Violence In Beowulf

As the Anglo- Saxons and Danes descended upon the British Isles, a politically motivated feud culture emerged and an endless cycle of violence began. Blood Feuds, as some have called them, dominated the emerging culture of the Anglo-Saxons. Marriages of exogamy and the custom of wergild were implemented to try to prevent feudal violence between ruling families and lords were a common social structure during the tenth and eleventh centuries. While some scholars debate the existence of the feud in Anglo Saxon culture, literary texts such as Beowulf and exhibit the values and ideals of an active and very real feud culture and the measures taken to ensure civilized arrangements in a violent culture. The poem of Beowulf reflects the maxims of feudal

Hrothgar settles the murder of his brother through the use of wergild and Beowulf is willing to conquer Grendel not only for his own heroic vanity, but to honor the pact forged through the laws of settlement in the feud culture. Beowulf can also be read as a didactic tale where feud culture is present but offers an alternative to what has been previously seen in cycles of violence. The tales often end massacres such as those of the Frisians and even after Beowulf’s death the Dane’s are not a target again of a long-standing blood feud that was only paused by the great Beowulf as a protector. Feuds and warnings of feuds are mentioned throughout the text suggesting violence and retribution as an ingrained part of tenth and eleventh century culture. Unferth is identified as committing fratricide, for which the cause is left unknown, suggesting an internal familial feud linking the event back to the mythology of Cain and Abel seen through the feud of Grendel and the race of man. Beowulf recounts the defeats of the enemies of the Geats that come in the form of monsters. After Beowulf defeats Grendel, Wealhtheow warns her husband Hrothgar if he does not honor his sons and leaves his kingdom to Beowulf she will wage a family feud on behalf of her sons for the rights of her kingdom. Grendel’s mother becomes enraged at the death of her son and engages in a feud of revenge for his death seeking retribution towards Beowulf, and being a monster, will not accept wergild or anything other than blood and death as repayment to soothe her grieving and the pain of a