Anglo-Saxons believed that there was nothing after death, and that the only way to achieve “immortality” was through stories; achieve something worthy of being remembered, and one’s name and legacy will be remembered. Ironically, though Beowulf is meant to show the superiority of Christian values over Anglo-Saxon ones, its very existence proves the worth of the Anglo-Saxon beliefs. Beowulf has achieved immortality: his story is still being told today. In Grendel, this idea is explored more thoroughly. Though Grendel can recognize the storyteller’s (known as the Shaper) songs for what they really are (distorted tales of glory that only bear a passing resemblance to actual events), the fact that the stories are lies does not matter.
In Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon poem, written about a hero named Beowulf who aids the King of Danes to battle monsters. With his powerful strength, he was able to slay Grendel and Grendel’s mother. However, in his last journey, fifty years later, to battle the dragon, he succeeds but dies in the process. Throughout the whole poem, it is apparent that one important theme present is the display of pride and strength of the people in that society at the time. One of the first displays of pride and strengths in Beowulf can be seen in the first battle with Grendel.
The epic poem Beowulf by Seamus Heaney used character archetypes to explore the values embodied in Anglo-Saxon culture. The first battle in the poem occurs between Beowulf and Grendel who best embody the Anglo-Saxon value of courage. Beowulf is the perfect representation of this value due to his insistence on fighting Grendel without weapons; “No weapons, therefore,/ for either this night: unarmed he shall face me” (Heaney 683-84). Thus when Beowulf proclaims that he is not using weapons he displays both honor and courage since it takes guts to fight a monster without an advantage. The Anglo-Saxons respected this quality and made their epic hero a perfect fit for this trait.
Because they did not believe in an afterlife, the Anglo Saxons felt that immortality was achieved by fame and positive reputation, and that achieving fame was the most important task in one’s life. Beowulf clearly defines this idea in his speech to Hrothgar before attacking Grendel’s mother: “he who can earn it should fight for the glory of his name; fame after death is the noblest of goals.” The Anglo Saxons remembered their heroes’ fame through the telling of their epic tales and the passing down of their mementos. Beowulf embodies memento mori in nearly every aspect; the epic itself is a prime example of oral tradition. Within the story, there are several instances of scops recounting the stories of past heroes, such as the tale of Siegmund.
Thesis: The role of the Anglo-Saxon Hero in Beowulf represents and defines the values of strength, intelligence, selfness, and courage. Beowulf himself models the culture of the Anglo-Saxon hero, as he is willing to face any odds, and fight to the death for their glory and people I. Strength and physical appearance A. Strength is clearly an important characteristic of heroes in Anglo-Saxon culture and heroic code. 1. The beginning of the story Beowulf is described as having the strength of "thirty men" in just one of his arms. 2.
The anglo-saxons have beliefs about fate and how people were destined to fulfill some of the legends. Many stories have fate as an underlying tone that impacts the flow of the article. “.... Heard how Grendel filled nights with horror and quickly commanded a boat fitted out….” (112-113) in the beginning you can infer someone will come along to defeat Grendel. The person destined to defeat Grendel is a young warrior named Beowulf. Beowulf is centered around fate and the inevitable results that are planned with any action.
The novel, Beowulf, intertwines and twists many different motifs within its story. These include monsters, weapons, and feasting. One motif, storytelling, is woven throughout the tale, and has an essential role in Beowulf. With little or no access to the written word, storytelling was the ideal way to spread ideas for public consumption. Oral tales provide a view into Anglo Saxon beliefs, how their monarchy functioned, and their socio-political structure.
Julius Corbin Mrs. Goad English IV 15 September 2017 Beowulf Monster Stand Off Beowulf is an iconic littercher piece that has found its ways to many of teen’s school all around the world. Beowulf is a story told by the Anglo-Saxons for they believed strongly in courage, strength, loyalty, and many other beliefs. In the book beowulf displays some monster qualities. Which could be used to say that since Beowulf has monster qualities. He himself is a monster.
In Beowulf, an English epic poem that tells of the tell of the incredible warrior Beowulf, Anglo-Saxons values of the time period are displayed. Loyalty, bravery, and honesty are three of the most important values
Beofwulf’s structure, events, diction, and the story of a complete warrior depict what a true epic poem looks like. The poem shows the reader many events and tragedies that create a long line-filled poem. Beowulf endures many journeys throughout the narrative that solidify as heroic and truly legendary. Many unlikely and superhuman abilities are displayed throughout Beowulf as well. Structure, heroics, and superhuman abilities in the narrative Beowulf, which tells of Beowulf’s journeys, provide a great example of an epic.
Also, when fighting the dragon, he exclaims “I will stand, not run from his shooting flames, stand till fate decides which of us wins,” which demonstrates Beowulf’s courage, but like stated before, even with courage, if someone is doomed, then there’s nothing that can be done. These examples show that the Anglo-Saxon understanding of fate is not all too different from our modern understanding, but most importantly, it displays the
The epic poem “Beowulf”, translated by Burton Raffel, focuses on a hero by the name of Beowulf who goes on a quest to rescue King Hrothgar and his people from an egregious monster by the name of Grendel. This Anglo-Saxon tale gives insight into the values and beliefs of the people from whom the story originated. Their war-centered ideology and views on loyalty and courage were the principles that the Anglo-Saxon culture was founded upon. While warfare was a focal point in their lifestyle, it was far from a savage, barbaric state of fighting. Honor and prestige were bestowed upon those who died during battle and selflessness for fellow warriors was a fundamental belief.
The epic poem, Beowulf was influenced by Anglo-Saxon cultural beliefs. Beowulf is the longest, and greatest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem. The setting of the epic is the sixth century in what is now known as Denmark and southwestern Sweden. This poem strengthens the Heroic Code. This code was derived from the Anglos-Saxons’ Germanic roots and was a basis for Anglo-Saxon honor.
Though it is fiction, readers can comprehend Anglo-Saxon thoughts and their concepts of heroism, life and death. Anglo-Saxon culture valued strength, honor, courage, loyalty, and fearlessness. Beowulf was a hero because he was strong, loyal, brave, honorable, and fearless. He wanted to be remembered beyond the years of his life. These values in heroes has not disappeared like its culture.
Anglo-Saxon is a culture that has a lot of belief in fate, treasure is their success, and where loyalty to a leader is crucial. The excerpt identifies all these qualities of Anglo-Saxon because Beowulf says that “the woven war-garment, adorned with gold covered my breast... Fate will often spare an undoomed man, if his courage is good... But soon, quite soon, I shall show him the strength, the spirit and skill of the Geats" (470-471, 490-491, 518-520). The gold on his chest represents the treasure and success, he also mentions fate when he speaks, and his loyalty to King Hrothgar promising that he will defeat Grendel with his warriors.
