Examples Of Comitatus In Beowulf

Comitatus, a code of mutual loyalty that causes a group’s leader to rule in consultation with his followers, is the beating heart of the epic of Beowulf. This commitment to one’s comrades before any and all others is something that has been sought by many through the ages of this world and will presumably continue to be sought as long as humanity endures. Although the idea of comitatus itself is more Germanic in origin, it pervades all cultures before and since to some extent. People have always and will always gravitate to those with whom they share interests or ambitions, all the while searching for a sense of camaraderie. It is, quite simply, human nature. Humans need to feel as though they are not alone in a strange world, as though there

In the case of Beowulf and his men, the purpose was warfare, perhaps the most dire occupation and thus the one most in need of comitatus. As Heaney notes, the warbands of that time were “in thrall to a code of loyalty and bravery” (xiv). Each member is essential to every one of his brothers. One of the most potent examples of comitatus in Beowulf occurs when it fails for the most part. However, comitatus lives on even if the bonds of sacred honor are severed by the multitude, as long as one holds true. Wiglaf ideally exemplifies comitatus: “‘We must bond together, shield and helmet, mail-shirt and sword’” (Heaney 179). With no regard for his own safety, Wiglaf is willing to sacrifice all in a mad plunge to his lord’s assistance. That is the essence of comitatus: its bonds, if unbroken, stretch through death and the cruel whims of passionless

The idea that life and beauty must cease to exist at some point is made apparent to all on a nearly daily basis both in Beowulf’s time and ours. All that humans value, including worldly wealth, will become either immaterial or unimportant at some point. It is inevitable. The possession most highly desired and relied upon by those of Beowulf’s time, gold, is transitory as well. As Heaney states, “By the end of the poem… its status as the ore of all value has been put in doubt” (xviii). Even that which men spend their whole lives seeking ceases to matter after time has taken its toll. Furthermore, all men perish, regardless of the love and trust others have for them: “Famous for his deeds a warrior may be, but it remains a mystery where his life will end, when he may no longer dwell in the mead-hall among his own” (Heaney 207). In fact, the more beloved something is, the more deeply its loss is felt by those left behind. When the Geats were mourning their king, their tears did not change the fact “the man most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame” (Heaney 213) had gone, never to return. Once again, the emphasis on earning personal glory comes to the forefront in the epic’s conclusion. To Beowulf and those of his time, glory won in honor and through blood is the only way to battle ubi sunt. Life was,