The dragon (Beowulf) The dragon (Beowulf) The final act of the Anglo-Saxon poem "Beowulf" is about the hero Beowulf's fight with a dragon, the third monster he encounters in the epic. On his return from Heorot, where he killed Grendel and Grendel's mother, Beowulf becomes king of the Geats and rules peacefully for fifty winters until a slave awakens and angers a dragon by stealing a jewelled cup from its lair. When the angry dragon mercilessly burns the Geats' homes and lands, Beowulf decides to fight and kill the monster personally. He and his thanes climb to the dragon's lair where, upon seeing
Harald the Old Harald the Old Harald Valdarsson, also known as Harald the Old (, born circa 568) appears only by name in "Hversu Noregr byggðist", but his father, sons and their descendants played a central role in the politics of Scandinavian legends. "Hversu Noregr byggðist" tells that he was the son of Valdar, who was the son of Hróarr (i.e. king Hroðgar of "Beowulf"), and Harald was the father of Halfdan the Valiant and the grandfather of Ivar Vidfamne. "Skjöldunga saga" tells that the same Valdar (i.e. Harald's father) disputed that Rörek, the cousin of Hróarr (Hroðgar) should succeed Hrólfr Kraki (Hroðulf)