The dragon (Beowulf) in 1953 that the dragon's "ultimate significance in the poem" remains a "mystery". Seamus Heaney suggests that Beowulf's attitude towards fighting the dragon reflects his "chthonic wisdom refined in the crucible of experience", that is there is already a "beyond-the-grave aspect" to his resoluteness. As Beowulf dies from his fight with the dragon, despite defeating it, James Parker of "The Atlantic" writes that "There is no transcendence in "Beowulf", and no redemption [...] kill the dragon—but the dragon will get you anyway". Joan Acocella states in "The New Yorker" that "unlike Grendel and his mother, [the dragon] is less a
Beowulf (hero) Beowulf (hero) Beowulf (; Old English: "Bēoƿulf" ) is a legendary Geatish hero in the epic poem named after him, one of the oldest surviving pieces of literature in the English language. A number of origins have been proposed for the name "Beowulf". Henry Sweet, a philologist and early linguist specializing in Germanic languages, proposed that the name "Bēowulf" literally means in Old English "bee-wolf" or "bee-hunter" and that it is a kenning for "bear". This etymology is mirrored in recorded instances of similar names. "Biuuuwulf" is recorded as a name in the AD 1031 "Liber Vitae". The name is