Unferth seems to be mad and jealous of Beowulf’s arrival. He even tries to undermine Beowulf unjustly. On Beowulf’s arrival, instead of showing some hospitality, he insults Beowulf at a banquet saying, “Are you the Beowulf who took on Breca/ in a swimming-match on the open sea/ risking the water just to prove that you could win?” (506-508). However, Beowulf refutes those claims. He defends himself suggesting Unferth that he don’t want to abandon the weaker boy, while he was swimming with Breca for five nights. At the same moment, Beowulf claim to the Unferth as an “admired by all for his mind and courage/ although under a cloud for killing his brothers, /reclined near the king” (1165-1167). Also, Beowulf questioned Unferth about his courage which lead him unable to defeat Grendel. …show more content…
Thinking Beowulf as a folk hero, he seems to be a real- warrior who is brave enough to defeat Grendel and has no -fear in himself. Besides that, Beowulf depicts himself as a hero when he replied Unferth saying, “the truth is this: /when the going was heavy in those high waves/ I was the strongest swimmer of all" (529-534). When it comes to dying Beowulf wants to make a barrow on his name. So that, after his death, “it will loom on the horizon at Hronesness / and be a reminder among” his people