Comitatus In Beowulf

Beowulf, king of the Geats, engages in battles in order to protect his community from physical creatures while King Arthur’s knights engage in spiritual battles against evil temptation which lurks around every corner. Beowulf proudly displays his prowess before he must confront Grendel, the “God-cursed brute” when he declares with bold confidence that he “can calm the turmoil” (Heaney 11, 21). Beowulf boasts of his strength, pledging to kill Grendel with his bare hands. Grendel, the cursed descendant of Cain, enjoys death and destruction, ruining Hrothgar’s reputation with every attack on his kingdom. The monster kills one of his men, angering the Thanes and encouraging them to fight

"I have heard moreover that the monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons; therefore, to heighten Hygelac's fame and gladden his heart, I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-board: hand-to-hand is how it will be, a life-and-death fight with the fiend" (Beowulf 433-440). Beowulf makes his fight with Grendel more than a simple fight that he can slay him

In Beowulf, the comitatus relationship is seen between Hrothgar and his retainers and between Beowulf and his men. The comitatus also extended to a long-standing bond between the Geats (Beowulf?s people) and the Danes (Hrothgar?s people). Because of this bond, Beowulf and his men left their homes and traveled to the lands of the Danes to help them in time of need.

    Wiglaf was the last of Beowulf’s family and was the only person who helped him in the battle that took his life, the only one to witness Beowulf’s death after a grueling battle with a fire breathing behemoth who hoarded treasure like there was a sale on food and there was a

Beowulf is an old Anglo-Saxon story of a terrifying monster Grendel, Grendel travels to the Danes mead hall Heorot and while the danes expect it least he attacks killing countless men purely for the joys of doing so. Hrothgar king of the Danes calls for a warrior to fight this unruly beast. After 12 long years of grendel attacking Hrothgar's calls are answered and the great warrior Beowulf comes to kill Grendel. Beowulf travels to the land of the Danes from across the seas and in the first night he kills Grendel. Sadly for Beowulf Grendel has a mother that now seeks revenge for her son's death and Beowulf is asked to kill Grendel’s mother as well. Beowulf goes to where Grendel’s mother is staying and battled her to the death , Beowulf wins

Another example that showed Wiglaf’s bravery was when Beowulf got bitten on the neck. After Wiglaf noticed that Beowulf was hurt, Wiglaf went to fight the dragon without any hesitation even

Beowulf was a man of admirable exploits. He had the strength of thirty men in his arms, and would use this strength to aid anyone in need. Upon hearing of the plight of Grendel and the ill happenings in Hrothgar’s kingdom, Beowulf

Beowulf and his group of Geatish warriors arrive “at the homeland of the Danes to rid that country of Grendel, a seemingly invincible, man-eating monster

But for Grendel, Beowulf that swore that he was going to defeat Grendel and avenge the deaths of his soldiers that Grendel killed. One day Grendel went up to the mead hall to attack more of Beowulf’s soldiers, but it was a trap and Beowulf comes out attacks him. They engage in a gruesome battle and in the end Beowulf rips off Grendel's arm, which causes him to retreat. He then bled out and died on his way back

Upon entering the Danes' hall, Herot, Grendel is confronted by Beowulf, who immediately seizes Grendel's arms and drives fear into the monster's heart, "... [Grendel] knew at once that nowhere on earth/ Had he met a man whose hands were harder..." (lines 751-752). Through his slaughter of Grendel, Grendel's mom, the dragon, and other monsters, Beowulf proves his amazing strength to the other characters and to the readers.

As previously stated, comitatus was also a value expressed multiple times in Beowulf. When Beowulf arrives and discloses his intention of killing Grendel and riding the Danes of their burden, Hrothgar rejoices and says he will reward Beowulf with great gifts if successful.(Beowulf 381-386) This idea of benefits in exchange for protections reoccurs again when Grendel's mother seeks vengeance for her son's death, and Hrothgar affirms that he will again repay Beowulf for killing this monster, which is a challenge he agrees to.(Beowulf 1379-1382) Although Beowulf's arrogance and thirst for fame plays a factor in this decision, Beowulf is persuaded again and again the protect the land of Heorot in exchange for wealth. Through winning these battles, Beowulf earns the respect and love of Hrothgar, repays his followers through their own little system of comitatus, and returns to his land with gifts for the king and queen. Through this gesture, Beowulf is rewarded with land, and becomes revered in the eye of the king, assisting him in his assent to the title of king.

In his three major battles, Beowulf fights for many different reasons. His motivation varies, and as he grows older and wiser his attitude toward these battles also changes. Throughout the epic, Beowulf bradoshously beats Grendel, then more methodically murders Grendel’s mother, and with his last breathes humbly hollers for help to slay the dragon. This shows that Beowulf’s early focuses of glory and riches changes as he becomes a weathered warrior acknowledges that he cannot defeat his enemies alone and must utilize the resources provided to him such as armor, magical items, and companions.

Comitatus is the bond between King and soldiers to be loyal to one another till death. It’s compariable to a modern day wedding were the vow till death do us part comes into play into to suffice the meaning of loyalty. In 98 A.D. it actually was as you would say a marriage between a king and his soldiers, this comradery was carried out with utmost importance as the king and his soldiers would work on a trust bond. In Beowulf he comes modern day southern Sweden to Denmark to save the kingdom on purely trust alone, to which is the main function of Comitatus.

I admire Wiglaf for being there always for Beowulf. There are such friends who were there when they need you but leave you when they’re not. But Wiglaf is not like that. He is a type of friend that you will desire to meet.

In Anglo-Saxon Literature, the term Comitatus was used to describe a mutually beneficial relationship that compelled Kings to rule in consultation with their warriors called thanes. The code of Comitatus was an integral part of a Vikings culture and honor. The three main parts of Comitatus are kinship, oral tradition, and gift-giving. Beowulf lived and died by the unwritten code of Comitatus in order to maintain his status as hero. Beowulf’s social interactions and the fight with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, the dragon demonstrate the hero’s lust for maintaining a good reputation through the code of Comitatus.