Unferth, a wannabe hero, has drank too much of the sweet mead. Feeling emboldened by this liquid courage, Unferth calls out a challenge to Beowulf's Hero status in an attempt to tarnish the mighty warrior's reputation. The jealous drunk brings to a light a swimming race across an ocean in which Beowulf, according to Unferth, lost. In Unferth's version of events Beowulf finished the race coming in second place to Brecca.
There are essentially 3 ways in which our hero, Beowulf, responds to this verbal assault from Unferth. His first response is to correct the claim that Beowulf lost. This was either a lie told to Unferth and he needs to get his facts straight, or the sleaze bag himself is lying. Secondly, the mighty Geat explains why it may have appeared as if he were going to lose. As he and Brecca were swimming, neck and neck, he spotted a group of sea monsters and, being the absolute badass that he is, decided that he would slay the beasts before returning to win the aforementioned race.
After killing the monsters, he resumes the race and proceeds to beat Brecca. Now that Beowulf has defended this attack on his honor, and successfully repelled it, he must turn this insult around and beat Unferth at his own game. He questions the coward as to why, if he has the guts, or the stupidity, to question Beowulf, hadn't he simply dispatched of Grendel himself? Why was it that Beowulf was needed to get rid of the abomination if Unferth was such a great warrior? Not only was Beowulf more of a man than Unferth because he was going to fight the monster, but he was going to do so naked! No weapons, no armor, and just his brute strength were enough to slay the beast by tearing one of its limbs from its socket! Our warrior is now a hero to the people of this new land, and has proven himself to be a far braver man then Unferth.
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