the dragon is the name of the sword in beowulf.
the dragon is the name of the sword in beowulf.
what is the name of the sword in beowulf?
the dragon
at first, grendel's mother appears to prevail, and hrunting proves incapable of hurting the woman; 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, whose blade melts because of the "hot blood". only the hilt remains. beowulf swims back up to the rim of the pond 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
tolkien described "beowulf" as one of the "most valued sources" for "the hobbit". certain descriptions in "the hobbit" seem to have been lifted straight out of "beowulf" with some minor rewording, such as when each dragon stretches out its neck to sniff for intruders. likewise, tolkien's descriptions of the lair as accessed through a secret passage mirror those in "beowulf". other specific plot elements and features in "the hobbit" that show similarities to "beowulf" include the title "thief" as bilbo baggins is called by gollum and later also by smaug, and smaug's personality which leads to the destruction of lake-town. tolkien refines parts of "beowulf" plot that he appears to have found less than satisfactorily described, such as details about the cup-thief and the dragon's intellect and personality. by his naming his sword "sting" one can see bilbo's acceptance of the kinds of cultural and linguistic practices found in "beowulf", signifying his entrance into the ancient world in which he found himself. this progression culminates in bilbo stealing a cup from the dragon's hoard, rousing him to wrath—an incident directly mirroring "beowulf", and an action entirely determined by traditional narrative patterns. as tolkien wrote, "the episode of the theft arose naturally (and almost inevitably) from the circumstances. it is difficult to think of any other way of conducting the story at this point. i fancy the author of "beowulf" would say much the same."
beowulf: a translation and commentary