Wundrað hwät þonne,
eorl ellen-rôf, ende gefêre
lîf-gesceafta, þonne leng ne mäg (etc.),
in which hwät would = þurh hwät at [l. 3069], and eorl would be subject of the conjectural vb. wundrað: "the valiant earl wondereth then through what he shall attain his life's end, when he no longer may live. ... So Beówulf knew not (wondered how) through what his end should come," etc. W. and Ho. join þonne to the next line. Or, for hwâr read wære: Wundur wære þonne (= gif), etc., = "would it be any wonder if a brave man," etc., which is virtually Müllenhoff's.
l. 3053. galdre bewunden, spell-bound, throws light on [l. 2770], gelocen leoðo-cräftum. The "accursed" gold of legend is often dragon-guarded and placed under a spell. Even human ashes (as Shakespeare's) are thus banned. [ll. 3047-3058] recall the so-called "Treasury of Atreus."
l. 3073. herh, hearh, temple, is conjectured by E. to survive in Harrow. Temple, barrow, etc., have thus been raised to proper names. Cf. Biówulfes biorh of [l. 2808].
l. 3074. H.-So. has strude, = ravage, and compares [l. 3127]. MS. has strade. S. suggests stride, = tread.
l. 3074. H.-So. omits strâdan, = tread, stride over, from the Gloss., referring [ll. 3174] and [3074] to strûdan, q. v.
l. 3075. S. proposes: näs hê goldhwätes gearwor häfde, etc., = Beowulf had not before seen the greedy possessor's favor.—Beit. ix. 143. B. reads, goldhwäte gearwor häfde, etc., making goldhwäte modify êst, = golden favor; but see Beit. xii. 373, for B.'s later view.
l. 3086-3087. B. translates, "that which (i.e. the treasure) drew the king thither was granted indeed, but it overwhelmed us."—Beit. xii. 109.