And now the youth was to enter the line of battle with his lord, his first time to be tested as a fighter. His spirit did not break and the ancestral blade would keep its edge, as the dragon discovered as soon as they came together in combat.

And now the youth
was to enter the line of battle with his lord,
his first time to be tested as a fighter.
His spirit did not break and the ancestral blade
would keep its edge, as the dragon discovered
as soon as they came together in combat.

– Beowulf, Seamus Heaney (trans.)

Lines 2625-2630: During the final battle, the courageous Wiglaf stayed by Beowulf during his last moments, unlike his peers who ran away in fear.

Beowulf Quotes