Beowulf

Beowulf The literature, culture, and religion of the Anglo-Saxons define them as one of the most distinctive nations to date. Going back as early as the fifth century, Anglo-Saxons had a presence in Britain. In 449 AD the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes invaded Britain and from then until the sixth century, more would settle in Britain killing any British natives in their way. However before the Anglo-Saxons could peacefully settle in England, they had to face the native Celts. The Anglo-Saxons were unique from the other nations at the time in that a storyteller was treated the same way as a warrior. Storytelling was extremely important for the Anglo-Saxons because they believed it strengthened their unity and that passing down stories was vital for survival. The Anglo-Saxon religion was polytheistic and descended from Norse religion. Although the Anglo-Saxons venerated their religion and seemed to be expanding it, various Irish missionaries eventually converted them to Christianity. The Anglo-Saxon monasteries were very important in that they were the center of knowledge and produced many famous pieces of literature, notably the epic, Beowulf. It is unknown who the author of Beowulf was, but it is believed that a monk in an Anglo-Saxon monastery wrote it. Beowulf is a perfect representation of Anglo-Saxon times as characterized by its values, poetry, and heroic traits. Beowulf is filled with Anglo-Saxon values such as loyalty to the king, wyrd which is one’s ultimate fate, afterlife, mead halls, and a code of honor. Beowulf, portraying the extreme loyalty he has for the king Hrothgar, “[proclaims] that he [will] go to that famous king, [will] sail across the sea to Hrothgar, now when help [is] needed” (114-116). In gathering fourteen of the bravest men he could find, Beowulf “[knows] the sea, [will] point the prow straight to that distant Danish shore” (123-124). The author uses a combination of wyrd and loyalty to the king to exemplify the traits that Beowulf represents and why he is revered by the kingdom of Hrothgar. In his use of wyrd the author also tries to foreshadow to Beowulf’s victory against the evil monster Grendel when he delineates “fate, that night, intended Grendel to gnaw the broken bones of his last supper” (416-418). Beowulf, in expressing his extreme loyalty to the king, states that it is “[his] duty…to go to the Danes’ Great king” (150-151). The Anglo-Saxon concept of wergild can be noted throughout Beowulf as the evil monster Grendel does not pay the price for killing many men and his mother seeks to kill more men to retrieve the wergild for her fallen son. The belief of an afterlife is prevalent in Beowulf as when Beowulf is uttering his last words, “his soul [leaves] his flesh and [flies] to glory” (827-828). Many men during the Anglo-Saxon era were cremated with their possessions that they had amassed to demonstrate the notion that there is a life after death and that these possessions will become useful and also prove great accomplishment in life. Beowulf is cremated with his belongings as an ultimate tribute to him as a hero and for his benefit in the afterlife. The Anglo-Saxons were known for their unique poetry and the societal support behind it. Their use of kennings, alliteration, pagan/Christian ideas, and oral recitation gave them the distinctive trait that makes them intriguing and still studied today. The use of kennings in Beowulf describes someone by what they do or who they are while providing intense imagery that cannot be perceived through a simple adjective. The author’s application of the “ring-giver” (341) and Grendel being a “shepherd of evil, guardian of crime” (432), truly grabs the reader who is influenced to think what the author is trying to portray. Alliteration, which is the repetition of the same sounds at the beginning of each word, is used many times throughout Beowulf and makes the sentence even more descriptive. In his use of the letter “D” in “down in the darkness” (2), the author describes the evil and cruelty of Grendel. When the author asserts “great bodies beating at its beautiful walls” (454), he intends to portray the “B” sound in that Beowulf is beating Grendel in this ferocious battle. When he writes “the tears torn out of Grendel’s taut throat…” (469-470) he intends to portray the “T” sound as a sense of the pain that Grendel experiences. In referring to Grendel’s mother as the “mighty water witch” (595), the authors seeks to explain the “W” as a fact that she is wild and fierce. Although the Anglo-Saxons were a pagan religion, the influence of Christianity also found its way into Beowulf. Grendel is referred to as a descendent “of Cain, murderous [creature] banished by God, punished forever for the crime of Abel’s death” (21-23). This is a Judeo-Christian reference that would not have been noted without the Christian influence in Anglo-Saxon culture. The contextual and stylistic devices of Anglo-Saxon poetry are found throughout Beowulf and portray the period of time that the Anglo-Saxons existed. The Anglo-Saxons revered courage, strength, loyalty, and a hero, Beowulf embodying every one of these traits. Beowulf embodies extreme loyalty in that he jumps to the opportunity of helping a foreign king rid of a horrific beast. His loyalty is portrayed even further in that he helps a nation in which he does not have to because his father Ecgtheow, had a posthumous reputation for helping Hrothgar and his kingdom. Beowulf helping even further exemplifies his tremendous loyalty. The many stories that Beowulf tells the Danes about his past achievements truly exemplify his strength and his capability of being a hero. Beowulf asserts that “no man swims in the sea as [he] can, no strength is a match for [his]…” (266-267). Beowulf is liked by many in that he attributes most of his achievements to fate. Beowulf explains to Hrothgar and his people that while fighting the sea monster, “fate let [him] find its heart with [his] sword, hack [himself] free; [He] fought that beasts last battle, left it floating lifeless in the sea” (288-291). While Beowulf fights Grendel, he realizes that know sword can penetrate his skin. Beowulf then fights him one on one with no weapons. In doing this the author portrays the fact that Beowulf is stronger than Grendel and that he beat him without the use of tools; just his own strength. Beowulf is revered throughout the story in that he is the only savior and has extreme success. Although we think we don’t live in times like this we actually do. There are countless examples of people in today’s world who sacrifice themselves for the betterment of something they are not even affected by. For example in the slave era in the United States, white abolitionists were not affected at all by slavery and yet they continued to strongly advocate against slavery because they felt it was the right thing to do.