What object does a slave steal that awakens the dragon?

The slave steals a golden cup from the dragon’s hoard, and that theft awakens the sleeping dragon. The unnamed slave discovers a hidden passage into an ancient barrow, where the dragon has guarded treasure for roughly three hundred winters.

He does not steal the cup out of greed or to challenge the monster. The poem presents him as a runaway slave seeking protection from a harsh master. He takes a single cup from the hoard, hoping its value will win forgiveness. After returning to his master, he does not realize at first how dramatically the theft will change Geatish history.

When the dragon wakes and notices that the cup is missing, it follows the thief’s footprints and erupts in fury. It flies out at night, burning homes and settlements across Beowulf’s kingdom. The cup is sometimes translated as a goblet or bejeweled cup, which can cause confusion, but it is not a crown, sword, or ring. The larger treasure hoard also includes gold, jewels, vessels, and arm-rings, yet the stolen cup is the specific object that triggers the dragon’s revenge.