"(64) After delivering liberty and peace to his thanes and people, the noble king constructed a great mead-hall called Heorot to symbolize his power and opulence of his country, "meant to be a wonder of the world forever."(70) Heorot becomes the first and most important treasure of the Danes. Then comes the passing of the ring ceremony. "Nor did he renege, but doled out rings and torques at the table."(80-81) Being the noblest figure in the nation, Hrothgar passed out the "rings" and "torques" to all his people, ranking from highest to lowest. Not only does this action strengthen the bond between the king and his companions but also it conveys different meaning for different people. To some, it could be the actual worth of the treasure that please them. To the others, however, it represents the moral value of their relationship with the king, which is comitatus. Those who receive the treasure understand that they hold weighty positions in the country and that it would be a pleasure for them to fight for their king. Thus, the meaning of this ritual can be interpreted as a cultural treasure for people in the Anglo-Saxon society.
One's treasure could be a source of attraction for other raiders. In this poem, it is the anathema Grendel who gets attracted by the hall. Being a pariah because of his relating identity to Cain, Grendel fails to contain his grievances by listening to the song of creation from the minstrel in Heorot. "It harrowed him to hear the din of the loud banquet everyday in the hall."(87-89) He starts to harass the hall because of loneliness and jealousy. For "twelve winters", he keeps wreaking havoc on the Danes until the arrival of Beowulf. The sole purpose of Beowulf's trip of saving the Danes is to gain "kleos" for him and his royal line. Beowulf is well aware of his own position in this world, and he demonstrates this by repeatedly referring to his lord Hygelac and his now-deceased father Ecgtheow.
