Beowulf as an Admirable Leader Essay

Beowulf was an admirable ruler. He had saved his people from the fiery flames of the dragon. He had left an abundant amount of treasures to them, and he had also left them another brave soul, Wiflaf, to rule them. However, it was nave of him to have believed that his people would be as humble as he had hoped. It was best that he died without knowing that Wiglaf would forbid the treasures from reaching the hands of the Geats and that the very kingdom he ruled would fall because of its inhabitants sins.

The tower built in Beowulfs honor stood strong, its treasures hidden in the ground and in the walls. The Geats wept for their fallen king, now ashes buried amongst the now trivial trinkets. Their new leader Wiglaf, son of Wexstan, took the throne. Young and inexperienced he was looked down upon by his men. Many were wary of his blood, and responded with distrust. Disobediently, they made merriment and drank mead, day after day, awaiting their grim fate.

Wiglaf watched from his throne as his once humble soldiers swords rust. He knew he had to stand firm, to take action in order to prevent their imminent doom. And so he gathered seven of the mightiest warriors, some of them descendants of those who had followed Beowulf in his campaign to slay Grendel. The group was given the name Lapsage, derived from the first letters of each individuals names: Lustcyn the zealot, Averite the negotiator, Paride the champion, Slothe the shield bearer, Angre the punisher, Glut the sword wielder, and Envi the grudge. Their task, to prepare the warriors for upcoming battles.

Slothe, Glut, and Angre were to train the men in sword and shield masteries. To smelt them into the finely tuned soldiers their forefathers had once been. Envi and Paride were sent to prepare the kingdoms defenses. Lustcyn was to gather news about their growing enemies. And Averite traveled across the sea to the great hall of Herot in search of a valuable ally.

A winter passed, the Geats seemed to have grown stronger. Their proficiency with the sword and shield improved, their defenses enhanced, and their intelligence grew. Their preparations were almost complete. The soldiers now machines of war, gave Wiglaf hope. Lastly word from Averite had finally arrived; the Danes had refused join the alliance.

Wiglaf was not disheartened for he knew that this would happen. Herots glory had been stripped, decades ago, when gruesome Grendel stalked the night. After the monster was slain, its people rejoiced only to fight in a bitter war. With Beowulfs assistance, their enemies retreated in fright, never turning their heads around. However, the effects could not be undone. Reparations were made, and the Geats remained unscathed. Thus the Danes closed their gates from the rest of the world, from suffering, and from war.

Little did Wiglaf know that his mightiest and best would betray him. Lustcyn had persuaded Envi, and Angre to join him in an attempt to usurp the unsuspecting king. They gathered a sizeable army hand picked and trained by Angre. Those trained by Slothe and Glut took Wiglafs side, pledging their loyalty to the crown. But they were nothing in comparison to the traitors. Indulged in their own affairs, Slothe and Glut had failed to teach their men properly.

Having heard of the revolt, Paride rushed on ahead to ambush the renegades. With the strength of twenty, he believed he could stop the rebellion alone. But Lustcyn had foreseen this and had his soldiers separated into groups of seventy, a number far beyond Paride could handle, and thus Paride was torn apart, his death marking the beginning of

civil war.

With Parides death, Wiglaf joined the fight, leading his loyal soldiers into battle. For seven days and seven nights they fought, until the traitors were all sent to the depths of hell. Casualties were many and the Geats numbers was reduced by a third. Everything was in chaos. The Geats swords were dull and their shields cracked, and so the war torn survivors returned home only to find fleets of ships on the horizon.