Section 8
The Fire Dragon and the Treasure
The years pass and Hygelac is killed in battle, and then his son Heardred
in a battle with the Swedes. Beowulf becomes king and rules peacefully for fifty
years, until a fire dragon begins to ravage his kingdom. The dragon lived in the
upland heath, where he guarded a treasure. The treasure had belonged to the last
surviving member of a clan, all of whose kin had been killed in battle. He had
buried the treasure, dying soon after. The dragon found and kept guard over the
treasure for 300 years, until a thief stole a flagon of gold. The dragon
followed in pursuit of the robber, and unable to find him, was enraged at the
theft, and began belching fire and burning houses, circling Geatland with a wall
of fire.
When Beowulf hears about the disaster, he is grieved and blames himself
for having either angered God or broken some ancient law. He has dark
forebodings and orders a shield of iron to be built for him to fight the dragon.
The poet observes that Beowulf’s dark thoughts were perhaps a premonition of
his impending death. Yet Beowulf was never averse to hard combat, as when he had
fought Grendel, or later when Hygelac had fallen in war in Frisland, Beowulf had
swum across the ocean with thirty sets of armor on his back. He had returned
home to be offered the kingship by Hygd, as her son Heardred was too young, but
Beowulf decided to serve as liege to the young king instead. Indeed he was loyal
to Heardred, till he was killed by Onela, the Swedish king, for harboring the
fugitive sons of Ohthere. Only then had Beowulf become king, after taking
revenge by helping Ohthere’s son, Eadgils, wrest back the Swedish throne from
Onela.
Beowulf sets out with 11 men and he is in low spirits.
As they march, Beowulf recounts his life. As a seven-year-old child he
had been taken by Hrethel, then king of Geatland to this court, where he was as
beloved as the king’s sons, Herebeald, Haethcyn and Hygelac. Herebeald was
accidentally killed by Haethcyn, and the king was greatly grieved, for even wergild
could not be demanded as the death had been accidental. The king died of sorrow
and Haethcyn succeeded, till he was killed in a war with the Swedes, as the
Swedish brothers, Onela and Ohthere, Ongtheow’s sons, were constantly
plundering Geatland. The murder was avenged by Eofor who killed Ongtheow, and
Hygelac became king. Beowulf had then served Hygelac loyally, such that Hygelac
had never had to look to anyone else for help.
