Beowulf

So, I read The Narrative Pulse of Beowulf by John M. Hill on the ferry this weekend. Hill puts forth a few interesting ideas: A) That Hrothgar tries to adopt Beowulf as a son so that Beowulf can take over as king, and he fails in this mission (and thus implies that the Danes are doomed). B) Wiglaf, who is not Geatish, may not have stuck around after Beowulf's death. Of course Beowulf has no successor. Hill also suggests that poem compressed 11 stories from Beowulf's live, a cycle of stories, each originally longer and more elaborate, and chooses only to focuses and expand two. Here are the eleven:

1) A 7-year old Beowulf fostered by Hrethel (maternal grandfather) who witnesses the sad aftermath of Haethcyn accidental killing of Herebeard.
2) As a youth Beowulf goes along with Hygelac on his rescue mission to Ravenswood (to save his brother's band of troops).
3) The swimming match with Brecca
4) Beowulf avenges destruction to the Geats by killing five sea monsters (different from the above segment)
5) A young, but somewhat distinguished Beowulf, goes to Denmark to free Heorot of Grendel
6) As a noted warrior, Beowulf serves as the point man for Hygelac's raids: most of these are against the Frisians and Franks.
7) During Hygelac's ill-fated raid into Frisian territory, Hygelac trapped and killed behind Beowulf's lead point, Beowulf kills the Frankish-Hugo champion with his bare hands and then wipes out the rest of the Frisian troops before returning home with Hygelac.
8) Beowulf supports Hygelac's son as king.
9) Heardred, the Geatish King, is entangled in the Swedish family revolt and killed by Onela. Beowulf is somewhere else, perhaps securing Waemundings inheritance against Swedish appropriation. Remember that Wiglaf's father fights for Onela against Onela's nephews. Also remember that Beowulf is the Danish savior and that the Swedes and the Danes are related by married. Onela is married to Hrothgar's sister.
10) Beowulf avenges Heardred's death and kills the Swedish king.
11) Beowulf faces the dragon.