"Beowulf is my name"

Beowulf: the superhero of the poem. His tribe is the Geats, and his lord is Hygelac. He comes to help Hrothgar kill Grendel, because Beowulf is a monster-slayer of supernatural strength: "...a thane, they declared with the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand" (lines 380-381). The text tells us:

			There was no one else like him alive.
			In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth,
			highborn and powerful (line 196-198). 

Indeed, Beowulf's resumé, which he presents to Hrothgar, proves his credentials:

			I am Hygelac's kinsman,
			one of his hall-troop. When I was younger,
			I had great triumphs...
			[My kinsmen] seen me boltered in the blood of enemies
			when I battled and bound five beasts,
			raided a troll-nest and in the night-sea
			slaughtered sea-brutes. I have suffered extremes
			and avenged the Geats (their enemies brought it
			upon themselves: I devastated them).
			Now I mean to be a match for Grendel (lines 407-409, 419-425).