Mead Hall In Beowulf Essay

Beowulf is an epic poem that has been handed down orally for centuries, but was finally written down in the eighth century. It is the story of an epic hero, named Beowulf, who travels with his men, the Geats, to conquer the many beasts who terrorize the lands of the Danes. The scops describe Beowulf as “greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world”(110-111). This example shows one of many qualities that make Beowulf the epic hero that he is. He uses his strength to demonstrate both the dedication and bravery needed to bring peace and justice to the people who have been terrorized for such a long time. Cultural elements exemplified in Beowulf occur in the aspects of the mead hall, the warriors, and their belief system.

4. Write a short paragraph about something from the class reading that reflects Anglo Saxon culture and/or belief

The king of Danes, Hrothgar, accumulated his warriors in the hall on a frequent basis, which is how Beowulf starts off. Hrothgar calls on the heroic Beowulf and his men to try to kill the monstrous Grendel. The battle takes place in Heorot Hall between Beowulf and Grendel. After achieving victory, Beowulf is praised by Hrothgar, who promotes Beowulf to king, saying that he is like his

In the Anglo Saxon period, if you were a wealthy king or wealthy person, you are powerful. "Beowulf had brought his king, horses and treasure-as a man must, not weaving nets of malice for his comrades, preparing their death in the dark, with secret, cunning tricks."(Beowulf 91). This quote is saying Beowulf won all those battles so he gave all his treasures to his king, like he is suppose to do. He also he gave some treasures to his fellow comrades, or the men that helped him during his battle. This quote shows that Beowulf is very powerful because he had all the treasure he won and also made his king powerful now since he got most of the treasure, and the goods. They stretched their beloved lord in his boat, laid out by the mast, amidships the great ring-giver. “Far-fetched treasures were piled upon him, and precious gear. I never heard before of a ship so well furbished with battle tackle, bladed weapons and coats of mail. The

Wealth being tied to glory and honor is portrayed in Beowulf and is shown through multiple characters in the poem. Hrothgar and his great wealth brought himself honor through the loyalty of his people. After Beowulf killed Grendel’s mother, he takes her treasured sword and her treasured son’s head as a proof of his glory and honor earned in battle. When Beowulf was dying, he requested to see the dragon’s treasures that he earned with his life. The dragon

After a long journey, you find yourself in uncharted territory. As you scout the area, you notice a small village off in the distance. Upon approaching this settlement, you are greeted by some armed townsfolk. They attack you without warning, and take you to a large hall in the center of town. There, you see many men parading around in an intoxicated stupor, showing off their trophies and talking of their success in past battles and wars. They eat with bare hands, ripping at the food and drinking until they can no longer handle themselves, finding a home on the open floor. The hall is dressed with weapons of war, from shields to swords and everything in between. The women are wrapped in chains, fulfilling their only purpose of serving the

Wealth has a rather unique role in Beowulf, being portrayed both as the embodiment of glory and honor and as a truce-bringer, however its effectiveness is debatable, especially when it comes to the aforementioned truce-bringing. Gold and treasure are important symbols in the poem, but they aren’t portrayed exactly how one would expect them to be. Rather than a king or hero having glory simply from the amount of treasure they possess, the focus is placed on how these figures share their wealth. Kings in particular are often referred to as “ring-givers.” The problem is, that wealth still has to come from somewhere, and as the poem states, “wealth is shaped with a sword.”

The story of Beowulf begins with his quest to aid the kind of the Danes. Hrothgar built the great mead-hall called Heorot. The mead-hall represents Hrothgar’s success in building a powerful military and social entity. The mead-hall” Meant to be a wonder of the world forever;” (Beowulf.69-71) a place of light and warmth during the cold winter was attacked by a powerful demon called Grendel. Grendel resented the happiness of his neighbors and attacked Heorot for twelve winters leaving the hall empty for years. Once Beowulf learns of Hrothgar’s problem with Grendel he

Beowulf begins with a history of the great Danish King Scyld (whose funeral is described in the Prologue). King Hrothgar, Scyld's great-grandson, is well loved by his people and successful in war. He builds a lavish hall, called Heorot, to house his vast army, and when the hall is finished, the Danish warriors gather under its roof to celebrate.

Throughout the epic poem, the possession of wealth and treasure represents a reputation of honor, status, and skill, but were also used to solidify bonds and ensure loyalty. Every king along the lineage of royalty had a duty to spread his riches, a responsibility indicated by the frequent use of “ring-givers” that would even provide, “far-fetched treasures… and precious gear” (36-37). Wealth, a vastly important role in Beowulf, enables the king to manifest his generosity upon society. This act was not only a practice, but also a representation of honor as it was a way to exhibit benevolence to others as well as rewarding their loyal followers. An example would be during the time Beowulf saves the hall of Hereot from the terror and destruction of Grendel. As a result of Beowulf’s heroic acts, Hrothgar showers treasure on him and his men in order to show his thankfulness and goodness. The poet asserts how this giving of gifts signifies the manifestation of Hrothgar’s honor as king.

The concept of sharing wealth and treasures is widely demonstrated throughout the poem. In Germanic culture kings as well as warriors are expected to share their wealth with their tribe. For example, the poem mentions that king Hrothgar builds a great mead-hall where he would distribute his

In the epic poem, Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, it is said, "Behavior that's admired is the path to power among people" (Beowulf 5). That being stated, it is very apparent throughout the entirety of the story. The main character, Beowulf, quickly comes to a position of power once defeating multiple atrocities and executing numerous heroic deeds. The people in the city admire Beowulf and abide to his ways; but once offered kingship, he declines. Throughout the epic poem, it is obvious that Beowulf would rather be a hero than a king because of the individual representation that comes with it, the rewards, and the self-reliant aspect.

Hrothgar's intentions are sociocentric: by employing the strength of “many peoples” (76) to build the “legendary hall” (412) of Heorot, he brings his people together and gives his people a legacy, ensuring a future for Denmark.

In Beowulf, the epic depicts an abundance of scenes of how wealth, in today’s modern culture, shows someone’s power. One way the benefit of wealth is shown in Beowulf by the kings in not solely the story but the Anglo-Saxon culture. This is shown by King Hrothgar when he talks about how he handled his enemies, saying, “Finally I healed the feud by paying / I shipped a treasure-trove to the Wulfings” (Heaney 470-471). Moreover, the amiable King Hrothgar pays his enemies with precious gold from his treasure hold and he ends up settling the feud. It is displaying how being wealthy can synthesize the jubilance a person can obtain by being so powerful that they can pay their enemies to stop attacking them. Another way that wealth can demonstrate the power in Beowulf is when the kings are being described. One excerpt that shows this is when King Hrothgar greets his companion, Beowulf, saying, “Then the grey-haired treasure-giver was glad” (607). The author specifically describes the highest powerful men in the land as treasure-givers. Comparatively, this not only showcases the Anglo-Saxon cultural beliefs, but is an even greater reflection on current the population. The wealthiest man in the world, currently, is Bill Gates with a net worth of 85.6 billion dollars (Kim). Not only is he extremely wealthy, but his influence in

Beowulf’s first battle is against Grendel in an attempt to help King Hrothgar of Denmark and the Danes. The king builds a great mead-hall known as Heorot, where his warriors can gather to drink, receive gifts from their lord, and listen to stories sung by the bards. All the noise and commotion angers Grendel, who is a horrible demon that lives in the swamplands of the king’s kingdom. Grendel is an outcast who desperately wants to be a part of the Danes. He is bitter about being excluded from the mead-hall festivities. As a result of his jealousy and loneliness, Grendel terrorizes the Danes every night, killing them and defeating their efforts to fight back. The Danes live in fear, danger, and suffer death from Grendel for many, many years. Eventually, word of the kingdom’s suffering at the hands of Grendel reaches Beowulf. He feels inspired by the challenge of defeating the monster and decides to help the Danes. The king holds a big feast to celebrate Beowulf’s help,