James Baquet

After the fights in which Beowulf killed the monster Grendel and his mother, he returned home to his people as a hero. In time he became king of the Geats and governed the land for 50 years.

Then more trouble came.

A runaway slave hid in a cave, where a dragon had been guarding his hoard for over 300 winters. He took a huge golden cup, hoping to buy his way back into his master’s service. But this awoke the dragon’s wrath.

It went on a rampage, burning the people’s homes — and Beowulf’s, too. The old king saw it as his duty to rid his country of this plague and to do so single-handedly, as he did with Grendel and his mother. So he approached the lair, telling his men to wait, and called the dragon out.

Unlike back in Denmark, Beowulf had a sword and shield. But the shield did nothing to stop the flames shooting from the beast’s mouth. The hero suffered excruciating burns.

One of his men, Wiglaf, decided to help Beowulf (after haranguing the others for their cowardice). As he rushed in, the dragon’s flames burned his wooden shield to ashes. Wiglaf hid under Beowulf’s shield and made his attack.

Beowulf, meanwhile, struck the beast’s head, but it was so strong that his sword shattered. The dragon rushed upon him, and seized him by the neck with its poisonous fangs. Wiglaf, though scorched, took this opportunity to smite the dragon lower down on its neck, and the fire began to abate. The king then drew his war-knife and ended the monster’s life. Working together, the two had destroyed the dragon — but the dragon had also destroyed Beowulf. As Beowulf lay dying of the poison inflicted by the dragon’s bite, Wiglaf brought him water, and the king lamented that he had no son to whom he could leave his armor. He asked Wiglaf to pile up some of the hoard where he could see it, and expressed his pleasure about leaving this to his people.

He gave Wiglaf instructions for his burial, in a barrow out on a headland overlooking the sea. He bestowed his armor on Wiglaf — a great honor — and named him as his successor, since Wiglaf, a distant cousin, was his last surviving relative. At last, declaring he now must join all of his departed relatives, the old king died.

Vocabulary:

Which word above means:

1. burial mound

2. gathering of treasure

3. burned badly

4. by oneself

5. extremely painful

6. strike, hit

7. a point of land looking down on the sea

8. reduce, become less

9. lecturing or scolding aggressively

10. expressed sorrow