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Examples Of Gift-Giving Traditions In Beowulf

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Martin Freeman has said, “Half of us are partly German! Half our language and culture, generally, in Anglo-Saxon terms, is German.” It’s true that many of our cultures nowadays are derived from that of the Anglo Saxons. One of the greatest pieces of evidence that demonstrates how great the Anglo Saxon’s civilization was is Heaney’s translation of Beowulf. In the epic, Beowulf - the heroic protagonist of the story - proved to be an honorable man through his battles with the monsters. Besides telling the story of a hero, the poet also implicitly disclosing the cultural truths of the Anglo-Saxons throughout the characters’ journeys. Among many Anglo-Saxon’s cultures, some of the most significant truths that have been put into words are the value …show more content…

In the Beowulf epic, Kings are usually mentioned with many different terms such as the “ring-giver”, the “treasure-giver” or the “gift-giver”. One of the examples is King Hrothgar, who represents the gift-giving tradition and hospitality of the Anglo-Saxon’s culture. This tradition is described through the way Hrothgar builds the mead-hall, a monument to the Danish king's fame and hospitality, “…he handed down orders for men to work on a great mead-hall / meant to be a wonder of the world forever; / it would be his throne-room and / there he would dispense / his God-given goods to young and old-” (68 – 72). Hrothgar builds the mead-hall with great generosity, where he willingly dispenses his fortune to the Danish people. Furthermore, the mead-hall is also a place where he holds many banquets to welcome and celebrate the Geat warriors. When the King and warriors exchanging gifts, this process creates an intimacy between nations and between the King and his people. This tradition was an important component of the Anglo-Saxon’s interaction, which helped them to maintain peace and friendship between the tribes. Not only does the gift-giving tradition and hospitality establish the bonds, it also represents the development of a civilization. Therefore, this tradition played a crucial role in the political, social, and economic structure of the Anglo-Saxon’s

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960 Words | 4 Pages

The Dishonoring Warrior Beowulf ‘s prologue begins with a funeral for an old king to which the Danes community presents “no fewer gifts [of]/…battle-weapons and [sic] war-gear, / blades and byrines” as tribute to “support him—[for his] praiseworthy deeds” (Beowulf, 24-44). It can be seen throughout the poem that material items do not only have symbolic value, but also an ancestral reputation within the community since the spear-Danes believed “a young man [should] bring about good/ with pious gifts from his father’s possessions” (Beowulf, 20-1). In other words, one should honor the handed down gifts, as they tend to hold family stature.

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However, after Beowulf kills Grendel using his inhuman strength to rip his otherwise impenetrable arm off, causing him to bleed out, Hrothgar rewards him “Then Beowulf was given the brand of Half-Dane, the golden banner in reward of victory, the adorned standard, helm and byrnie; the renowned treasure-sword many saw brought before the hero; Beowulf took the full flagon from the floor; of the reward-gift he did not, for as payment, need not be ashamed...the head-guard was wound with wires the re-inforced crest guarded from without.. ”(Slade 1020-1032). Gifts represent success and the heroism of the character, adding to the glorified epic hero quality yearned by all warriors of the Anglo-Saxon

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369 Words | 2 Pages

In Beowulf, Herot serves as the central hall for the Danes, and it symbolizes themes such as; good will always triumph over evil, and strong warriors will preserve through the toughest situations. When Hrothgar first became King of the Danes he instructed his men to “build a hall that would hold his mighty / Band and reach higher toward Heaven than anything / That had ever been known to the sons of men” (“Prologue” 68-70). Thusly after, it was built. “...Herot, the best / Of mead-halls” now stood strong, towering over the land as a symbol of Hrothgar’s powerful reputation (“Beowulf” 5-6).

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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.

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851 Words | 4 Pages

The Anglo-Saxon kings in Beowulf are very generous with their wealth to those who have served them. Consequently this exchange of wealth shows a positive relationship among the kings and their subjects. For example, Hrothgar gives Beowulf gifts in order to thank him for defeating both Grendel and Grendel’s mother: “Then Halfdane’s son presented Beowulf with a gold standard as a victory gift, an embroidered banner; also brest-mail and a helmet; and a sword carried high, that was both precious object and token of honour.” (1019-1023). Beowulf has helped Hrothgar by slaying the monsters that were attacking his tribe and killing his people.

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When Beowulf first dines at Heorot, she brings the mead-cup to Hrothgar first, to show he holds the highest position in the hall. She then passes the cup to the knights and nobles of the Danes.

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698 Words | 3 Pages

The effects of leadership throughout our timeline in this world have had a major toll on how we shape our lives today. We have many types of leadership like democracy, theocracy, and many more. We see these types of leadership in the poem Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney. In the epic the main kings are Hrothgar who is a generous and a natural leader of the Danes, and Beowulf who is known as a noble and loyal king of the Geats. Both of these kings went through many events that had many different impacts on them and they succeeded.

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In Anglo-Saxon culture, gold was one of the most valuable possessions a person could own. Gold and treasure was a sign of wealth, honor, respect and power. To the Anglo-Saxons, people lived their lives to become more honorable in the eyes of their peers. People valued others who had more treasure as it was a sign of their accomplishments. The role of wealth, treasure and gold in this poem is important to the power and the honor of the individual.

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These tales give modern historians and literary scholars concrete evidence to examine and understand Anglo Saxon life. In the day of Beowulf, storytelling functioned as principles to allow Anglo Saxon people to share and sculpt their future generations. Storytelling also played a large role in influencing civilians and leaders trust in others and each other. Stories could paint ideas and portraits of certain characteristics, even as either heroic or cowardly so as to manipulate civilians. In Beowulf, we learn the title character was widely respected.

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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

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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.

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As he ages, Beowulf defends his people with the same intent as the former king and displays the same heroism that is apparent in the United States military. Heorot, a dining hall that provides Hrothgar’s people place

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The epic poem Beowulf presents insights into the importance of boasting in Anglo-Saxon culture. On the eve of Beowulf's battle with Grendel, he has a scuffle with Unferth. Beowulf ends up using a notable skill, boasting, an important mechanism to assert prowess and triumphs. They can serve as a certification of reputation, bravery, and power, all values of Anglo-Saxon society. The exchange between Unferth and Beowulf exhibit the value of boasting in a society that values the truth.

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Beowulf had done the unthinkable—he had killed a demon that no warrior of Denmark could have done. This opened several new doors for Beowulf, including one that promised of honor, glory, and riches. Beowulf had achieved his goal of fame, a goal which had created a poem of a hero that birthed and shaped a story to be told even years later. Furthermore, Beowulf’s fame was set in stone by Hrothgar, the king who owed Beowulf his everything, including his thanks. After giving Beowulf the speech to further glorify his prominence, Hrothgar declares, “Glory is now yours/

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467 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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