Oath-Keeping & Honor in Beowulf

With respect to Unferth's relationship with oath-keeping in general, it is important to understand that what we know of Unferth are all deliberately dishonorable things in the eyes of the Anglo-Saxons. Unferth demonstrates that he is envious of Beowulf by trying to play down Beowulf's rumored successes despite the fact that he has no noble stories of his own. In fact, as Beowulf points out in line 587, Unferth “killed [his] own kith and kin,” it becomes clear that Grendel isn’t the only character with Cain-like qualities. Throughout the epic, it’s clear that Unferth is a quasi-supporter of Beowulf because envy prevents him from true loyalty and respect; but in the second battle of the poem Unferth lends Beowulf his sword in an attempt to help him against Grendel’s Mother. Unbeknownst to both Beowulf and Unferth, the sword is powerless against Grendel’s Mother—and while in this act there was no deliberate sabotage crafted by Unferth, the swords failure still presents itself as an obstacle for the warrior who narrowly escapes with his life in this second battle. Luckily for the armored Beowulf, he prevails, satisfying the oath his father took long ago, and he is rewarded with a long reign as King of the Geats upon his return home despite the hiccups presented by Unferth.

#cain #honor #warrior #pagan #christian #middleenglish #King #thegn