Treasure And Treasure In Beowulf

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

In the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, the stupendous hero’s many great deeds often appear to be for other’s benefit, yet Beowulf’s final conquest exposes his lust for glory and fame, thereby showing his lack of concern for anything else. This lust for immense glory and fame feeds his ego and causes his death and the imminent downfall of his great people the Geats.

Beowulf is a great warrior perpetually pursuing glory. He is regarded as an example to all, described on first sight to be “well born / and worthy of respect,” yet Beowulf is prime example of reckless behavior (368-9). When he hears that the demon Grendel “scorns / in his reckless way to use weapons” he decides to also

Wealth, payment, greed, and generosity are very consistent concepts found today, however it was also in Medieval times. These things were in medieval times because of necessity, there were not there by choice. People needed to barter in order to thrive in society. Bartering was a staple of human society. In the text Beowulf, these concepts are routinely shown. The concepts of wealth, payment, greed, and generosity will be evaluated, and reflected upon, to give the reader an accurate description of these concepts in Beowulf.

This murder was also justified. The dragon’s murder started because of the way the dragon reacted when a young slave stole one golden cup from the dragon’s tower. When that golden cup was stolen the dragon reacted violently by terrorizing the Geats. The dragon is described as a beast that streams murderous flames from its mouth. Beowulf, seeing how dangerous the dragon is to his own citizens wanted to help by slaying the dragon. At this time in the story, Beowulf is an old man who is not as strong as he once was, but still decides to try to slay the dragon because he sees the importance of saving his own people. Beowulf comes with many soldiers to try to kill the dragon, but because of the strength the dragon showed, most of the soldiers leave in fear. Wiglaf in the only soldier that stays to help Beowulf because he realizes the importance of being loyal to Beowulf because Beowulf has always been loyal to him. Wiglaf sees Beowulf as the hero he truly is. Once the dragon was dead, the soldiers that left were ashamed because they knew they should have been more loyal to Beowulf. Beowulf and the dragon die during this battle, but only Beowulf’s death was viewed in

Throughout the Anglo-Saxon period, treasure and weaponry were highly valued among the kingdom and its people. Only those worthy enough to the King or Queen would receive treasure. Treasure was typically given to high-ranking warriors and loyal civilians that had accomplished some great deed. Beowulf shows that these men were so attached to those treasures and weapons that they buried them along with their dead

After fifty years of what seems to be peace, the dragon appears to reign terror on Beowulf’s kingdom that he has taken power of. A robber had taken the dragon’s treasure that it was peacefully protecting prior to its terror. By this time, Beowulf is around ninety years of age. He knows it will be a tough fight, and therefore brings warriors along with him. After he calls the fierce dragon out of its cave, all but one of the warriors flee the scene. It is only Beowulf and a man named Wiglaf “Watching Beowulf, he could see How his king was suffering, burning. Remembering Everything his lord and cousin had given him,Armor and gold and the great estates Wexstan’s family enjoyed, Wiglaf’s Mind was made up”(Beowulf 107). Together, they slay the dragon, but Beowulf dies at the end too, making Wiglaf the king. The dragon was protecting the treasure and the thief did not steal for his own desire, it was for his masters in which he was beaten by “But the thief had not come to steal; he stole, And roused the dragon, not from desire But need, He was someone’s slave, had

In Beowulf’s last words, he entrusts to Wiglaf, his faithful warrior, his “collar of gold from his neck and gave it to the young thane, telling him to use it… well” (From Beowulf 49). In Anglo-Saxon society, wealth was awarded to warriors and kings for their services but also passed on to others for the good of the kingdom or community. Many Anglo-Saxons awarded their warriors golden “objects of war - sword hilts and pommels” (Real Life Buried Treasure) and others “adorned their fallen warriors with beautiful riches” (A Window on Anglo-Saxon Life). Since many warriors had these golden embellishments on their weapons, wealth must have been an important reward system for men who had achieved glory in battle. Wealth connected individual warriors to the Anglo-Saxon community, benefiting all who lived in

For insistence, the way in which Hrothgar gives Beowulf all those treasures appear to be out of respect and honor, however, this could be a manner to gain and retain his support. The King presents Beowulf with numerous treasures that vary between gold and horses, armor and swords, and he even presents a reward to the other men who fought with him. The following quotation explains Beowulf’s thought on the matter. “So Beowulf drank his drink at ease; / it was hardly a shame to be showered with such gifts / in front of the hall-troops.” (Heaney 1024-1026) Beowulf gladly accepts the gifts that are being thrust upon him, without putting much thought into it and thinking only about his reputation. This is shown through the speaker’s word choice and the carefree tone of the lines. Regardless of that, it is

In the beginning of the epic poem, treasure is used to show status and power in this world. Kings would often use treasure as a sign of loyalty by giving some treasure to their loyal thanes that would fight on their behalf. This shows how those in power had more treasure and would use this to secure their strength and the faith that their subjects had in them. Women would also use some of the treasure they had or their husbands had earned to wear as jewelry or decorative ornaments.

Gold is a prized possession and often times it becomes something worth fighting and dying for. It validates greatness in battle thus representing the spoils of war. Treasure is valuable to people today but its meaning has evolved since Beowulf’s time. Warriors were buried in flames while our warriors were buried in the earth but much like we do, the people who served Beowulf built “a mound on a highland/a marker that sailors could see from far away” (3157-3158) which becomes “a hero’s memorial”(3160). With the greed and desire treasure had on people, Wiglaf had the gold burned in Beowulf’s pyre knowing they aren’t worthy of having gold that lead to their king’s death. Treasure is important but it’s not important enough to risk one’s life and

After Beowulf and Wiglaf unite they slay the dragon. Together, they thrust the dagger into the dragon’s flank. The dragon falls, but it was a hollow victory. Beowulf was struck in the neck and had become mortally wounded. Beowulf’s last request is to see the treasure lying in the dragon’s hoard. Wiglaf entered the dark tower and made his way to a room filled wall to wall with shimmering gold, gems, cups, and bracelets, all illuminated by a peculiar light. The room was undisturbed and peaceful, nothing moved, no monsters lay in his sight. Above his head hung an alluring golden banner. He took the banner, and all the treasures that pleased his eye, and filled his arms until he could hold no more.

With that being said though he did manage to slay the dragon with the help from Wiglaf, the rest of his men proved themselves to be cowards, Beowulf perished in the battle, leaving his people without a king, leaving them also as an easy target to other civilizations bringing on hatred and revenge. The gold they obtained from the dragon proves itself useless. In the end, the gold was thrown into the sea by Beowulf’s people so that no one else can have it and no one else could see them with it. This is because Beowulf was unjustified, he didn’t need that gold, he didn’t need to slay that dragon who kept to himself, the gold had manipulated him into thinking that he did and as a result, he and his cowardly men deserved to be defeated.

Treasure not only appeals to pirates but to knights and townspeople who appear in the epic Beowulf. It is something that has undoubtedly been at the core of communities for ages and ages. In fact, even today, it is still a substantial part of towns, cities and communities. Treasure is something that has been given value by a culture, person, or town. Certain things one person may find valuable and someone else may feel that it is trash. This goes for moral values also, which religion has a large impact on, since it sets standards of how one should behave. Therefore, when a person mentions the word “treasure” they may or may not be referring to the treasure that pirates spend their lives seeking after. This is also the situation in Anglo-Saxon culture. While the text does not always come out and say it, there is proof of the different things they put their value on. Many examples can be found in text to be used as evidence that they loved treasure. There is even a great battle that is where the main character ends up dying over treasure. Anglo-Saxon culture relies on treasure in three forms; moral values, physical treasure, and treasured heroes.

In Beowulf, the epic depicts many scenes of how wealth in today’s modern society shows someone’s power. One way this is shown by the kings in the story. 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). 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 make a person so powerful that they can pay their enemies to stop attacking them. Another way that wealth can show power in Beowulf is when the kings are being described. One excerpt that shows this is when King Hrothgar is introduced to Beowulf, saying, “Then the grey-haired treasure-giver was glad” (607). The author specifically describes the most powerful men in the land as treasure-givers. This not only shows the Anglo-Saxon cultural beliefs, but as well as reflection on current society. The wealthiest man in the world, currently, is Bill Gates with a net worth of 85.6 billion dollars (Kim). He is not only very wealthy, but very influential in today’s world, especially in the technology business. Finally, Beowulf is king and wishes to look upon some of the treasure he has won to see how much power