While Beowulf chooses to confront Grendel barehanded, he has weapons at the ready. The sword is the most popular instrument used by the medieval knight, and there are several epithets used to describe it. It was variously referred to as a blood-worm, an icicle of blood, a wound-hoe, and an onion of battle. These terms reflect the horror that the sword brought about and the courage required to use it. Beowulf also uses his weapon to kill Grendel. However, rather than describe it with one of these epithets, he calls it "my faithful friend". This shows that while they are both tools for killing, Beowulf views his sword as a companion that helps him in battle. Another example of an epithet in Beowulf is dragon-skin coat. This refers to the armor that the dragon had made for Geats' king Hrethel. When the dragon died, people thought it would be good luck if some of its skin remained, so they took this as proof that Hrethel had won victory in war. Thus, he was given this coat as armor. This show that even though Beowulf comes from a warrior society, they prefer to look at the positive side of weapons. They see them as tools that help you fight and win battles, not as something to be afraid of.