The legend of the Anglo-Saxon warrior, Beowulf, is a story that has been passed down from generation to generation. It was written a long time ago, before Heraldry even came to be. Because of this, there are no mentions of any heraldic symbols within the epic poem. However... If there was heraldry in Beowulf's time, what kind of a shield would he have held? What charge or charges would he have placed upon it?

First, let us try to discover what kind of a field Sir Beowulf would have on his shield. The field is the background color, and is very important in identification - it can be either gold or white with a colored charge, or the field can be a color with the charge being gold or white. Beowulf is an accomplished warrior, so his tincture would most likely be red, which represents military fortitude (Wade). It could also be blue, which represents loyalty. However, Beowulf is out to gain earthly immortality and a lot of wealth. Wealth immediately indicates the color gold - here, we now have our two colors for Beowulf's shield, since we're designing a simple version of it.

With his colors decided, all we need now is a charge, or symbol for him to wield into battle. A sword would make a typical choice for a Viking, however in the epic Beowulf, he fights one of the three monsters within the tale bare-handed. In the second monster battle, the sword he uses melts... So a sword is out of the question. He meets his death with a dragon, and because of that, it is highly doubted that he would earn that as a charge. Not only that, but the dragon would represent Beowulf as being a wealthy man that was a fierce opponent... Appropriate, yes, but it also meant that he would defend his wealth to the death - something he does not do, since he gives all that he acquires from Hrothgar's Hall to his Uncle (Breeden).
A Heraldic Bear, Rampant
Courtesy of
Free Heraldry Clipart

If his feats don't work, why not his name?

Beowulf's name is a kenning. A "kenning" is "an Anglo-Saxon compound noun that metaphorically stands for something else (Delahoyde)." Honestly, it's not "be a wolf" as some people sound it out to be. Instead, as Professor Michael Delahoyde of Washington State University points out:

BEO-WULF = BEE-WOLF = BEE-ENEMY


"Wolf" in the Anglo-Saxon times meant "enemy." What's the enemy of a bee? A bear. This is fitting because Beowulf is described to have bear-like aspects in the poem, such as "bear-like strength" when he fought Grendel with only his hands (Delahoyde). In heraldic terms, a bear represents a fierce opponent, as well as unsurpassable strength and a passion for battle. Thus, his shield just may have been something like this:
Heraldic Bear, Rampant
Courtesy of
Free Heraldry Clipart