Symbolism of the Golden Horn, Essay Example

There are many symbols in the classic tale Beowulf that have been analyzed throughout time as playing important roles in the creation of the story.  One of these symbols lies in the creation of the Golden Horn.  Many of the characters have had possession of the horn throughout the story, most notably Beowulf, King Hrothgar and Grendel’s mother.  The Golden Horn symbolizes a pact between Grendel’s mother and her lovers as she ventures on the task of having a son or replacing her deceased son after Beowulf brings him to his demise.  Grendel’s mother also uses the Golden Horn as a promise to Beowulf, and likely also to Hrothgar before him, that serves as an important role in the climax of the story.

Grendel’s mother uses the horn as a major symbol for her questionable love that she declares for the rulers of the great land.  It is never directly mentioned throughout the story that Grendel’s mother gave the Golden Horn to King Hrothgar, but it is somewhat implied by the similarity between the two men.  Hrothgar gives the horn to Beowulf and takes him on as a protégé in order to groom him into becoming the next king after he kills the monster Grendel who was also Hrothgar’s son with the beautiful hag monster, Grendel’s mother.  As Beowulf makes the journey to kill Grendel’s mother, he takes the horn with him.  Grendel’s mother forms a pact with Beowulf that for as long as the Golden Horn stays in her own possession, Beowulf would always be king.  They proceed to engage sexually with one another so that Beowulf may give the monster another son to call her own.

The symbol of the Golden Horn plays an important role because it haunts Beowulf throughout his rule as king of the land.  It can be said that the Golden Horn is somewhat of an Achilles’ Heel for Beowul, and any other ruler of the great land.  One day the Golden Horn returns to his possession and it becomes clear to Beowulf that an attack is imminent and his time may be at an end.  In the climax of the story, it can be argued that the Golden Horn becomes to symbol of Beowulf’s death and the end of his rule as king.  In a similar way, the Golden Horn existed as a symbol in the same way for King Hrothgar because he too lost his life as the ruler of the land, in lieu of Beowulf’s reign as king.  Nevertheless, it is clear that the Golden Horn has an ominous aura surrounding it that is bestowed upon the beholder of the Horn.  Grendel’s mother uses the power of the horn to enact her revenge on Hrothgar and Beowulf for never truly loving her or her sons.  For this reason, the characters quickly experience their deaths, although it is likely that Beowulf ends the conflict through his death, and the death of his son, the dragon whom he had with Grendel’s mother.

In many cases, it can also be argued that the ruler of the land is meant to have the Golden Horn as a royal offering from the current king to the next.  This is seen in the story from King Hrothgar ceremoniously offering Beowulf the Horn and declaring him as the next heir of the land for killing the monster Grendel.  The Golden Horn serves as a symbol for many motifs and themes throughout the story; however, it is clear that the horn represents imminent death, power, and a pact between the beholder and Grendel’s mother.  It serves as a recurring image for Hrothgar and Beowulf that haunts them throughout their entire reign as kings of the great land.  Through the use of the Golden Horn as a symbol, the author is able to show the audience a deeper ominous meaning as a predictor for events to come in the future, especially for Beowulf in the climactic end of the story, which is also the end of his own life.