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Evolutionary Status Warriors
Why Beowulf left his sword at the door
A young Geat crosses the sea to the court of a Danish king. For twelve years, something has been coming to that king’s hall at night. A terrible monster called Grendel enters Heorot while the warriors sleep, kills them, and carries their bodies away. Strong men have tried to stop him. Others have boasted that they would. They’ve all died trying.
Then Beowulf arrives, a young Geat whose father has some history with the Danish court. Let’s say they’re on good terms.
He has crossed the sea specifically to fight the monster, and almost immediately he makes the fight harder than it needs to be. He won’t use a sword. He won’t use a shield. Grendel carries no weapon, Beowulf says, so neither will he. He’ll meet the creature with his bare hands and leave the outcome to God.
It’s a magnificent gesture. From a purely practical point of view, it’s also ridiculous. If your purpose is to kill a monster that has been slaughtering armed warriors for twelve years, voluntarily giving up your weapons seems like a poor place to start.
Unless killing Grendel isn’t the only thing Beowulf is doing.
I spent my thesis asking what else might be happening in that hall. Was Beowulf acting according to an honour system that made…
