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Why does the dragon attack Geatland in Beowulf?
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Beowulf
Beowulf preparing to cut off the head of the monster Grendel, illustration from Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race, 1910.
In the Old English poem Beowulf, the dragon attacks Geatland because it becomes enraged after a thief steals a single cup from its treasure-filled lair.12
The dragon, which had been guarding a buried hoard of gold and jewels, begins ravaging the land in response to this theft. This act of aggression forces the aging King Beowulf to come out of his peaceful 50-year rule to engage the creature in a final, fatal battle.12