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