The book, The Coming of the Dragon by Rebecca Barnhouse, tells a story about a boy named Rune who would one day become a hero. When he was a baby, Rune was washed up on shore and was thought to be an offering to the gods; the location where he washed up was in the land of the Geats. Rune was found in a boat surrounded by a sword, a shield, a chain-mail shirt, and a wool blanket. He also had a rune around his neck, which is the reason for his given name. People there decided to either kill the baby or push him back out to sea, but the king of the land, King Beowulf, thought otherwise. Thus, he grabbed the baby and gave it to a wise woman named, Amma, who raised the boy. Amma somehow knew Rune would be coming and waiting on the beach before …show more content…
During the feast, King Beowulf chose warriors to kill the dragon. Somehow, Rune wasn’t chosen, even though he knew where to find the dragon. In fact, the king chose the strange slave, that Rune met earlier, to guide him. Before the journey started, Rune saw an eerie grin on the slave’s face. After the king left, Rune had a vision of the slave; the vision was of the slave not being a slave-but instead-a guy in nice clothes. He also heard words that sounded like Amma’s telling him to go. Quickly, he galloped to the king on his horse; he made it just in time to save King Beowulf from the guy assumed to be a slave. Alongside the king, Rune showed the correct path to the mountain where the dragon …show more content…
Then, King Beowulf commanded everyone to stay back because this was his fight. One by one, warriors ran away in fear, except Rune. He ran in to help the king after Rune saw he was weary. After the king’s sword broke, the dragon found an exposed spot on Beowulf’s neck and clamped its poisonous fangs on it. They managed to kill the beast by driving their sword and dagger into the dragon’s weak spot, and the happiness was short-lived because the king was about to succumb to his wounds. Before Beowulf died, he declared Rune as the king; the warriors heard what the king said before his death, They helped Rune with carrying the king and the dragon’s treasures. Back in the kingdom, Rune was welcomed as the new