Value Of Loyalty In Beowulf

Throughout the story, Beowulf’s boasts resemble nothing less than a symbol of his arrogance. “…sailors have brought us stories of Herot, the best of all mead-halls, deserted and useless when the moon hangs in skies the sun had lit, light and life fleeing together. My people have said, the wisest, most knowing and best of them, that my duty was to go to the Danes’ Great king. They have seen my strength for themselves, have watched me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies’ blood. I drove five great giants into chains, chased all of that race from the earth. I swam in the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned. Now Grendel and I are called together, and I’ve come…I, alone and with the help of my men, may purge all evil from this hall. I have heard, too, that the monster’s scorn of men is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. Nor will I. My lord

Beowulf proclaims “In the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned. Now Grendel and I are called together” (liens 156-160). Beowulf claims that he must go to defeat Grendel, as it was his errand, or his duty, and his fate. This speech he makes to King Hrothgar reinforces his true reason to come to the King, not for any pride. Another vow Beowulf makes is when he says “That this is one favor you should not refuse me—That I, alone and with the help of my men, many purge all evil form this hall” (lines 163-166). In this line, Beowulf is pleading for the King to do one thing, which is to give him the permission for him and his men to go and fight Grendel, what Beowulf had arrived for. The fact that Beowulf asks the king for only one thing, which is to fight Grendel, shows Beowulf’s selflessness and concern for the safety of others. At no part does he ask for a reward, but even says that if fate is in favor of Grendel to give his armor back to his family. These words help paint the image of Beowulf being concerned for others, not for his

Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem, and the author of Beowulf is unknown. Beowulf is the The setting of Beowulf is in Sweden and Denmark(the book 1231). Beowulf is divided into three parts in which Beowulf fights a dragon, a monster named Grendel, and Grendel’s mother. The Anglo-Saxon people have many values. There are many Anglo-Saxon values throughout Beowulf such as loyalty, strength, bravery, generosity, honor, and glory.

Beowulf is well-known Anglo-Saxon epic poem (Wiener 1). The author of Beowulf is unknown. The setting of Beowulf is in Sweden and Denmark(Beowulf 1231). The epic, Beowulf, contains three parts in which Beowulf fights a dragon, a monster named Grendel, and Grendel’s mother (Yang 1). The Anglo-Saxon people have many values. There are many Anglo-Saxon values throughout Beowulf such as loyalty, strength, bravery, generosity, honor, and glory.

When asked to list virtues of a hero, traits such as patience and wisdom usually come to mind. However, in Beowulf, the protagonist possesses a characteristic that is not typically found in a traditional adventurer: conceitedness. The epic poem Beowulf reveals that, in order to achieve glory, a hero must possess a degree of immodesty. Examples of this can be seen when Beowulf first meets Hrothgar and in Beowulf’s response to Unferth’s challenge.

High power could be given to one at any time desired. Loyalty was an attribute Beowulf held throughout his life. Beowulf lived to strengthen and to care for the tribe. Beowulf could become a king, but instead of battling and betraying a friend, he chose to be righteous and loyal. Rather, Beowulf was happy to be able to give his loyal duties to Hrothgar.

As seen throughout the centuries, loyalty plays a major role in literature. In the Anglo-Saxon epic known as Beowulf, loyalty is shown throughout the tale through the actions of Beowulf and his people. The immense amount of loyalty portrayed in the epic relates to the modern reader by the undying loyalty of people today. People base their loyalty on past events in order to be able to rely on friends, families, and allies. In both ancient and modern times, loyalty is defined as self-sacrifice in Beowulf for the betterment of others, which universally carries over into modern times in great fiction such as Harry Potter.

In the epic poem, Beowulf by an Anglo-Saxon Scop, the main character, Beowulf, is an epic hero and is trying to achieve many of the Anglo-Saxon beliefs which include qualities such as loyalty and generosity. When someone shows generosity and loyalty they are demonstrating kindness and trust to that person and in return they will most likely receive the same. Beowulf and his warriors promise each other life-long generosity and loyalty demonstrated when his warriors sacrifice themselves so Beowulf could beat Grendel, Beowulf leaving behind his men so they would not be killed or hurt in the fight with Grendel's mother, and finally when Wiglaf reflects on how generous Beowulf was.

Beowulf’s embodiment of both warrior-like and king-like heroic traits is the predominant reason he is so successful in Anglo-Saxon society; however, it is also the cause of his demise. As stated previously, Beowulf’s loyalty towards his people drives many decisions he makes, and when faced with the impeding threat of the dragon, Beowulf’s loyalty drives his decision to personally fight it. Although this action directly complies with the values of loyalty and protectionism associated with the heroic code of kings, it is directly contradicted by the ideal of political skills, that is kings making decisions with the best interest of their people in mind. Although at the time, fending off the dragon seems to Beowulf like the proper course of action

The novel Beowulf has many themes, one of the central themes of Beowulf, embodied by its title character is loyalty. At every step of his career, loyalty is Beowulf’s guiding virtue. Although many may disagree about this assumption, this is what I see in this novel. The loyalty that he gives for the town folks and for his king Hrothgar is put in every action he makes in the novel.

The Anglo – Saxon loyalty bases itself on the principles of mutual respect. A leader must fight to defend his people and their honor, and in return the people fight for him. The preface to Beowulf gives a perfect example of Anglo-Saxon loyalty. It states, “When a warrior vowed loyalty to his lord; he became not so much a servant but as his voluntary companion, who would take pride in defending him, and the lord will reward him richly for his valor.” (Norton 38)

Throughout Old English literature, the themes of loyalty and pride have played a large component in the narratives of the protagonists. While Beowulf was written after the Anglo-Saxon tribes had been Christianized the pagan elements of the past still dominated the culture. The retention of these themes within Beowulf reflects the landscape of England at the time, because even though it was Christianized, England still had many pagan elements such as pride within its culture. Conversely, even though Lanval was written at a later date when pagan elements subsumed with Christian elements the concept of chivalry had arisen thus the poem is still tinged with the themes of loyalty and pride. From observing the themes of loyalty and pride in Beowulf and Lanval we can discern the

Jacob Wheeling Strength, courage and loyalty are a few cultural values of the Anglo Saxons. They are highlighted in “Beowulf”, but also are evident in “The Seafarer” and “The Wanderer”. Strength is a one of the major cultural values of the Anglo Saxons. They desired to have strong leaders. It is obvious that in poem “Beowulf”, Beowulf is the hero.

Loyalty is important in the theme Beowulf loyalty to the lord is important element for the society. Warriors were expected to provide services for their lord often by fighting on the battle field and the lord was expected to pay back this loyalty by providing hid warriors with gifts such as ring, armor, weapons etc.

To start off Grendel in the beginning of the story was not terrorizing the Geats, I am sure you just got confused, but as King Hrothgar stated “Now Holy God has, in His goodness, guided him here to the West-Danes, to defend us from Grendel” (381-383. Like you I agree that Beowulf is a savior figure, even when we see Beowulf at the end of his life, after destroying the Dragon, he is a selfless person, as you know the Dragon has destroyed the kingdom, Beowulf has nothing to give to his people, when the treasure is found Beowulf can provide for his people again, he always thought of others to the end. “ To the everlasting Lord of all, to the King of Glory, I give thanks that I behold the treasure her in front of me, that I have been