Anglo Saxon Values In Beowulf

more than use art to rid of unwelcome spirits. Shields, churches, even the handles of swords have been known to have pictures, or art, on them by this time. Much like Egyptians, important members of society would generally be buried with artifacts to keep them protected in the afterlife. Which is a peculiar sight to see since the Anglo-Saxons did not believe the afterlife as pagans, but as stated, they were converted into Christians when the St. Augustine came to the pagans.

The Anglo-Saxon culture came from the ethos which arose from years of progress and understanding. This culture a unification of independent principalities brought together by one king known as Alfred the Great. The true sense of the culture came with the values of loyalty, kinship, and bravery, which present themselves in the epic tale of Beowulf whose violent victory propelled him from mercenary to rightful warrior and respected hero. where the birth of a hero came from the actions of a rightful warrior.

Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem, and the author of Beowulf is unknown. Beowulf is the The setting of Beowulf is in Sweden and Denmark(the book 1231). Beowulf is divided into three parts in which Beowulf fights a dragon, a monster named Grendel, and Grendel’s mother. The Anglo-Saxon people have many values. There are many Anglo-Saxon values throughout Beowulf such as loyalty, strength, bravery, generosity, honor, and glory.

Humbleness was also key for an Anglo-Saxon hero as it proved respectability and honor towards the hero. Anglo-Saxons wanted their hero to prove their strength and courage, however, they did not want the hero to become a dictator of any kind. Strong friendships were known as the most trustable alliances an Anglo-Saxon hero could form for battles (Trekker2392). It was key for an Anglo-Saxon hero to have the ability to create strong friendships around him. Beowulf perfectly identifies to all five of these main characteristics throughout the epic poem.

Being a hero can mean many different things. A modern day hero might be someone who has a strong moral code or someone that has extraordinary powers and abilities but, looking back in time the meaning of a hero has changed slightly. During Anglo-Saxon times, being a hero meant being loyal to their lord and god, having a sense of duty, being selfless, having honor, being intelligent, and boasting. It also meant being brave and having courage, having a sense of justice, and having larger than life strength. A great example of an Anglo-Saxon hero is Beowulf from “Beowulf,” written by an unknown author. In this poem, Beowulf exemplifies the characteristics of an Anglo-Saxon hero because he was brave and courageous, he had superhuman strength, and he had a unique sense of justice.

The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf touches on the vice of pride, and is instilled in the main character, Beowulf, the great and mighty warrior. His boasting and arrogance when first dropping anchor at Heorot transitions throughout the poem, and, in contrast with his ideal kingsmanship, motivates him to accomplish and overcome the many challenges he faces as an epic hero. The contrast of his absent humility in the rise and fall of the story help promote the progression of the story, through its different purposes. Beowulf, when first landing upon Hrothgar’s kingdom, boasts, which does not go unchallenged, so that he might gain the trust of the Danes, but when knowingly facing his last battle, uses bragging to comfort and brace himself for his ultimate demise.

Beowulf displayed the qualities of an immature warrior during his battle with his first enemy, Grendel. Qualities like impulsiveness and inexperience in battle represent the Anglo-Saxon warriors’s eagerness to fight for glory during this time. Beowulf came Hrothgar’s aid more out of a personal desire for fame and fortune rather than out of need to fulfill an inherited obligation to a neighboring king (Kelley 141). This exhibits the immature, selfish behavior warriors during this time possessed. Warriors would partake in perilous journeys to obtain glory or riches because that was more important than trying to help someone in need.

The historical document of Beowulf, which also shows the importance of literature, reveals the important cultural values of the warrior society. The epic poem, set in Sweden during the 6th Century, tells the story of a warrior named Beowulf. Scops, or storytellers, keepers of an oral tradition, told stories of heroes and culture from their times. They performed and told the tale of a great thane, finally writing it down sometime around the 8th Century; the only surviving epic poem from this time. As a great piece of literature, this poem follows the life of Beowulf from that of a young and loyal thane who becomes a great respected king and dies proudly, as a warrior. The warrior culture at this time reflects the values of the society of

Anglo- Saxons are notorious for valuing Bravery. For example when Beowulf shows up to Hrothgar’s kingdom all he has to say to gain the peoples trust is “they have seen my strength for themselves, have watched me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies’ blood. I drove five great giants into chains, chased all of that race from the earth. I swam in the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one”. To gain these peoples trust all he had to do was tell a tale of bravery. We value bravery, but not nearly as much. For example our soldiers, we know they are brave and our society label them as brave. We show them great respect, and have holidays to celebrate their hard work and glories, like Veterans Day. However compared to other jobs the average soldier makes $30,297 annually, where the cost of living for a family of

Each individual culture has many cultural truths that a group of people follow and believe in. Cultural truths are principles, values, or standards important to a group of people, which display moral behaviors that are respected and immoral actions that are scorned at. Also, cultural truths are norms in a society that you are born into and are expected to do daily because they shape the lifestyle of a group. For example, during the Anglo-Saxon period, there were a number of cultural truths that were applied to everyday actions and attitudes. An epic poem, composed based on the Anglo-Saxon period called Beowulf, written by an unknown author translated by Seamus Heaney, depicts many of the cultural values of the time period. In the poem, is it revealed that all the cultural values in the Anglo-Saxon culture are developed from the idea of a warrior culture. The epic poem is about a hero named Beowulf from the Geats tribe who goes off and helps Hrothgar and the Danes defeat a monster, Grendel, who attacks their mead hall. Before Beowulf meets his fate he fights three monsters, which includes Grendel, to protect the lives of people in two different tribes. Within the epic poem Beowulf, there are several of cultural values presented and focused on such as, courage in battle, fidelity to one’s word, and loyalty to kinsmen, which are all demonstrated by Beowulf.

Every culture has its own set of beliefs values and customs. Cultural beliefs, values, and assumptions are directly and indirectly acquired throughout a lifetime. A culture is the sum of a group’s way of life and this is no different with the ancient Anglo Saxon culture. Cultures usually have distinct figures that reflect their culture as a whole. The importance of religion, values, and heroes are reflected a great deal in the epic poem of Beowulf accurately showing the Anglo Saxon culture as a whole.

Some of the most common values during the Anglo-Saxon period include courage, loyalty and generosity. The Anglo-Saxon era was almost always in the state of war which is why it is a time when fighting is valued more than working things out. This meant that heroes of this period fought for fame, glory, and pride. Heroes were expected to boast. Beowulf, the best symbol for Anglo-Saxon heroes, proves this by volunteering to fight the monster just because he was bored and wanted to do something he can brag about. In the story, Beowulf boasts of his bravery by talking about his past battles and victories. Beowulf basically acts more for his own glory than for the general well-being to his people. While in our modern period,

The Anglo Saxons were an interesting people that were loyal to their lord. Each group had a leader that commanded and directed the warriors. Loyalty was an important part of the Anglo Saxons culture. In Beowulf, the Anglo Saxons were expected to remain loyal to their leader as he was responsible for protecting them in battle. The leaders of the Anglo Saxons were admired for their courage and determination as they guided the group of warriors in their endeavors. In “The Wife’s Lament”, the wife remains loyal to her lord even though she is treated harshly by him. She chased after him when he left, and continued to love him after he ostracized her. As evident in Beowulf and “The Wife’s Lament”, the Anglo Saxons greatly relied on a noble leader to protect them from danger and direct them towards success; as a result, the followers were loyal to their lord by showing reverence and admiration as well as honouring their legacy, even if the lord neglected to fulfill his duties.

One of the Anglo- Saxon values still holding true today will have to be loyalty. One might wonder, what exactly is loyalty? Loyalty is being faithful to something or someone, or in shorter words, always sticking to a person or thing no matter what the situation is. Beowulf shows his loyalty when he states he “will not shift a foot” (2524) because he cannot break his word. Wiglaf understands this loyalty to one’s reputation and how it is linked to being a warrior. (2890-1) “A warrior will sooner die than live a life of shame” Beowulf hands Wiglaf his collar of gold, his war shirt, and his helmet and tells him to use them well” showing an act of loyalty.

The other leading heroic trait that Beowulf possesses is loyalty. The Anglo-Saxon warriors believe in the idea of comitatus, which are the faithful and unbreakable bonds between his king and his warriors. Throughout the story, Beowulf had shown devotions to both his leader and his followers. As mentioned earlier, Beowulf easily passed all the treasure to his uncle noting that “since every benefit I have ever received I owe to you, my closest and kindest kinsman on earth." (Chapter 31).He shows great gratitude to his king by presenting all of his treasures that he had gained. He was then portrayed to be “loyal and true and loved him dearly,” (Chapter 31). Additionally, not only he is committed to his rulers, Beowulf is also loyal to his followers. As described by Wiglaf, one of his most faithful men, “Our ancient king often gave us---heroes while in hall!---helmets and mailcoats, the finest treasures he could find for his men anywhere on earth, armor like the brilliant well-wrought war-gear you are