Examples Of Loyalty In Beowulf

Loyalty is one of the most important qualities a man can have, the Anglo-Saxons possessed this quality and kept it sacred. Beowulf's honor and loyalty saved Hrothgar country and his beloved people. "Nor have I see a mightier man-at-arms on this earth than the one standing here: unless I am mistaken , he is truly noble. This is no mere hanger - on in a herds armor." (244- 251) This quote is showing the loyalty Beowulf beholds and that the people cherish so much. Beowulf stands upon others with his loyalty to his king. He drops everything and helps Hrothgar each time he needs him , conquering Grendel, his mother, and the dragon. However not only Beowulf is loyal in the text, almost every other character in Beowulf is loyal to someone, in their own way. Beowulf most importantly emphasizes the significance of loyalty. Beowulf could have if he was willing too could've seized the throne from Hygelac or Hrothgar, but he is much too loyal to ever betray his friends and battle against them. This
Wiglaf emphasizes on how a promise he makes is a promise he will keep with a speech "I remember the time that we took mead together, when we made promises to our prince in the beer-hall - he gave us these rings - that we would pay him back for his battle - gear, these helmets and hard swords, if such a need s this ever befell him…" (2633-2660) Wiglaf gives all the soldiers a speech but the soldiers are are making a run for it to save themselves but Wiglaf proves his loyalty by being the one who stays to help Beowulf and doesn't care if his life is at stake from a fire-breathing dragon. In fact WIglaf looks back on old times with Beowulf and refers to him as a "shepherd" (11) in his way stating that Beowulf has a great ability to lead and later Wiglaf makes it apparent that he would rather die next to Beowulf than flee like the other