Editing Heorot (section)

==Description==
[[File:Beowulf Tribes.svg|thumb|upright=1.4|Map of the ''[[Beowulf]]'' region, showing the protagonist's voyage to Heorot]]

The [[Anonymous work|anonymous]] author of ''Beowulf'' praises Heorot as large enough to allow Hrothgar to present Beowulf with a gift of eight horses, each with gold-plate headgear.<ref>''Beowulf'', lines 1035–37</ref> It functions both as a seat of government and as a residence for the king's [[thegn|thanes]] (warriors). Heorot symbolizes human civilization and culture, as well as the might of the Danish kings—essentially, all the good things in the world of ''Beowulf''.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Halverson |first=John |title=The World of Beowulf |journal=ELH |volume=36 |issue=4 |date=December 1969 |pages=593–608 |jstor=2872097}}</ref>  Its brightness, warmth, and joy contrasts with the darkness of the swamp waters inhabited by [[Grendel]].<ref name="Niles">Niles, John D., [http://www.britannica.com/magazine/article?query=great+hall&id=1 "Beowulf's Great Hall"], ''[[History Today]]'', October 2006, '''56''' (10), pp. 40–44</ref>