Beewulf : Moral Values And Treasure In Beowulf

As the poet says, “...So fame Comes to the men who mean to win it And care about nothing else!” This represents a common pagan belief that fame and good things come to those who fight and win. This is also a common theme found all throughout Beowulf. In the poem, Beowulf fights monsters with violence to earn his honor and glory, which is against Christian morals and beliefs. Anglo-Saxon culture was evident as readers see that Beowulf, and everyone else during this time period, believed that everything was earned from how much glory someone could gain for themselves. This is pretty much the opposite in a Christian society as christians believe that all glory should be given to God. The idea of an afterlife is not really discussed in Beowulf since it is mainly based on worldly things. There is so much belief in the idea that someone’s worth comes from the material items that an afterlife is senseless. The author says, “And the most beautiful necklace known to men: Nowhere… on Earth is there anything like it.” (Beowulf 1195-1197). This is talking about the gifts that Beowulf was given and how these gifts were viewed as more important than anything else. Materialistic things were viewed as marvelous out of this world things as opposed to putting Christ in that place. Christians believe that materialistic things do not matter because the only thing that matters is Christ. In Christian beliefs, you cannot believe in the value of materialistic things and believe that

A hero can be defined in several ways. Someone can be considered a hero by the qualities he or she displays. The epic poem Beowulf, written by an unknown author, describes the most heroic man and role model of the Anglo-Saxon times. This hero Beowulf has all the qualities and traits that a true hero expresses. Beowulf, as depicted in the epic Beowulf, is the prototype of the epic hero, a larger-than-life figure who embodies the virtues and ideals of his culture.

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-Saxons’ cultures and traditions are rooted in their beliefs of the perfect hero. Their ideal hero has many key characteristics influenced by their culture including courage, strength, bravery, thick skin, loyalty, humbleness, and the ability to create strong trustworthy friendships. Beowulf is an epic poem that exhibits the ideal Anglo-Saxon hero. The Anglo-Saxon traditions illustrated in Beowulf accurately represent the Anglo-Saxon traditions of the time period. This is accomplished through the distinct correlation of heroic characteristics between Beowulf and the culture’s traditional depiction of an Anglo-Saxon hero.

     Beowulf, Gulliver’s Travels, and Canterbury Tales were wrote works of literature written to encourage their readers to evaluate their values. Each writer exposes the necessity of morals to the building of a fully developed human being. The work expresses pagan’s virtues within their society. Beowulf vowed an oath to Lord Hrothgar to slay the monster that has taken over and killed his people. His virtue is demonstrated by obedience to his oath. This enables the reader to learn and understand the values of the people in the Anglo-Saxon era. The Christian traditions and the practice of Germanic Heroic poetry allows the literature fuse together in to a one piece of work that distinctly creates Pagan and Christian interpretations of the way things once were. Beowulf always portrayed virtues that were extremely contradictory in that he claimed to be Christian but displayed the qualities of a Pagan. Chaucer presents his

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

The culture of Beowulf’s time heavily relied on giving and receiving of gold and other valuable treasures. The king was also called “ring-giver” which tells that even kings were known to give treasure from his wealth to reward his people for following him. Many scenes have strong examples of the importance of wealth in some way. One interesting scene describes the point where Beowulf lays dying and he requests his last wish to receive the treasures from the dragon’s hoard and goes on to describe Wiglaf’s excitement for the treasure as well: “Wiglaf went quickly, keen to get back, excited by the treasure; anxiety weighed on his brave heart, he was hoping to find the leader of the Geats alive where he had left him helpless.” (791-795) As Wiglaf left his king helpless, he was still excited by

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.

Throughout the ancient society of Anglo-Saxons, the pagan beliefs commonly caused people to do things for their own personal gain of fame. On the other hand, Christianity, which had just started to emerge in this society taught values of selflessness and respecting God. Although the story Beowulf was written down by Christian monks, pagan beliefs are prevalent throughout the epic. Beowulf is a character who acts on many values promised by paganism that make up the who he is.

Throughout the Anglo-Saxon period, treasure and weaponry were highly valued among the kingdom and its people. Only those worthy enough to the King or Queen would receive treasure. Treasure was typically given to high-ranking warriors and loyal civilians that had accomplished some great deed. Beowulf shows that these men were so attached to those treasures and weapons that they buried them along with their dead

Every culture has its own set of values, beliefs, and customs. These values, beliefs and customs create each unique culture, and these cultural constructions are directly and indirectly acquired throughout the lifetime of the culture. A major part of culture is literature; the literature of the time reflects upon daily life and society during the time that the story was composed. Beowulf, an epic poem, is one of the most important and only works of Anglo-Saxon literature. Much like a fable, the epic poem of Beowulf had lessons that taught the people within this society how to behave. This essay will outline how the importance of Christianity and the Germanic Heroic Code in Beowulf are revealed throughout the epic poem as important aspects of the Anglo-Saxon culture as a whole.

In Beowulf, the cultural traditions of the ancient Germanic tribes are expressed. Throughout the poem, treasures are a symbol of achievement, glory, and wealth in the Germanic culture. The possession of treasures such as gold earns one respect within the Germanic tribes. Moreover, the act of partitioning is celebrated and it earns you a title of a good king and warrior. While the doing the opposite condemns you and titles you a greedy king and warrior.

An epic, is a lengthy narrative poem concerning about social and political organization, and events significant to a culture or nation. In Fred Robinson words, much of Beowulf is devoted to show the Germanic heroic code, in different aspects, which values strength, courage, bravery and loyalty in warriors; hospitality, generosity, responsibility and political skill in kings; ceremoniousness in women; and good reputation in the inhabitants.

Culture and Values: An Analyzation of the Beowulf Epic and the Beowulf and Grendel Film

Within the Anglo-Saxon culture, becoming a well-known warrior and successful in war was a major factor in being recognized as the best of the best. Beowulf follows the story of a young warrior, Beowulf, fighting his way up the ladder of success who represents a typical hero from the Anglo-Saxon time period. Throughout the poem, he is met with vicious creatures from the supernatural world which tend to create violent obstacles that he must overcome to create a certain image of a superb thane. By developing the character of Beowulf through his direct and indirect involvements with monsters, the poet reveals his desire for reputation which can lead to pride and his death.