legend says  Bödvar left Geatland for Zealand to kill a “monsterous beast”. However seeing as that’s basically Beowulf’s story, I thought maybe it could be he left Geatland for Norway instead? ---- But yeah, feel free to keep or get rid of things. Also, how he obtained his bear-form ( whether he was born with it or Modi gave him some special blessing, etc) is completely up to you. Same with personality and how he feels towards Beow after their childhood and his mum’s name, etc. Seriously, go nuts with it. )

@maegtig

[beowulfs-booty-call]

SG Headcanons? SG Headcanons: Beowulf Edition™

Beowulf is stated to be very patriotic in his voice lines and Parasoul references his work “with” them, before rudely telling him to retire if she wins against him. This means that she also knew about the plan with the Medici Mafia to fight a drugged Grendel and win against him for the sake of the war against foreigners / the Skullgirls. However, this may also mean Beowulf participated in the war or had some sort of encounter with the royal family, if not being the entertainment for them in some manner. I personally think King Renoir oversaw his match against Grendel and made sure to work the deal so as to work up the favor for the canopy kingdom.

Beowulf also likes to drink Chamomile tea after first killing Grendel, it was offered to him as a way to sleep, and as such, it helped get over the restless nights where all he could sometimes do was realize… He may have actually killed a friend. I wanna think that there is some idea that he’s killed Grendel, but he’s repressed it into the psyche he plays off as Beowulf™

There’s been times Beowulf sits on the couch just to hope he can relax, but all he does is sit in his robe, boxers and tank top and just idles. His mind runs a whole bunch and he’s distracted with the idea of “What’s his purpose? What’s his use? What really is Beowulf?”

I actually project myself through Beowulf, lot like other characters such as Terra Branford or Eriko Kirishima, but I like to believe that Beowulf actually took his name up instead of being born with it. If not, he went with “Just Beowulf” instead because he’s a simple guy. That’s all he needs.

He’s also a really hard worker, but, he’s prone to sometimes over doing it AKA training every day with his weights or the gym because it’s been mentally drilled into him. If he wanted to be the best, he HAD to be the best. It’s one of the reasons he drinks Chamomile tea often: to relax and let things take place. At 37 years old, he was prone to feeling like he wouldn’t be able to finish every goal he wanted until he was “old”. He understands a bit better now that his accomplishments will last at the end of his storyline.

In the TV show Annie and Beowulf run, Beowulf is the superhero to the kids of New Meridian, while also taking on many new opponents in the ringside. He’s much more a WWE styled wrestler in that he’s back to being a celeb now, but still has his humble beginnings. He also has dated on and off again, but, even in the show he makes empty compliments / receives them from both genders. “What a strong man…” “Ah, thank you sir! Wulfman eats 8 dozen eggs every mornin’ just for trainin’!” “Oh… If only that amazing, handsome Captain Wulf was here…!” “Never fear, the Wulf is here! And… He’s free any time on Friday 8pm at Yu-Wan’s!”

Every morning he wakes up and does 125 squats, 200 pec decks, 225 crunches…

COMFORT CLOTHES EVERY DAY THIS MAN ONLY WEARS HIS BOXERS AND TANK TOPS OR SWEATS HE’S STILL A COLLEGE STUDENT.

When “incognito”, he just wears sunglasses and a baseball cap. Smooth.

Beowulf has also been a little on the chubby side as a kid, but mainly from eating well from backhome. I like to think he was born in the Canopian kingdom, but just has blood in other places he just hasn’t known or seen yet. It would make sense to the Geatish Trepak or Norse / Viking inspired moves to the original Beowulf anyhow. He came to the Canopy Kingdom fresh out the humble life and immediately found himself attracted to the rough and tumble before being let into the wrestling federation to prove his skills.

I like to think either he got his pelt from a Wolf he grew up with that later died peacefully, or, he hunted when he was younger before seeing a wolf die at the end of the hunt. No use for wolf meat where he came from, and in anger at the loss of life, he skinned the wolf for its pelt and vowed to take its place instead. He’s vehement of animal rights, but also tries his best to be open to nature despite hunting as his ideology is to live off the land with just what he needs.

I wanna also say that where Beo grew up in may have a cultural practice where the people take the pelts of animals they use to represent themselves. Bears for patriarchs/matriarchs, weasels / rats for children, otters for teens, and so on so forth. The wolf pelt was taboo and he later used it in rebellion to what he saw in it. Another idea is that the wrestling federation also has animal gimmicks as a way of bringing in the crowd Ala “The man from outta nowhere / Down under.”

Actually has a secret pen name and writes critiques about Operas / musicals and has an appreciation for Jazz as well as the late Contiello  family. He has been known to show up, decked out, and seat himself in the best seat, only to scream at the singers / actors with critiques. “JEEZ, MARIA, CAN YOU SING ANY LOWER? I CAN’T HEAR YOU FROM THE BALCONY.” “HEY SKULLBETH, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND BREAK A LEG WITH THAT CLASS ACT.” “YOU CALL THAT AN ARIA, I CALL THAT DIAR–” Of course no one expects this, so, the surprise comes in the form of a well made, thought out essay based on the finer points of the actions and tribulations the actors did or sang. He’s also a stickler for analysis!

The Hurting was actually a parting gift from the local wrestling federation: Just like Hrunting was given to him by Unferth, The Hurting was given to Beowulf by his old sleazy manager where ironically, hasn’t proven unuseful to this day

Immediately and utterly distracted by dogs, he can’t help it. He’s consumed with love over them and would postpone a battle just to pet one.

Unlike the public opinion, he has a master’s degree in English as well as Sociology, though, he’s not one to flex the brain muscles because he has to maintain the psyche of a warrior half the time. This is why he always whispers when fighting with people, while also pretending wrestling is “real” and “isnt”, he’s more focused on maintaining character

Grendel can in fact hear everything Beowulf is saying pre-Marie death, however, all he hears is Beowulf’s fighting quotes: “RUNNIN’ WILD, ALL’S CHAIR, TAKE A LOAD OFF!” (I have a comic planned for this lol)

Grendel’s arm is partially sentient, though he can hear and act, he still gets where his “friend” is coming from time to time. 

The Hurting gets reupholstered time to time, lots of fashion choices to be really honest, too little time to decide.

Unironically, Beowulf actually digs wearing skimpy clothes / speedos when weather permitting / in the mood, however… He doesn’t understand the social aspects of one, so, one he ran into the ring in a regular wrestling speedo and well… Let’s just say there’s a reason the beta drew that ONLY.

Went to college with Adam Kapowski, though, he mainly spoke to him over complaining about his physical education courses / wrestling club “Look, man, I got this cute professor but like, he doesn’t know jack shit over suplexing. Why? BECAUSE EVEN VICTORIA CAN SUPLEX ME BETTER THAN HE CAN”

Has once met Ms. Victoria during his offseason time when retired and she thought he was a villain when he applied to be a librarian, however, when she shows up as D. Violet, and scopes him out “closing” up, she finds him… Bench pressing book cases before she hurries back, still very concerned over the fact that she has to share her students with a supposed gigan wrestler.

Children flock to him for advice and training, and he loves it. When working as a librarian, he would help tutoring or cheer on students, as well as the whacky prank of stealing the janitor’s mop and mobile and would ride it down the halls with the kids. 

When time came to retire out of retirement, the kids came together and made him a botched card thanking him for all he did. Later, he would return to the ring and dedicate his first match to those very kids, and Ms. Victoria, who all sat in the front seats to the match, each with free Wulf™ merch.

Victoria respects him after this, though, she believes he may just be the silliest warrior to show up. D.Violet though has an unrequited crush on him. I’m tickled to fathom they maybe get married, but Beo isn’t one for really being tied down as he is now.

I’m biased to saying he marries me, but hey, that’s not what this post is about: Relationship wise, Beo is fine with no ring, but he’s not much for the ball and chain. He likes to build things up slow and steady, and extremely affectionate due to not receiving that love as much before.

Despite his exterior, his chest hair is like, soft af. Arm hair though isn’t easy and lemme tell you, dude is hairy everywhere. So, he makes it a point to not care and just trim the beard here and there. Also made a very bad commercial about hair loss and body hair despite the fact he doesn’t have those issues.

His hair is super curly so he just brushes it to the side. That’s it. That’s the goddamn cowlick hair cut we all love

Is the only one to know Annie’s true self, but pretends not to for the sake of being another “dumb mortal”. He implies he knows Annie isn’t the same Annie as “before”, but only to draw her ire. At the end of the story line, though, Annie and him grow closer enough that he admits his knowledge and Annie becomes his wingman and bro. 

And I mean bro as in, homegirl screens all would be dates / gf / bf and also manages to make time to meet at their favorite local diner. She hates the amount of hate he gets time to time for being “basic” but she herself is your run of the mill “anime magical girl”. Annie chalks it up to the fact no one cares about talent anymore, but Beowulf still believes Annie has some talent left in her, despite her not seeing it. It’s one of those key reasons she’s very big on his wellbeing: He trusts and believes in her when not many people do. They just believe in the girl of the stars, not Annie.

Annie likes to WHUMP her face on him when embarrassed, and many a time people have walked into his chest or abs because he’s 6′7″ HE’S A FUCKING GIANT. He doesn’t mind it, in fact, he’s flattered by it on the inside ‘cuz he’s a smug Wulf.

Annie, after about 2 weeks being his best friend, cracks many raunchy jokes with him, though, he also brags about certain things he knows she probably won’t experience to her dismay. “Man, Annie, I would have really taken you out to the bar, but oh, I forgot, they don’t serve children!” “Wulf, you’re lucky a 12 year old can’t stab a middle aged man.” “Excuse me princess, would you like another helping of Dinosaur nuggets and fries?”

Tired Wulf Boi Curls Up and Sleps

Cried because he saw those ASPCA commercials

Would fuck a werewolf. Would fuck a monster for the ride of his life. Would also have the gas running and the car ready in case you need the body hid. He’s a ride or die sort of dude, he makes it known when you wake him up too early without context.

“Oh, gosh, golly, gee” is something he copies from Annie time to time

Struggles also, not to curse around her. Dick-tionary, Ass-ets, Douche-Nozzler the gobbledygook. All Annie™ words.

Broke a laptop just by touching it, can now hold a toaster in his hands.

Would not get the reality of wearing a collar. “Wow, you must have a nice do–”

Is still waking up each morning ready to find and craft his purpose in life. He’s used to it not knowing, but he’s clearing his head so far

[beotothe18th]

One of my chose themes is Community vs. Individuality, a theme present throughout the first section of Beowulf. Though the story itself focuses on individuals, the hero Beowulf in particular, their motivations center around their community.

The first instance we see of this priority of community over individual is in beowulf's introduction. The watchman, who himself is never given a name, only an identification in relation to his king and kin, has rode up to beowulf and his men and demanded to know who they are and why’ve they come. Beowulf replies, “We are retainers from Hygelac’s band. Beowulf is my name.”(342-343) Though subtle, Beowulf identifies himself first as kin of Hygelac before giving his own personal name, and suggests the importance of identity here is not who he is as an individual but rather the group he comes from. Beowulf is of no importance without the connection to his community, and the history between these two communities.

Beowulf has also come to defend the Danes from Grendel, an evil entity who has repeatedly killed several of the Danes in midst of celebration at the mead hall they have built. Beowulf has come to try his hand at fighting Grendel. Though he may have some personal reasons as to why he wanted to come, like wanting the pride of winning as he is accused of by a jealous Unferf, his people also owe a debt to the Danes, as is described by Hrothgar. “There was a feud one time, begun by your father. With his own hands he had killed Heatholaf who was a Wulfing; so war was looming and his people, in fear of it, forced him to leave...Finally I healed the feud by paying” (459-470) The quote also continues to explain that Ecgtheow had sworn allegiance to the Danes afterward. Beowulf's attempt to defeat Grendel is then welcome to Hrothgar, as a debt from Beowulf's people to his own is owed. Beowulf and his men are both ready to die for this cause, to help the community that helped them.

His men especially expect fully to die, as is stated right before the fight with Grendel that “[n]one of them expected he would ever see his homeland again or get back to his native place and the people who reared him. They knew too well the way it was before, how often the Danes had fallen prey” (691-695) Though knowing their fight could very well be their last and that they would never return home, and regardless of the fact this fight didn’t protect their personal families and kin but rather an ally, they chose to travel with Beowulf and fight with him to help the Danes. Their motivations are to maintain a relationship between their groups, and priorities the well being of that relationship so that the Geats may receive help in return one day, even if it is generations down the line.

Prioritization of the well being of a community above the life and well being of a single individual can be seen in these examples as a prominent theme within this first section of Beowulf.