Boar-shapes flashed
Above their cheek-guards, the brightly forged
Work of goldsmiths, watching over
Those stern-faced men.
– Beowulf, Seamus Heaney (trans.)
Lines 303-303: As Beowulf and the Gears prepare to sail to the aid of Hrothgar, the boar is the symbol that adorns the helmets of the warriors to watch over them and assure them protection in battle.