Wise Old Ceorl(as) in Beowulf and its Original Meaning

In the Old English poem Beowulf, the word ceorl "man" (> Modern English churl) is used for old kings and wise nobles, which is unparalleled in other Old English writings, where it often means a freeman of the lowest class or a peasant. The Beowulf poet uses it always in certain set phrases, and they seem to have been formed in close connection with its original meaning "old man", which is lost in Old English but is retained in its cognates in some other Germanic languages. The set phrases the poet uses, echoing its lost original meaning, seem to be of rather early origin and his frequent use of this word, together with its rare occurrence elsewhere, may reflect an archaic aspect of the language of the Beowulf poet.