Essay on The Penguing Classic Early Irish Myths and Sagas

Fairy Folk Tales are the most popular types of literature. The tale is an orally transmitted tradition by generations through the time; some events are changed to fit reality and society. Folk fairy tales deal with the dualism of the good and the evil. They are basing on a conflict between the good and the evil forces. The conclusion comes from aspirations of the human desire to achieve the justices. There are no known authors and sources for ancient literature. We have many versions of the story; they are credited by many authors later. Each tale is very like some other culture’s tale. Each culture has own tales, but all the tales are similar and different in some points. This essay will compare between two

In his evaluation of Little Red Riding Hood, Bill Delaney states, “In analyzing a story . . . it is often the most incongruous element that can be the most revealing.” To Delaney, the most revealing element in Little Red Riding Hood is the protagonist’s scarlet cloak. Delaney wonders how a peasant girl could own such a luxurious item. First, he speculates that a “Lady Bountiful” gave her the cloak, which had belonged to her daughter. Later, however, Delaney suggests that the cloak is merely symbolic, perhaps representing a fantasy world in which she lives.

There are countless versions of the legend of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table. Most English versions are based on Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur, but where did these tales originate, and what different interpretations are there today? This essay seeks to examine the roots and different renditions of the various legends circulating today. The first section deals with the origins of the legend. The second section speculates on who the "real" King Arthur could have been. A comparison of several different versions, and suggestions of why they differ are given in the third section, and the conclusion presents an analysis on the ambiguity of the legend.

While the author of Beowulf did not initially intend for the epic to become one of the most researched and foundational works in the English language, and therefore, did not go into much detail about its setting and surrounding political structures, the unnamed writer left behind important clues regarding Scandinavian and English political, economic, geographical, and societal bodies. Although not much is known about the author, it is evident through their writing, especially in the societal structure mentioned in the epic, that they were of English descent, specifically, born in the middle of seventh and end of tenth century England, according to Seamus Heaney in the introduction to his translation of Beowulf. Societal clues are the most prominent in proving this claim, as they merge Scandinavian and Old English structures, and at its most form, Beowulf is a Scandinavian tale told through an Englishman’s persepctive.

The expression “Jesus take the wheel” is quite common in today’s world, but just because it is a modern saying does not mean that it did not have any relevance in earlier time. Throughout the story of Beowulf, a comparison between Christianity and paganism had always been a topic discussed both within the text and spoken aloud in the classroom. Likewise, in this instance, man-made issues serves as a mirror of paganism and trust in God becomes Christianity. Many factors throughout section three revert to paganism rather than Christianity because there was no trust in God. Details such as pride, arranged marriage, and death are the major aspects of man-made issues in this section.

Religions play various different roles throughout literature, the most common one I think of is Christianity. We will discuss what the role of Religion is in Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney and the role in the movie The 13th Warrior. Christianity, Islam, and Anglo-Saxon Paganism are the various Religions’ that are expressed in both the literature and the movie. Since both works are similar, but written in a different point of view because of different beliefs we will discuss the difference between Beowulf and The 13th warrior throughout the paper. Another thing we will be discussing is how the authors use religion in a unique way in both works to portray their story in their own way. Before we begin our comparison we will begin with some information on Anglo-Saxon Paganism and Islam.

Given, the current high profile debate with regard to dating the epic poem Beowulf, it is quite surprising that some scholars go as far as placing it during the Vendel era around 550 - 793 CE. Even though it is considered as a kind of folk tale, many are those who believe it happened towards the early Vendel era. As a rebuttal to this point, it might be?convincingly argued?that this period is also referred to as the Germanic Iron Age. Moreover, this era saw the rise of Norse mythology, which is very fatalistic in nature; it focuses on a world coming to an end in a great cataclysm. Along with

The archaeological discoveries of Sutton Hoo, the Staffordshire Hoard, and the Book of Kells, along with the epic Beowulf, all analyze the connection between the present and the past time period of the Anglo-Saxons. Warrior culture and Christian culture from the Anglo-Saxon time period, are apart of human cultural heritage today. There are many images and descriptions in Beowulf of treasure and armor which are similar to the findings at Sutton Hoo and Staffordshire. The similarities between the epic and the archaeological findings create an understanding of the connection between the past and the present. The elaborate images in the Book of Kells augment the understanding of early Christian culture and the epic Beowulf synthesises Christian culture and warrior culture.

After reading chapter one of the textbook, I found it interesting to learn that in 61 A.D. the Roman conquest of England was interrupted by the Celtic Boudicca revolt, which is named after the woman who led the revolt. This section mentions one particular Roman scholar, who argues that Boudicca was “huge of frame” and “terrifying of aspect.” Although there is some uncertainty in the facts surrounding Boudicca physical appearance, it is important to note that this rebellion, which was headed by a woman, successfully managed to burn down three Roman cities and extinguish Roman legions. I believe that although there are uncertainties and lack of knowledge concerning the physical features of Boudicca, it is in itself historically significant. I think this is so because the speculation of evidence demonstrates the reality that historical records can be lost but the

John Gardner’s story of Grendel and the original poem of Beowulf have many literary similarities, as well as many differences. Each story is composed of archetypal characters, Anglo-Saxon values, and different aspects of viking life. Grendel is told from the perspective of a “beast from hell” as he is referred to as in the story of Beowulf, a brave hero. Beowulf is told from a human point of view, through the eyes of the glorious knight himself. In each story, the tone that the author uses is astoundingly different from the other, and gives the story its own personality. Hrothgar and his men are interesting to compare to each other in each book, as they are spoken of in different ways, depending on whose point of view the story is being told from.

The stories of Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales are two that have been compared for centuries. Based in two different time periods, both novels describe religion, loyalty, and distinguish social classes through characters. In the novel Beowulf, the character Beowulf is known as the “hero of all heroes,” strong, courageous, and a warrior who is willing to risk his life for his ideals. In The Canterbury Tales, there are twenty-four tales describing characters from a knight to a monk’s tale. As the stories are written in two different time periods with different themes and voices, they can be compared in many ways. Both novels describe religion through their warriors, Beowulf and the Knight from The Canterbury Tales.

As the Celtic Religion had laities, Celts, who revered the power of the word over the written document, little could be deciphered about their religious beliefs. However, after assessing the classical literature of Julius Caesar, Poseidonios and others, and certain archaeological and iconographic artefacts, it is made evident that the Celtics was an imminent, polytheistic religion which ran on animalistic beliefs. These beliefs which were filtered through Romans, Greeks and Christians suggested that the Celts believed in many deities, both gods and goddesses, some of which were worshipped only in a small, regional vicinity, but others whose veneration had a broader geographic dispersal. Today, the names over two hundred of these deities have

In medieval Europe, there was an abundance of advanced technology. Even though the invention of reins predated the medieval period, their use became very prevalent and allowed good control of horses for battle and transportation. Candum writes of a character using this innovation: “...he tightened his hold on the reins” (87). Since people in medieval Europe had reins available to them, In a Dark Wood realistically reflects the technology of the time. Additionally, there were other practical items similar to the reins, such as weapons used for battle. Examples of these weapons include broadswords, battering rams, and trebuchets. Medieval society also had horses and other animals to use as a form of transportation during travel and battle. In a Dark Wood also highlights further technologies used in both historical and fictional medieval Europe. Weapons, such as the battering ram and the crossbow, enhanced warfare in general, and made it easier for the side with the most advanced technologies to win. As stated in a book about a late medieval battle written by Ernst Jünger, there were indeed many newly developed weapons used in battle during these times. Junger refers to these advances with this phrase: “...their mounted and artillery guns…”(Jünger). Considering that there were frequent advancements in technology, Cadnum’s story of what happened in fictional medieval Europe matches up with what occurred in

As the Celtic Religion had laities, Celts, who revered the power of the word over the written document, little could be deciphered about their religious beliefs. However, after assessing the classical literature of Julius Caesar, Poseidonios and others, and certain archaeological and iconographic artefacts, it is made evident that the Celtics was an imminent, polytheistic religion which ran on animalistic beliefs. These beliefs which were filtered through Romans, Greeks and Christians suggested that the Celts believed in many deities, both gods and goddesses, some of which were worshipped only in a small, regional vicinity, but others whose veneration had a broader geographic dispersal. Today,

Beowulf is an epic dense with imagery derived from Anglo-Saxon Pagan culture and Christianity because it is was written in England during the 8th century, a period of Christian migration, growth, and conversion. From the sea where he loses a fight but fends off evil sea-monsters, the forests, and specific animals such as the raven, Beowulf blends nature, mysticism, and reality seamlessly. The descriptions of nature are general and vague which makes it hard to tell exact locations and lets the reader form their own, personalized visualization of the area; likewise, the role of nature in the lives of the Anglo-Saxon culture and Pagan religion remain unclear at best. Provided with many images of nature in Beowulf, this analysis will extract a deeper understanding of how the Anglo-Saxons used their Paganistic view of nature to help shape Beowulf.