What is the status of gold giving in Beowulf?
Gold was the most precious metal to ancient people, so a gift of
gold would give someone very high status. The main characters in
Beowulf (other than the monsters, of course) are noble, and gift
giving was very important in ancient times. Giving something very
expensive and unusual would give you high status and show you were
rich and someone to be respected. It would also give honor to the
recipient. If you gave the wrong thing or too little, it would be
taken as an insult. There was sometimes an element of competition
in ancient gift giving -- who could give the best gift. And
rejecting someone's gift could start a war.