Beowulf: Drinking In The Middle Ages

This sets the foundation for the story and creates a basis for the characters to thrive upon.Beowulf is a story that can only teach us the pure meaning of things and how they reflect on one another.

Beowulf is an epic poem written 1000 to 1300 years ago in Old English and translated by Seamus Heaney into Modern English. Beowulf is a significant piece of literature art work not only because it is one of the earliest known works, but also because it reflects and represents the authors, the Anglo-Saxons’ culture and values. At first, this story was passed around orally, from one person to another. Then, later on, the Anglo-Saxons wrote the entire story down into a manuscript. As well as the Anglo-Saxons loved their stories, they loved to boast, too. Boasting wasn’t an arrogant thing to do in their society, instead, it was socially acceptable, or even essential in one’s life. The Anglo-Saxons loved telling stories and boasting; they also liked material things such as gold swords and silver shields. Those were the rewards a soldier receives from their king, which represents their qualities and achievements. Beowulf reveals the Anglo-Saxons’ values in many parts of the poem.

If we want to delve deeper into the idea that drinking has shaped the way we live we must look back to the beginning. Beer was discovered around 10,000 BCE, unlike most modern drinks

Everyday in modern times, a new mystery is uncovered and an old mystery is laid to rest or declared a true mystery. A lot of the time, there is a lingering questioning around these mysteries. This question generally comes in the form of a singular word; why? Every story has a who, a what, a when, a where, and a why. The why is the most important however. There has been an infinite amount of times where I’ve personally made a mistake and immediately wondered why I did that. The reasons why we do the things we do often reflect who we, as human beings, truly are. In the epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf is motivated by three main concepts which include an elevated sense of duty, the quest for vengeance and respect, as well as a desire to cement his legacy throughout the ages.

One of the ways that Saul copes with his unfortunate reality is by drinking heavily. It is the only thing that takes his mind off of his daily life and made him

There is also a social similarity in the cultures. There is the same idea of people coming together to relax and talk while drinking alcohol. Many times the alcohol can lead to negative conversations. This can be seen in Beowulf. Unferth says to Beowulf, “Are you that Beowulf who contended with Breca, competed in swimming on the broad sea, where for pride you explored the water, and for foolish boast ventured lives in the deep?”(Norton 11) He is trying to put Beowulf down here, and I’m sure the alcohol made it easier for him to say what it is he is thinking. In Beowulf, the mead hall is a hub for this type of social interaction, a way to relax from the pressures of the warrior life. This is very similar to American society now. Bars and similar establishments have replaced the mead halls, but

Men who when stark sober could “let themselves go”, men who were in dread of convention, were utterly different beings when they drank. For alcohol made most men bold. Most timid men like the feeling of boldness (Anonymous 122). As depicted in both stories, alcohol can be used as a tool to help people break out of their shell and discover traits that they never knew existed.

Beowulf is one of the oldest poems in history, it was originally written in Anglo-Saxon, and it was told orally with many literary devices so it could be remembered throughout generations. It shows what their society was based on back in the Anglo-Saxon era. Although throughout history the poem has been changed to fit our modern day society. For example, having different values and morals and how we look at religion has all changed. In the Beowulf poem and movie there are many similarities and differences in Religion, Characterization, and Morals it highlights the value and beliefs of each society.

Men dominated the Anglo Saxon society and the people loved a great hero like that of Beowulf. They believed a hero should be a keeper of his promises, be boastful and produce

Alcohol has been observed in countless works of literature throughout history. It has been seen a tool of an assailant, the preferred drink of unsavory character, or maybe even a symbol of peace. The versatile concoction has taken many forms, and at times it seems to be specifically praised and at other moments it is just a convenient transition to the next viable part of the narrative. Yet there are some narratives that expose alcohol as an important part of their ceremonies and rituals without calling undue notice to this feature. While glory, fame, and reputation are significant elements to the overall foundation of the Warrior society that is explored within Beowulf, there are other less obvious elements that hold crucial substance as well. The ceremonies such as the feasts, the passing of the beer horn, and gift presentations are saturated with ritual demands that must be observed. This analysis will take a deeper look at the significance of beer drinking that is exposed as a crucial element to the ritual completion during two different moments with the text. The first will be the Feast after Beowulf’s arrival at King Hrothgar’s court and the second will be during the feast as which Freawaru is observed distributing drink and gifts. Could the drink be used as a formality of displaying alliance and safe boarding or could it be a be a way to temper reactions during more emotionally charged moments?

Tom Standage’s A History of the World in Six Glasses discusses the importance of six beverages (beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, Coca-Cola), each of which define distinctive periods of civilization. The comparably minor, yet crucial role of water is also represented in support of Standage’s argument regarding not only the necessity of each drink as a requisite to life, but also the role of each drink as a stimulus for cultural diffusion and development. Various historical developments, ranging from water purification to convivia, are utilized to depict each beverage’s appeal and the contributions of each drink towards its respective era of prosperity, subsequently illustrating various historical themes that mark the progression of society

After school, almost everyday, students go to the Y-Not Stop for a snack and to relax. Back in one thousand BC, when the poem was written, the hall at which men would reside at the end of the day, was called a mead hall. The mead hall in Beowulf plays a significant role in the epic poem. The poem was told by many throughout the years and part of the book was burned, but Seamus Heaney managed to translate the remains of the book from Old English. Thankfully, none of the information of the mead hall was disintegrated. The mead hall, known as Heorot, plays a very important role to many characters: Beowulf and his warriors, the Geats of Geatland; Hrothgar and his warriors, the Danes of Denmark; and even the Demonic creature, Grendel. In the poem,

      The characters in the Old English poem Beowulf certainly delighted in the seas. This essay seeks to compare their attitude toward the sea with that expressed in another Old English poem, The Seafarer.

In the United States alone the drinking patterns throughout history have changed dramatically to reflect the times. Starting out in colonial times the usage of alcohol use was seen as a blessing, and harmless to society. It was acceptable to drink while at work, and during social events, however drinking alone was highly frowned upon. Many early religions believed that alcohol was a gift from God, “man should partake of God’s gift with out wasting or abusing it”#. To enhance and encourage the social

In the Bissula, alcohol plays a key role as the interpretive control. Ausonius addresses the reader directly, proclaiming that his poems are unserious. He writes that “I follow Thymele” (4), classifying his work as relaxing entertainment more than serious literature. Indeed, he requests that the reader “drink before you read” (6) in order to best understand the poem. While alcohol is typically associated with confusion and dulled wit, Ausonius claims that the drunk reader “will get wise to me” (8). With this subversion of expectations, Ausonius proclaims drink as a tool to achieve