In the final battle of the epic narrative Beowulf, Beowulf slays the dragon, but not before the dragon poisons him with his venom. When Beowulf becomes aware that he is dying, he passes off his necklace, golden helmet, rings and mail shirt to Wiglaf, who has come to his aid. By passing off his gear to Wiglaf, Beowulf is both physically and symbolically passing off his leadership role to Wiglaf.
Beowulf does not just pass his role of king onto any person, but specifically Wiglaf because he would be most fit to take over for Beowulf, and he embodies the traits of an epic hero. Wiglaf is “Wexstan’s son” (line 712), making him a distant cousin to Beowulf, and “the last of [their] far-flung family” (line 833), so he fulfills the requirement of having
Beowulf does not just pass his role of king onto any person, but specifically Wiglaf because he would be most fit to take over for Beowulf, and he embodies the traits of an epic hero. Wiglaf is “Wexstan’s son” (line 712), making him a distant cousin to Beowulf, and “the last of [their] far-flung family” (line 833), so he fulfills the requirement of having