Motif
all sleep except one watchful hero
all_sleep_except_one_watchful_hero
A motif of the Divine Warrior and Sacred Combat family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
germanic
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Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem VIII. / UNFERTH TAUNTS BEOWULF. / BEOWULF SILENCES UNFERTH.--GLEE IS HIGH. / ALL SLEEP SAVE ONE.; lines 2221-2331 confidence: high
Beowulf and many attending warriors sleep; the men think it unlikely they will return home because slaughter had recently taken many Scyldings from the wine-hall.
The passage states that the warriors are sleeping and then adds that one only is excepted, serving as warder and awaiting battle.
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