construction of a monument to honor his greatness and achievements. He then
praises Wiglaf for his courage, gives him the helmet necklace, and armor he is
wearing, and dies. As the Geat warriors return from the woods where they had run
in cowardice, Wiglaf scolds them for abandoning their king who had armed them
with superior weapons for the fight. He exclaims that they will be forever known
as traitors and cowards. 40, 41 Wiglaf sends word of the outcome of the battle
to the Geat soldiers awaiting the news. As the messenger informs the warriors of
the death of Beowulf, he conveys his belief that their enemies will assuredly
take advantage of the news and attack. The messenger tells of the many conflicts
which have existed in the violent history of the Geats and predicts the conflict
may begin again with unfortunate death of their king. The warriors travel to the
cave to see the corpses of Beowulf and the dragon. 42 We learn that the nobles
who had placed the treasure in the cave had placed a curse on it which would
last until the last day of the earth. Wiglaf orders the construction of a
funeral pyre for Beowulf and selects seven strong men to throw the dragon’s body
off a cliff and load the treasure onto a wagon. 43 After placing shields,
helmets, and armor around Beowulf’s funeral pyre, the great king is cremated to
the crying of his mourning people. They place the ashes of Beowulf and all of
the dragon’s treasures inside a giant mound of sand where they would be safe
from the enemies sure to attack after hearing of the tragedy. The Danes are left
feeling uncertain about the future of their kingdom after the loss of their
great king.