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Beowulf Heritage

Decent Essays

Set in a Pagan setting told by a Christian poet, the story of Beowulf derives from an Anglo-Saxon culture. In this poem, the audience is presented to characters such as Beowulf, Hrothgar, Grendel, Wiglaf, and many other lineage of men. Through the line-up of heritage, it is evident that the men presented in the story obtained self-identity based on their heritage.
The beginning of Beowulf establishes the characters ancestries and history (1-114). This is important because it shows the roles they take part in. For example, the heroic role of Beowulf began because of his own ancestry. As seen in lines 372-376, Hrothgar describes Beowulf and says “I used to know him… His father before him was called Ecgtheow… This man is their son.” Later on in

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