Fitt IV — Beowulf Goes to Hrothgar's Assistance

While Hrothgar broods on his long-lasting sorrow, unable in any way to escape the terror, Beowulf hears of Grendel's deeds at home in Geatland. He is described in terms that establish him immediately: of heroes then living, he was stoutest and strongest, sturdy and noble, the nephew of King Hygelac. He orders a ship prepared and tells his companions he will seek the war-king across the ocean because Hrothgar needs warriors. His wise companions chide him little for the venture — they know his worth — and urge him on, foretelling his glory. He selects fourteen of the likeliest, and a sea-crafty pilot guides them to the water's edge.

The crossing is swift. The foam-necked ship, driven by the breeze, glides over the waters most like a bird. Twenty-four hours later the sailors see the sloping embankments, the sea-cliffs gleaming, the steep mountains — Denmark. They climb ashore and thank the Lord for a gentle crossing. The arrival is not quiet: battle-gear rattles, mail-coats clatter. The noise of armed men on a foreign shore in an age of raids is precisely the sound the coastguard has been appointed to detect. He appears at once, high on his horse, mightily brandishing his lance.

The coastguard's challenge is formal and searching. He notes he has stood watch against the possibility of an enemy fleet — no warriors have ever come more boldly. He is also, notably, already impressed: never has he seen a greater earl on earth than one among their company, a man of striking presence who is clearly no low-ranking fellow merely adorned with weapons. He demands to know their race and origin before they travel further inland. The challenge sets the poem's first test of Beowulf — not physical but verbal, a demonstration that arrival in a new hall requires the proper account of oneself.