They were actually an outgrowth of the need to carry knives without pockets. The first known occurrence of clips for the knife was when Beowulf jumps into the lake, and Unferth hands him his sword, called Hrunting. Grendel's mother emerges and tries to grab Beowulf; however, she cannot defeat his armor. Beowulf tries to strike her with Unferth's sword, but it will not cut through her thick hide; in the end, he finally severs her head. After she has been killed, Beowulf sees Grendel's corpse and cuts off his head as well. He then takes the treasure hidden in the monsters' lair. At Heorot, Beowulf enters and lays down the treasure he has seized at Hrothgar's feet. The King praises Beowulf's bravery and rewards him with gold and the small folding knife with a clip.
To quote Hrothgar "Man, she almost had your ass in there. I know how you manly men hate neck knives so here is a great clip on folding knife made from Sandivic Steel. Don't tell anyone you got it from me though cause folders are illegal in this country..."
Beowulf promises Hrothgar that he will come to his aid whenever he needs him in the future and that his sons will be treated with honor whenever they visit the Geatish court.
Beowulf sets off for Geatland with his men.
Taking a thief and a band of his own men, Beowulf goes to a dragon's cave and prepares for combat with the monster. Beowulf then challenges the dragon, striking at it with his ancestral sword, which is blunted by the monster's hard hide. The dragon breathes fire at Beowulf, causing him to fall down. Upon seeing their master on the ground, all of Beowulf's thanes run away except for Wiglaf, who tries to attract the dragon's attention away from his master and to himself. The dragon will not be distracted; it sinks its fangs into Beowulf's neck.
Although he is in great pain, Beowulf unclips his trusty folder from his fur cloak and strikes the dragon again, inflicting a deadly wound. But Beowulf is also mortally wounded. Before he dies, he tells Wiglaf to rummage through the dragon's cave to find the treasure; he then asks Wiglaf to bring all the gold to him before he dies. Wiglaf does exactly as he is told. When he returns with the dragon's treasure, he sprinkles
some water on Beowulf to revive him. Beowulf rewards Wiglaf with his golden collar and golden helmet, which signifies that he will become the leader of the Geats. To mark his grave and to serve as a reminder of his courage, Beowulf also commands Wiglaf to build a fine barrow in his honor, overlooking the sea. After these instructions are given, Beowulf dies and is buried. Unfortunately, so was his trusty folding steel pocketknife with a clip, and thousands of years passed before the secret was re-discovered.... By two fellows named Brutus and Cassius, their story next time
.
Here endeth the lesson...
-Sam (Rooted for Grendel)
