Comparing Beowulf And The Anglo Saxon Period

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 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.

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.

The best heros I have heard of do not brag about how strong or mighty they are, the best hero stay to themselves and help others anonymously. Beowulf on the other hand boasts about his strength and his feats any time he gets. It does not stop there though everybody else boasts about his strength and his accomplishments which just add to his already vastly large ego. (Beers, 2009 P.25) “ I drove five great giants into chains.” (Beers, 2009 P.27) “ No man swims in the sea as I can, no man's strength is match for mine.” These are all examples of Beowulf boasting of his immense strength, and his ability to throw his live on the line in the sake of gaining more glory and

In the epic “Beowulf” translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf exemplifies values that embody the ideals of the Anglo-Saxon culture. Some of these ideals are expressed through actions and words, while others can be expressed through the characters thoughts and appearance. The anglo-saxon culture respects bravery and they also value strength. Beowulf shows these attributes throughout the story and there are many examples of his character. Beowulf said,” I battled and bound five beasts, raided a troll-nest and in the night sea, slaughtered brutes.

Many people wonder how you could possibly compare an ancient Anglo-Saxon culture with the sophisticated world that we live in today. Despite numerous cultural and technological advancements, the time of Beowulf and modern day have many similarities. When examining the two cultures closely, it is observed that they have not so much changed as they have evolved. Having an army, fearing literal and hypothetical monsters, and the joy of different forms of entertainment are three of the most common and obvious resemblances. Although, Beowulf took place in the fifth century, our current day society has significant similarities to this time period.

Beowulf is seen as a superhuman, almost like a god. In the story he had incredible strength and was look up to by the Danes. He, Beowulf, was going to help the

Strength is without a doubt one of the most important traits which a hero should possess and the Anglo-Saxon’s felt the same way. Beowulf’s strength can be compared to that of the American comic book heroes, Superman and Batman, for he is deemed the “strongest and greatest of the Geats”. The first time that his strength is witnessed, not just spoken of, is when he kills Grendel by ripping the monstrous villain’s arm off. But his most notable display of strength occurs when he enters into combat with Grendel’s mother. When everything seems to be going all wrong for Beowulf, he spies a “heavy” sword hanging on the wall of her lair. With all his power and might, Beowulf drew the sword, “hammered by giants...and….so massive that no ordinary man could life it”, from its scabbard. He “lifts it high over his head”, the sword clasped

In the old English Anglo Saxon writings, many heroes were given fancil characteristics. For example, Beowulf was depicted with an immense amount of strength that people today could not achieve. Nowadays, the recreation of old fiction is very common. However, when fiction from the eighth century is recreated to fit our modern time, the characters are seen to resemble our human features, skills, and ways of thinking. Eighth century writing is not as rational as our entertainment today. Comparing today 's modern Beowulf & Grendel (Gunnarsson) with the Anglo Saxon period Beowulf (Heaney), we are shown the many differences of culture and realism between the characters through their strength, intellect, and way of living.

Beowulf is a classic epic poem created by the Anglo- Saxon civilization. The story was inspired by the chaotic period of political unrest and economic and cultural decline in their homelands. The setting of the epic is in Europe among two tribes. The tribes were known as the Danes and the Geats. Beowulf is from the tribe of the Geats, and was well known for his strength.

The primary objective of historians is to determine the culture of civilizations in the past. Historians use literature, artifacts, and folktales to grasp an understanding of a specific culture. The epic poem, Beowulf is the first piece of literature known to the English language. Unlike the hundreds of other English literature, Beowulf gives readers an insight into the culture of Anglo-Saxons in southern Sweden between the time period of 449-1066 AD. Beowulf contributes to the understanding of the Anglo-Saxon culture by including information about power, religion, and reward.

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem and is the longest surviving piece of poem in Old English literature. The poem is set in Scandinavia and revolves around a hero of the Geats. Beowulf. He comes to the aid of the Dane king, Hrothgar. The Danes suffer the reproaches of a creature they call Grendel.

Beowulf consciously chooses to act in a superhuman manner: “I shall perform the deeds of a hero or I have passed my last day in this mead hall.” Even Grendel recognizes the hero’s superior strength: “The criminal knew he had not met in this middle-earth another with such a grip.” Other warriors when thinking of Beowulf “would quickly compose a skillful tale in words.” Hrothgar refers to Beowulf as “the best of warriors.”  The Danish queen Wealhtheow compliments after Grendel’s defeat, “You have earned forever the praise of men from near and far.” Hrothgar expounds on good warriors: “This is the best-born man – my friend Beowulf … the best of warriors.” When the dragon burns the mead hall of the Geats and Beowulf prepares to retaliate, he “scorned a host, a large army … he didn’t fear the dragon’s war …” Beowulf is also superior in a moral sense: When Hygelac’s wife Hygd previously offered Beowulf the kingdom, he declined to accept because there was a legitimate heir to the throne. Beowulf’s example of extreme heroism motivates others to extraordinary deeds: Wiglaf, seeing Beowulf’s strength compromised by the dragon’s fire, risks his life to aid Beowulf in his final battle. It is obvious that the hero possesses superhuman qualities. As

There are many similarities and differences in the movie and the original poem, telling the story of Beowulf. The most major difference is that Hrothgar was not the father of Grendel.   Also, it is never mentioned that Hrothgar or Beowulf ever being romantically involved to become the fathers of Grendel or the dragon. Other differences include that Grendel's mother is never described as covered in gold.

The epic tale of Beowulf was written sometime after his death. In other words, a long time ago during the Anglo-Saxon period. Today, directors in Hollywood did not keep from creating their own rendition of this epic poem As a result, plenty of modern interpretations of Beowulf, such as Sturla Gunnarsson’s Beowulf and Grendel, have been released. Naturally, the cultural values that might be reflected in modern Beowulf renditions will demonstrate a clash with those of the original fifth century Beowulf literature. One reason for this is that in the modern age we value characters with profound characteristics, characters that change due to the challenges they experience; characters that we as the audience can attach to. Flat characters like those of the original Beowulf text are difficult to empathize with since they are not realistic enough for our standards. Due to these differences in culture and values, the Beowulf and Grendel from the original Beowulf text possess definite contrasts when compared with their Beowulf and Grendel counterparts.