8's in the Achievements?

Anybody know what the obsession is with the number 8 in the achievements of this game on the 360?

Every achievement where you have to do something a number of times (I.e. block, disarm or Kill barehanded) it asks you to do it with an 8 in the number such as - 8, 58 or 88 times instead of the 10, 60 or 90 times I would expect, I just seems a strange decision.

Is there some significance to the number 8 in the Beowulf story or is it something completely different? What have I missed in this regard?

Ta