Classics Summarized: Beowulf

Summary

The video script humorously explores the epic poem 'Beowulf,' highlighting its status as one of the oldest English texts. It simplifies the complex narrative into a tale of a hero defeating three monsters and becoming a king, while delving into the poem's historical context, language idiosyncrasies, and cultural significance. The script also humorously touches on the poem's influence on modern fantasy, the peculiarities of its characters, and the ultimate fate of Beowulf in a dragon fight.

Takeaways

• 📜 'Beowulf' is one of the oldest existing English texts, written in Old English, which is distinct from the Early Modern English of Shakespeare and Middle English of Chaucer.
• 📚 The epic poem is remarkably short for its genre, with much of its length attributed to the style of 'drive-by exposition' that provides historical context.
• 🐻 The name 'Beowulf' translates to 'Bee Wolf' or 'Bee Hunter,' which colloquially meant 'Bear,' highlighting the hero's strength and ferocity.
• 🏰 The story begins with a backstory of Danish kings, including Scyld Scefing, Healfdene, and Hrothgar, setting the stage for the main narrative.
• 🎉 Hrothgar's mead hall, Heorot, is the site of constant celebration until it is disrupted by the monstrous Grendel, who begins a nightly rampage.
• 🤺 Beowulf, a Geat hero, arrives to help Hrothgar, deciding to fight Grendel unarmed to match the monster's own lack of weapons.
• 🤛 Beowulf's first battle with Grendel ends with him tearing off the monster's arm, marking a significant victory and a turning point in the poem.
• 🏹 Grendel's mother seeks revenge for her son's death, leading to Beowulf's second major battle, this time underwater in her lair.
• 🗡 Beowulf uses a magical sword found in Grendel's mother's lair to kill her, demonstrating the power of the weapon and the hero's resourcefulness.
• 🐉 In Beowulf's final battle, he faces a dragon whose hoard has been disturbed, showcasing the hero's bravery even in old age.
• ⚔ The dragon fight results in Beowulf's death, but not before he slays the beast, demonstrating his heroism until the end.
• 🪦 Beowulf's death is mourned, and he is given a grand funeral with a barrow, symbolizing his legendary status and the end of an era.

Q & A

What is the significance of the text 'Beowulf' in the history of English literature?

Beowulf is significant as it is one of the oldest existing English texts, written in Old English over a thousand years ago, predating both Middle English and Early Modern English.

Why is the language of 'Beowulf' often misunderstood with that of Shakespeare or Chaucer?

People often confuse Old English with the language of Shakespeare's Early Modern English or Chaucer's Middle English because they are all ancient forms of the English language, but they belong to different periods with distinct linguistic features.

How does the style of writing in 'Beowulf' differ from modern storytelling techniques?

The style of writing in Beowulf involves 'drive-by exposition,' where the narrator veers off course to explain complex historical contexts and backstories, which is different from the more direct storytelling techniques used in modern literature.

What is the literal meaning of the name 'Beowulf', and how does it relate to the story?

Literally, 'Beowulf' means 'Bee Wolf,' which was a colloquialism for 'Bee Hunter,' and further translated to 'Bear.' This reflects the hero's strength and ferocity in the story.

Who was Grendel, and what was his connection to the disturbances in Heorot?

Grendel was a giant and a descendant of Cain, living in a swamp near the Lake of Monsters. He was disturbed by the constant partying in Heorot and began attacking the hall, killing many of Hrothgar's thanes.

Why did Beowulf decide to fight Grendel without weapons?

Beowulf decided to fight Grendel without weapons as he believed it was only fair since Grendel did not use weapons. This decision also showcased Beowulf's confidence in his own strength.

How did Beowulf manage to defeat Grendel?

Beowulf defeated Grendel by engaging in a brutal hand-to-hand combat, ultimately ripping off Grendel's arm with his bare hands.

What was the significance of the sword Hrunting in the story, and why did it fail against Grendel's mother?

Hrunting was an heirloom sword given to Beowulf by Unferth as an apology. However, it failed to harm Grendel's mother because it was not the magical weapon needed to defeat her.

How did Beowulf ultimately kill Grendel's mother?

Beowulf killed Grendel's mother using a magical sword forged by giants, which was the only weapon capable of harming her, found within her own hoard of treasures.

What was the final battle of Beowulf's life, and how did he die?

Beowulf's final battle was against a dragon whose hoard had been disturbed. He died from a neck wound inflicted by the dragon, after managing to kill it with the help of Wiglaf.

What was the significance of the one-use-only magical sword in Beowulf's battle against Grendel's mother?

The one-use-only magical sword was significant because it was the only weapon capable of killing Grendel's mother, who was immune to mortal weapons. After Beowulf used it, the blade dissolved, leaving only the hilt.

What is the connection between the story of Beowulf and J.R.R. Tolkien's works?

The story of Beowulf inspired many elements in J.R.R. Tolkien's works, including themes of heroism, the struggle against monstrous creatures, and the use of ancient languages and mythologies.

Why did the dragon in the story become a threat to Beowulf's people?

The dragon became a threat because someone stole a cup from its hoard, which was located in a burial mound filled with treasure. The dragon sought to find and punish the thief by destroying everything in its path.

What was the role of Wiglaf in Beowulf's final battle?

Wiglaf was one of Beowulf's kinsmen who chose to stay and fight alongside Beowulf against the dragon. He helped Beowulf by finding a weak spot in the dragon's armor and attacking it, which allowed Beowulf to deliver the final blow.

How did Beowulf's people honor him after his death?

After Beowulf's death, his people, the Geats, held a funeral for him and set up a barrow, or burial mound, in his honor. They also reburied the dragon's treasure with him, as a testament to his heroic deeds.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Introduction to Beowulf and Old English

This paragraph introduces the epic poem 'Beowulf,' highlighting its status as one of the oldest existing English texts, written in Old English. It distinguishes Old English from Early Modern English used by Shakespeare and Middle English of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The script humorously points out the complexity of the language and the brevity of the actual story, which is overshadowed by extensive historical exposition. The main narrative revolves around Beowulf, a hero who defeats three monsters and influences later works like Tolkien's and the Skyrim video game. The paragraph also delves into the etymology of 'Beowulf,' revealing its meaning as 'Bee Wolf' or 'Bear.' It sets the stage for the story by providing some background on the ancient Danish kings, including Scyld Scefing, Healfdene, and Hrothgar, who built the mead hall Heorot, the setting for the main events.

05:02

🐉 Beowulf's Battles and Heroic Deeds

The second paragraph details Beowulf's arrival and his plan to confront Grendel without weapons, as a fair fight. It describes the ensuing battle, where Beowulf handily defeats Grendel by tearing off his arm, leading to Grendel's retreat and eventual death. Beowulf is rewarded by Hrothgar and gains further recognition. However, Grendel's mother seeks revenge, leading to another battle at the bottom of the Lake of Monsters. Beowulf, initially unsuccessful with the sword Hrunting, finds a magical sword made by giants capable of harming Grendel's mother and uses it to kill her. He then decapitates Grendel and returns to Hrothgar with the trophies. The paragraph also discusses the one-use magical sword, its significance, and the cultural and historical implications of its design, including the mention of Damascus steel and its unique properties.

10:06

🔥 Beowulf's Final Battle and Legacy

The final paragraph recounts Beowulf's last battle against a dragon whose treasure had been stolen. Beowulf, now an old king, chooses to fight the dragon with a sword named Naegling, which breaks during the fight. Only Wiglaf, one of Beowulf's kin, stays to aid him. Together, they manage to kill the dragon, but Beowulf is mortally wounded. In his last moments, Beowulf asks Wiglaf to bring him the dragon's treasure for a final glimpse. With his dying breath, Beowulf names Wiglaf as his successor and dies. Wiglaf becomes king, and the Geats honor Beowulf with a grand funeral and a barrow, reburying the dragon's treasure with him, signifying the end of an era and the hero's lasting legacy.

Keywords

💡Beowulf

Beowulf is the titular character and hero of the epic poem, which is the central narrative of the video script. He is a Geat warrior who becomes a king and is known for his strength and courage in defeating monsters. In the script, Beowulf's name is humorously described as meaning 'Bee Wolf' or 'Bear,' highlighting the etymological depth of the character's name.

💡Old English

Old English refers to the earliest form of the English language, which the script notes is different from the 'early modern English' of Shakespeare and the 'middle English' of Chaucer. The video discusses how Beowulf was written in Old English, setting the historical context for the language and its significance in the story.

💡Epic Poetry

Epic poetry is a lengthy narrative form of poetry that recounts heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. The script describes Beowulf as an epic poem and contrasts its length with the brevity of its core story, which involves Beowulf's battles with monsters.

💡Grendel

Grendel is the primary antagonist in the Beowulf epic, a monstrous creature who terrorizes the mead hall Heorot. The script uses Grendel to illustrate the type of adversaries Beowulf faces, emphasizing the hero's role in combating evil.

💡Heorot

Heorot is the grand mead hall built by King Hrothgar, where much of the action in Beowulf takes place. The script describes Heorot as the 'Ultimate Party Venue,' highlighting its role as a setting for celebration and conflict.

💡Hrothgar

Hrothgar is the king of the Danes and the one who calls upon Beowulf to help defeat Grendel. The script portrays Hrothgar as a character whose kingdom is threatened by the monster, thereby setting the stage for Beowulf's heroic deeds.

💡Monster Slaying

Monster slaying is a recurring theme in the script, referring to Beowulf's battles with Grendel, Grendel's mother, and eventually the dragon. It is a key element of the hero's journey and the narrative's focus on overcoming supernatural threats.

💡Norse Culture

Norse culture is alluded to in the script as the cultural backdrop of the story, with references to the Nords' partying and warrior ethos. This cultural context is important for understanding the values and behaviors of the characters in Beowulf.

💡Damascus Steel

Damascus steel is mentioned in the script in relation to a magical sword used by Beowulf. It is a legendary type of steel known for its strength and unique patterns, which adds a layer of intrigue and historical mystery to the narrative.

💡Dragon

The dragon represents the final adversary in Beowulf's life, symbolizing a powerful and deadly foe. The script describes the dragon's attack on Beowulf's homeland and the ensuing battle, which ultimately leads to Beowulf's death.

💡Wiglaf

Wiglaf is one of Beowulf's kinsmen who stands by him during the dragon fight, contrasting with the rest of Beowulf's men who flee. The script uses Wiglaf to highlight themes of loyalty and courage in the face of overwhelming odds.

Highlights

Beowulf is over a thousand years old and written in Old English, distinct from Shakespeare's Early Modern English and Chaucer's Middle English.

The epic poem is actually a short story with extensive drive-by exposition providing historical context.

Beowulf's literal meaning is 'Bee Wolf', a colloquialism for 'Bee Hunter', which translates to 'Bear'.

The poem begins with the backstory of ancient Denmark's King Scyld Scefing and his lineage.

Hrothgar, a descendant of Scyld, builds the mead hall Heorot, which attracts the monster Grendel.

Grendel, a descendant of Cain, is disturbed by the noise from Heorot and begins attacking the hall.

Beowulf, known for monster slaying, is called upon by Hrothgar to deal with Grendel.

Beowulf decides to fight Grendel barehanded, in a fair match without weapons.

Unferth challenges Beowulf's abilities, citing a lost swimming contest, to which Beowulf responds with his heroic underwater battle.

Beowulf defeats Grendel by ripping off his arm during a fierce battle in Heorot.

Grendel's mother seeks revenge for her son's death, leading to another battle.

Beowulf uses a magical sword made by giants to kill Grendel's mother, who is immune to mortal weapons.

The magical sword dissolves after decapitating Grendel, highlighting its one-use nature.

Beowulf's return to his homeland with treasure and tales of heroism, receiving land and a house as rewards.

The discussion of the one-use sword's hilt, featuring biblical scenes and Norse runes, blending Pagan and Christian elements.

Beowulf's reign as king of the Geats, marked by 50 years of peace until a dragon's wrath.

The dragon's rampage is triggered by a stolen cup, leading to a confrontation with Beowulf.

Beowulf's final battle with the dragon, where he is aided by Wiglaf and uses a sword that snaps.

Beowulf's death and final request to see the dragon's treasure before passing away.

Wiglaf becomes king after Beowulf's death, and the Geats honor their fallen hero with a grand funeral and barrow.

Transcripts

Beowulf was written a little over a thousand years ago,

and it's one of the oldest English texts that still exists.

And that's "English" with big glowing air quotes, by the way, as it was written in old English.

Now, you might have old English confused for that stuff Shakespeare wrote.

You know, all those "forsooth's" and "verily's" and whatnot.

But that's actually early modern English.

Now, failing that, you might think that messy language Chaucer wrote the Canterbury tales in must be old English.

You know, that stuff you can kind of read,

but it's all written with weird spellings and pronounced like you've got a golf ball in each cheek?

Well, I'm afraid that's only middle English.

No, if you want to know what real old English was like, look no further than -

OH GOOD LORD!

Where do you start?!

One thing to note about Beowulf is that once you boil it down to its essential textual components,

it's actually a remarkably short story, especially by epic poetry standards.

This is because the style of writing at the time involved what amounted to drive-by exposition,

where the narrator would, at random intervals, veer the story off course into a random tangent

and explain huge, complex historical contexts to provide backstory

for everything from a line of great kings to a small pile of gold.

So, when you cut out all that nonsense,

you're left with a nice, simple story about how one man beat the crap out of three giant monsters,

became the king of a small country, and inspired all the coolest parts of both J.R.R. Tolkien and Skyrim.

This is good for me because, if you haven't noticed, I love to talk.

And in between the simplicity of the story in the shortness of the text,

there is plenty of time for me to ramble on about the idiosyncrasies of Beowulf without exceeding my arbitrary time limit.

For instance!

Did you know "Beowulf" literally means "Bee Wolf,"

which itself was a colloquialism translating to "Bee Hunter,"

which in turn just meant "Bear?"

Well you do now!

So our story begins with some backstory.

Yeah, I know what I said, but this part is actually pretty cool, so roll with it.

Once upon a time an ancient Denmark, there was a great king named Scyld Scefing.

He doesn't appear in this book.

But Scyld had a mighty son:

Beowulf, who became an equally mighty king when Scyld died.

However, despite the name, this was a different Beowulf, who also does not appear in this book.

Beowulf (still not that one), in turn had a son, Healfdene, who sparked a long-standing feud between his family

and the Heathobards by getting himself killed by Froda,

an ancient Danish king and lord of the Heathobards who also might have been his brother.

And none of this appears in the book either.

Isn't this fun?

But Healfdene managed to have four kids before he died (although one of their names has been lost).

The three kids we know about were Heorogar, Helga and Hrothgar (no relation).

Now, among these kids, Hrothgar actually does appear in our story.

Basically, he won some big war and got himself crowned king as a result,

and decided to use his newfound wealth and power to build himself the Ultimate Party Venue,

a huge mead hall he named Heorot.

There he and his Thanes spent their days partying up a storm, and it is here that our story truly begins.

"But hey now!" I hear you cry.

"I thought this story was supposed to be about Beowulf?

I mean, it's his name on the cover, apart from that fake out guy with the same name two generations back,

we haven't heard a thing about this Beowulf guy.

What gives?"

Well jeez you're pretty impatient aren't you?

I get your hopes up by telling you this story's gonna be short and this is how you behave?

Shame on you.

Besides, I wasn't finished.

See, this story happened

~a long time ago~

in that magical, poorly defined time period In which it was widely accepted

that ghoulies, ghosties and long-leggedy beasties of all ages were just sort of roaming around causing trouble.

And in Hrothgar's neck of the woods, the nastiest of these monsters was an ugly piece of work named Grendel.

Grendel, we learn, is a big ugly giant descended from the original bad guy, the biblical Cain,

and he lives in a grody swamp near a lake full of monsters called, aptly enough, the Lake of Monsters.

But the construction of this new mead hall starts disturbing his natural habitat,

largely because the sounds of the 24-hour party circuit happening 10 feet from his house

caused him to become just a touch crankier than usual.

Now, Grendel has a Grinch complex the size of East Texas,

and when he hears the near-constant partying coming from Heorot,

he gets a doozy of an idea, of the terrible awful variety.

After all, the easiest way to stop the party is to

kill everyone partying!

Well uh... You gotta give him points for efficiency.

So that night, Grendel scoots on over to the mead hall,

busts down the door, kills 30 of the Thanes, and skedaddles back on home.

This violent party crashing becomes something of a nightly trend,

which is disturbing for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being the fact that a rampaging hell beast

murdering a bunch of their friends didn't kill the party atmosphere the first time it happened.

But we must not forget that these fine fellows were Nords,

one of the most famously testosterone poisoned cultures in all of human history,

so it should come as no surprise that it takes several more late-night murder trips from Grendel

before Hrothgar considers calling on their buddies, the Geats, for a little bit of help.

Either he got tired of losing his Thanes, or he got tired of replacing that stupid door every day.

Either way, it's time to call in the cavalry.

Enter the Storm Geats, led by Beowulf!

See, I told you he would get here.

So Beowulf right? This guy is just the coolest.

Hrothgar has known him since he was a kid,

and since then Beowulf has made something of a name for himself doing some monster slaying.

So Hrothgar asks what's Beowulf's plan for dealing with Grendel is and Beowulf is all like,

"Well you know, I've been thinking. Grendel's not really a warrior 'cause he doesn't use weapons right?

Well, I think it's only fair if when we fight, I don't use any weapons either!"

And everyone's like, "That...

That's a great idea!"

But an impending fistfight with a terrifying murderous giant is no reason not to party.

Actually, in Nordic cultures, it was specifically a reason to party.

So they get down with their bad selves in the Heorot for a while,

but one of the warriors is doubtful of Beowulf's abilities!

So this guy Unferth is like; "Hey Beowulf!

I heard you lost a week-long swimming contest to your buddy Breka!

Now how am I supposed to expect a loser like you to beat Grendel?"

And Beowulf is like; "I'm afraid it's true.

After swimming for a solid week in full plate armor. I'm afraid I can't say that I beat Breka.

But in my defense,

I was slightly slowed down by the nine sea monsters I killed along the way!

Ooooooo!"

So night falls and Beowulf prepares himself for the upcoming battle by

dumping all of his armor and weapons and waiting in the Heorot for Grendel to come a-stomping by.

And soon enough, Grendel busts down the door and encounters Beowulf.

So they beat the ever-loving crap out of each other for a while and tear up the Heorot like crazy,

and Beowulf wins by ripping off Grendel's arm with his bare hands.

Hah! He's been...

Disarmed.

So Grendel flips out and runs back to the lake to bleed out in peace,

Beowulf gives Grendel's arm to Hrothgar to hang from the Heorot's rafters,

and having completed the 'Kill Grendel' quest, King Hrothgar showers Beowulf with rewards,

gives him access to his halls and gear, and probably also lets him buy a house in Whiterun.

Unferth, that guy from earlier, apologizes for doubting Beowulf's abilities

and gives him an heirloom sword named Hrunting as an apology present.

They all start fixing up the Heorot, then use their newly repaired mead hall to get blackout drunk.

Life is good.

Until Grendel's mother storms into the hall, murders Hrothgar's trusted adviser,

grabs Grendel's arm and vanishes into the night.

So Hrothgar sends Beowulf to track down Grendel's mother and avenge the murdered Thane,

(Aeschere for those of you who care)

and Beowulf starts hunting her down.

They track her through a variety of cartoonishly evil locations and end up at the Lake of Monsters,

where they find a Aeschere's head along with a veritable menagerie of sea monsters.

Beowulf prepares for battle by putting on his heavy armor and

cannon-balling into the lake to confront Grendel's mother, who lives at the bottom.

For those of you concerned with his well-being, don't worry too much.

Beowulf's lungs are the size of train cars and the solid day it takes for him to hit lake bottom

does little more than bore him.

But his boredom is soon over since as soon as he gets close to the bottom Grendel's mother

ambushes him and drags him into her cave. Which is actually a pretty nice local. Anyway

They do glorious battle, but Beowulf sword Hrunting utterly fails to hurt her in any way.

So he resorts to his tried-and-true method of using sick, nasty wrestling maneuvers.

Unfortunately Grendel's mother finds this effort utterly unimpressive and just starts trying to stab him a whole bunch.

But luckily for beowulf Grendel's mother has a bit of a hoarding problem, and her cave is absolutely full of nifty Magical Weaponry.

So he grabs a shiny looking sword that turns out to be super magical and manages to kill her with it. Then after some searching

he finds Grendel's Corpse and

decapitates it to bring his head back as a present for Hrothgar. A funny story about that, as it turns out both Grendel and Grendel's

mother were totally immune to Mortal weapons.

But that sword Beowulf grabbed had been forged by giants and was thus capable of hurting them.

Why Grendel's mother kept the one thing capable of killing her within arm's reach is probably the subject of much scholarly debate.

Unfortunately this kick-ass magical sword appears to have been one use only. Since after Beowulf uses it to decapitate Grendel the blade straight-up dissolves.

So Beowulf swims back to the surface with Grendel's head and the swords hilt both of which he gives to Hrothgar.

He's showered with gifts again, partying happens, Etc, Etc.

Then Beowulf and the Yates, having done all the monster slaying they felt obligated to do, sail back to their homeland where Beowulf presents their

King Hygelac with a bunch of treasure and is lauded as a great hero. As thanks, King

Hygelac gives him a fancy sword, a bunch of land and a really nice house. My God,

this is Skyrim. But before we go any farther,

let's talk about that one use only sword because it's actually really interesting. So first of all, the hilt is carved with vaguely

biblical scenes about how the giants were wiped out by the great flood, in an effort by

God to wipe out all evil. The hilt is also covered in Norse Runes implied to be some kind of Magic.

Which is interesting because

traditionally, Pagan Magic and

Christianity didn't exactly get along. And the other cool thing about this sword is that it was described as damascened. That is having been put

through the process to create Damascus steel. Now for those of you who don't know:

Damascus steel is a legendarily tough metal who's forging process has been lost. Which has endlessly

frustrated modern metallurgists since there are a ton of Damascus steel blades lying around and you'd think we'd be able to reverse-engineer

something. But noooo.

Every time we try we just keep finding weirder and weirder things about Damascus steel that makes us want to know how to make it

even more. For instance not only do the blades look super cool and Magic, kind of like liquid metal,

they've actually been shown to contain Carbon nanotubes. Carbon Goddamn nanotubes.

How does that even happen?! But anyway back to Beowulf. so king Hygelac and his next of kin

go the way of all bad asses and Beowulf finds himself crowned king of the Yates.

So he manages to rule without incident for a solid 50 years. That is until some rando manages to piss off a

DRAGON by stealing a cup from its horde and hey guess what?

Beowulf has another monster to fight. For background, the dragon had been chilling for the past God-knows-how-long in a barrow full of

gold. The barrow was a burial mound for a troop of warriors from some ancient and noble race and it had been filled to bursting with

Fancy Treasure. The dragon lived there undisturbed until some Trixie Hobbit snuck in and stole his favorite teacup or something. The dragon objects to this

rather strenuously

and decides to hunt down the thief the old-fashioned way. By burning everything in sight on the principle that he's got to hit the criminal

eventually. And hey, if this is reminding you of anything...

Yeah, that isn't a coincidence. Tolkien was a fan of the classics.

But the dragon pisses off the wrong Yate when he torches Beowulf's house.

So Beowulf does this thing and decides to challenge the dragon to single combat.

So Beowulf in his 12 backup dancers go track down the dragon, bringing with them both the thief and the stolen shiny thing.

Now you might think that using weapons to kill a 100-foot fire-breathing hellspawn could be considered poor sportsmanship.

But Beowulf acknowledges that trying to barehanded wrestle a goddamn dragon might not end well for him.

So he brings that fancy sword Hygelac gave him.

It's called Naegling, it's an heirloom, and it's shiny as hell.

But that doesn't matter for very long since it snaps and half three seconds into the fight.

God they go through swords like coffee filters around here.

So the majority of Beowulf's posse bails and skedaddles into the woods all except for one a bloke named Wiglaf, one of Beowulf's

kinsmen who couldn't stand Idly by and watch Beowulf be mildly inconvenienced by a tidal wave of hellfire.

So Wiglaf rushes to Beowulf, say just in time for the dragon to get in a lucky hit and bite Beowulf clean through the neck!

Now you might think this would be a problem for Beowulf. Well then you haven't been paying any attention of course. Naaaaah,

Beowulf uses this opportunity to go for his dagger while Wiglaf manages to find a soft spot in the Dragon's armor and gets in

a hit. Whereupon

Beowulf finishes the job with his trusty knife so now the battle is over you'd think Beowulf would start succumbing to that gaping neck wound of his right? Naaaaah

He's too cool to succumb to a little thing like a massive blood loss. On the other hand deadly Dragon poison could certainly pose

a problem. So Beowulf's actually dying and he's like; "Wiglaf, come closer. I have one last request.

Could you go drag the treasure out of the barrow so I can take one last look at the riches I just won?"

Yeah, so Wiglaf slips into the barrow and comes back out with an armload of the shiniest of the treasure and Beowulf is like;

"Thanks kid,

have fun being the next king and

dies. So Wiglaf, now King Wiglaf,

exiles the 11 dudes who ran away from the dragon and the Yates retrieved the rest of the dragon's treasure and hold Beowulf's funeral.

Then they set up a kick-ass barrow for Beowulf, reburying the dragon's treasure in with him. Where according to the text it remains

to this day. Don't get your hopes up though. Some dragon probably already called dibs.