All 5 Uses of

frayed

in

Beowulf - (translated by: Gummere)

— There woke from him such fate-sent ghosts as Grendel, who, war-wolf horrid, at Heorot found a warrior watching and waiting the fray, with whom the grisly one grappled amain.†
*

…heirloom gazing, some ash-wielder old who has all in mind that spear-death of men,{28c}— he is stern of mood, heavy at heart, — in the hero young tests the temper and tries the soul and war-hate wakens, with words like these: — Canst thou not, comrade, ken that sword which to the fray thy father carried in his final feud, 'neath the fighting-mask, dearest of blades, when the Danish slew him and wielded the war-place on Withergild's fall, after havoc of heroes, those hardy Scyldings?†

— But I pass from that, turning to Grendel, O giver-of-treasure, and saying in full how the fight resulted, hand-fray of heroes.†
*

Men of my folk for that feud had vengeance, for woful war ('tis widely known), though one of them bought it with blood of his heart, a bargain hard: for Haethcyn proved fatal that fray, for the first-of-Geats.†

The linden yellow, his shield, he seized; the old sword he drew: — as heirloom of Eanmund earth-dwellers knew it, who was slain by the sword-edge, son of Ohtere, friendless exile, erst in fray killed by Weohstan, who won for his kin brown-bright helmet, breastplate ringed, old sword of Eotens, Onela's gift, weeds of war of the warrior-thane, battle-gear brave: though a brother's child had been felled, the feud was unfelt by Onela.†

Definitions:

(fray as in: into the fray)
a noisy fight, controversial debate, or other exciting situation that usually is not well organized

(frayed as in: frayed cloth)
showing wear with threads beginning to separate or hang loose