Beowulf travels to the land of the Danes to kill the monster, Grendel. There are two main reasons for him to do this, beyond the general idea that monsters are bad and ought to be killed. The first reason is known in Anglo-Saxon warrior culture as comitatus, a feudal relationship involving mutual obligations. The second is that Beowulf is an epic hero, and he must do great deeds to win honor and glory.
Before the poem begins, Hrothgar, King of the Danes, helped Beowulf's father, Ecgtheow. This established the relationship of comitatus, in which a king or feudal lord provides land, treasure, or political support, and the beneficiary and his family are bound to fight for him. Beowulf comes to Hrothgar's aid, therefore, not out of pure altruism but because he is honor bound to do so. Hrothgar also rewards him richly for his assistance.
Besides the practical reasons for Beowulf's journey to Daneland, there is the obligation of an epic hero to perform great deeds. These will ensure that his name lives on in history and legend and that songs and poems will be written about him. Epics in literary cultures, such as the Aeneid and Paradise Lost, tend to have some further purpose beyond the quest for glory, but in so-called "authentic" or primary epics, glory is sufficient. The motive that brought Beowulf to Daneland is the same as that which drew Achilles to Troy.
Hrothgar, king of the Danes (before the opening of the action of the poem), aided Ecgtheow, Beowulf's father, in negotiating an end to a feud with the Wulflings by paying the weregild owed for Ecgtheow's having killed a member of the Wulfling clan. Not only did this act show Hrothgar to be wealthy, just, and generous, but it also meant that Beowulf's family owed Hrothgar a debt of honor.
At the start of the poem, Hrothgar's mead hall Heorot and retinue are being ravaged by the monster Grendel. Hrothgar is too old to fight off the monster himself and his sons are too young. Beowulf hears of Grendel's repeated attacks on the Danes and volunteers to come to the aid of his father's benefactor.
There are two main motivations involved. First and foremost is the moral obligation to come to the aid of his father's benefactor. Second, in the genre of heroic epic, traveling and defeating powerful monsters is how a hero establishes his fame and reputation, bringing glory not just to himself but also to his family and clan. This creates a virtuous cycle in which the people aided by the hero and their families become obligated to the hero and his family in the future, building a powerful network of alliances.
At the beginning of the epic, the king of the Danes, Hrothgar, is plagued by the ferocious monster Grendel, who stalks Heorot at night and has killed numerous brave Danish warriors. For twelve years, Grendel has terrorized the mead-hall until Hrothgar remembers Beowulf, the hero from Geatland, and requests his help defeating Grendel. Beowulf ends up sailing from Geatland with fourteen of his bravest warriors and vows to kill Grendel. Hrothgar had once helped end a feud between Beowulf's father, Edgetho, and the Wulfings years ago and views Beowulf's service as repayment for helping Edgetho. Shortly after Beowulf arrives in Denmark, he ends up defeating Grendel in the great mead-hall by fatally wounded him in their epic struggle. Beowulf manages to rip Grendel's shoulder, arm, and claw from his body before the monster flees back to his mother's lair, where he eventually dies.
How did Beowulf travel to the land of the Danes?
Beowulf is part of a culture that honors favors and debts to others, even if they are accrued by relations. When he hears that Hrothgar is in need, Beowulf decides to offer his assistance to pay back the favors from those people to his own in the past. He sails with his men to the land of the Danes.
He ordered a boat / that would ply the waves. He announced his plan: / to sail the swan's road and search out that king, / the famous prince who needed defenders. (lines 198-201)
Once Beowulf and his men reach the Danish coast, the Danish Coast-Guard stops them. Beowulf describes who he is and his intention to help Hrothgar, and the guard lets him pass. When the boat reaches land, the troupe "marched in step, / hurrying on till the timbered hall / rose before them . . ." (306-8).
"Beowulf." Trans. Seamus Heaney. W.W. Norton and Company: New York, 2000. Book.
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