[6] egsode eorl[as]. The emendation eorlas, strongly advocated by Sievers, has been adopted as, after all, a desirable improvement. The metrical form of egsode eorl, though rare, need not be rejected (T.C. § 21), but stylistically, the sing. eorl would be suspiciously harsh. It is true that the sing. in a collective sense is well substantiated (see note on 794f.), but this use of eorl (in the acc. sing.) as variation of the preceding collective noun plurals (þrëatum, mǣgþum) would not be satisfactory. A still less acceptable type of variation would result from the interpretation of eorl as nom. sing., 'the hero terrified [them]' (von Grienberger, Beitr. xxxvi 94f.; B.-T. Suppl., s.v. egesian), the ponderous (plural) object requiring a variation in preference to the subject.
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Beowulf. Fr. Klaeber. Boston. D.C. Heath and Company. 1922.
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