The first duty of a Germanic king was to give gifts wisely. All of the loot from any raid belonged to the king, and from this hoard, he handed out rewards in accordance with each man’s effort and standing. The formal feast was his gift-giving occasion, and his chair was generally called the “gift-stool.” The queen, too, handed out rewards, as she walked around the room with the official mead-cup.
The rewards fall into roughly three categories. The most common was the ring, probably an arm-ring, as well as other treasures of a non-weapon nature. The more gold and jewels these used, the higher they stood as a reward. The next category of reward-gifts was weaponry, including swords, shields, chain-mail and helmets, and perhaps also the more common spears and bows. Less common, horses or ships would also be in this weapons category. The greatest reward category, given least commonly, was land itself. The young men, after they had proven their worth and were into their 20’s, could expect one day to receive a grant of an estate from the king, probably announced at a formal feast like this one.
All three kinds of reward are mentioned at different points in Beowulf. Much later, back home in Geatland, Beowulf will recall that at these feasts in Heorot, both the queen and her daughter were giving out rings to the warriors. Beowulf himself, in Geatland, will receive an estate from his king at a formal feast of welcome.
Here, at the second feast at Heorot, the main point is to reward the hero himself with the richest weapons-gifts. The poet takes delight in describing these to us: a golden banner, a helmet, a “byrnie,” or chain-mail shirt, and a sword. The banner has the insignia of a boar on it, the sign of the pagan god Frey, and a common totem for battle.
The helmet, perhaps also decorated with boar-pictures, has a feature so interesting to the teller that he takes five lines to describe it. The ridge of the helmet’s top is wound with wire to strengthen it, perhaps as a guard against a sword-blow shattering the joints of the helmet-plates. The chain-mail shirt is later called gray, made of tiny, forged iron rings. Beowulf later explains that it had belonged to Hrothgar’s brother and nephew, presumably both deceased now.
The sword is a “treasure-sword,” perhaps, depending on the meaning of a doubtful phrase, it may be the sword of Healfdene (Hrothgar’s father) himself. This treasure-sword is almost certainly decorated in golden designs, and inlaid with jewels. The Germanic peoples of this time knew the art of cloisonné, which produces an effect like stained glass. Some sword-hilts have survived in the great royal burials such as the one at Sutton Hoo; they are so magnificent that it is hard to imagine using them in the dust, dirt and blood of a real battle.
So much would be a large reward for any hero, but Beowulf has done something more magnificent than usual. Hrothgar might be considered stingy if he cannot do better than this, and so after all these, into the feast-hall itself come eight horses, one with a priceless jeweled saddle. This is Hrothgar’s own mount, we read, and he is giving all this to Beowulf.
Lesser treasures are not named, but Hrothgar gives rewards to Beowulf’s men, also, and a sum of gold to be returned to the dead man’s family as blood-money. The Geats are fully satisfied with their pay for the risks they ran, Beowulf most of all.