The grief struck Wiglaf the second he saw Beowulf lying motionless on the ground. The dragon too, lies slain on the ground. Slowly, the Geatish behons who had fled from the battle straggle back to the barrow and find the eminent Wiglaf still vainly trying to revive their fallen leader.
The men are ashamed, and Wiglaf rebukes them bitterly, declaring that all of Beowulf’s generosity had been wasted on them.
Wiglaf then considers the state of vulnerability his people are now in.
The boons that Beowulf had once brought to his people are now gone.
Wiglaf’s grief turns into a whole new feeling, and he feels he must take action.
The warriors’ heads hang low as they mourn their great loss.
Their spirits are crushed by the thought of the depredations to come.
What is a society without a ruler? What is land without a lord?
Who are the people without a great king?
As the warriors lose all sense of security and hope for the future listening to Wiglaf’s rebuke, one soldier picks his head up.
He looks at Wiglaf, forgetting his grief and depression for a moment,
And began to reconnoiter the man.
As the soldier listens to Wiglaf preach about honor, pride, unity, protection, and valiance in warriors the soldier begins to realize the eminence that this one warrior has shown.
He looks at his strong tall powerful stature and his scars from previous fights that he came out victorious in.
He looks at his damascened sword and armor
And thinks of all of his accomplishments and of the mettle that he has shown the soldier quickly comes to a realization and calls out to the crowd
“ Stop! Although the heroic and noble Beowulf has finally fallen
The people are not without a guardian. We are not without a leader.
Look around you and acknowledge that although the dragon beat our king there is one warrior that the bane did not defeat and he is standing in front of us all.
He has already stepped up and began to lead us. We are saved by Wiglaf.”
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