'deaðe gedælde' - The scene described differs from regular beasts-of-battle type-scenes. Usually the appearance of the wolf and raven announces that battle is coming; in this case they feast in the aftermath. B-D point out that this phrase usually means 'hand over to death' and suggest that here it indicates a wolf tearing a prone warrior to pieces. The messenger in Beowulf imagines a raven telling an eagle how he feasted when 'with the wolf he plundered the slain' (wið wulf wæl reafode).