Anglo-Saxon Values that still hold true Today. What are values? Values are things which are important to one, and will determine one’s priorities. During the Anglo-Saxon era, there were values which remain the same till this day. Loyalty and courage play a big -roll in today’s values, as much as it did during the Anglo – Saxon time. One of the Anglo- Saxon values still holding true today will have to be loyalty. One might wonder, what exactly is loyalty? Loyalty is being faithful to something or someone, or in shorter words, always sticking to a person or thing no matter what the situation is. Beowulf shows his loyalty when he states he “will not shift a foot” (2524) because he cannot break his word. Wiglaf understands this loyalty to one’s reputation and how it is linked to being a warrior. (2890-1) “A warrior will sooner die than live a life of shame” Beowulf hands Wiglaf his collar of gold, his war shirt, and his helmet and tells him to use them well” showing an act of loyalty. Is the public loyal? Do the people show loyalty? If the people think about it, the public can all relate to Beowulf. Every person must have a person or a thing who they are loyal to. It doesn’t even have to be between people, one can be loyal to what they put their self into, maybe school or work. If a person gives all his loyalty to their career or job then it will all pay off. For example, in the Dream of the Rood, (123-124) “I prayed to that tree with ardent zeal, where I was alone with few
Loyalty was also displayed by Beowulf. He showed loyalty to the Danes and his people as well. On lines 281 and 282 Beowulf says, “and if death does take me, send the hammered mail of my armor to Higlac.” By saying this it shows his loyalty to his people because he wants them to know what happened to him. Beowulf
First, loyalty is very important quality to the Anglo-Saxon people. The term “loyalty” basically means to swear allegiance to a person, place, or thing. There are many examples of loyalty in Beowulf. Beowulf is exceedingly loyal throughout the entire Anglo-Saxon epic. Beowulf shows loyalty to the Geats and his king. To elaborate, Beowulf shows loyalty to the Geats and his king, Hygelac, by notifying them of his plans to travel to the land of the Danes and help the Danish King, Hrothgar, defeat Cain’s descendant, Grendel, who has been terrorizing Hrothgar’s mead-hall. Beowulf is loyal and seeks the approval of the Geats and Hygelac before anything else, and Beowulf most likely would never have left the land of the Geats to help the Danes if his people and king did not approve. Also, Beowulf demonstrates loyalty to the Danish king Hrothgar because of an allegiance between Beowulf’s father and Hrothgar. Beowulf helped the Danes defeat Grendel for glory and because Beowulf felt devoted to Hrothgar who once helped Beowulf’s father, Ecgtheow,
During Beowulf’s time, a trait many Anglo-Saxons valued was loyalty. This trait was necessary in the pagan warrior culture that Beowulf lived in and was a key factor in many actions he did. For example, he participated in many events that were grueling for any person, but for Beowulf he would do it in the name of his nation. This is shown when he states, “They had seen me boltered in the blood of enemies / when I battled and bound five beasts, / raided a troll-nest and in the night-sea / slaughtered sea-brutes. I have suffered extremes and avenged the Geats” (419-423). Beowulf is willing to put himself through long lasting hardships in order to represent his nation. Also, it may appear Beowulf originally kills off Grendel for the Danes (his other fights have been strictly for the Geats) but really, he is paying off a debt to the Danish king for protecting his father’s life and ending a feud started by his father. The king briefly explains this occurrence when telling Beowulf, “There was a feud
First, loyalty is very important to the Anglo-Saxon people. Loyalty is swearing allegiance to a person, place, or thing. There are many examples of loyalty in Beowulf. Beowulf is exceedingly loyal throughout the entire Anglo-Saxon epic. Beowulf shows loyalty to the Geats and his king. To elaborate, Beowulf shows loyalty to the Geats and his king, Hygelac, by notifying them of his plans to travel to the land of the Danes and help the Danish King, Hrothgar, defeat Cain’s descendant, Grendel, who has been terrorizing Hrothgar’s mead-hall. Beowulf is loyal and seeks the approval of the Geats and Hygelac before anything else(first and foremost), and Beowulf most likely would not have left the land of the Geats to help the Danes if his people and king did not approve. Also, Beowulf demonstrates loyalty to Hrothgar because of an allegiance between Beowulf’s father and Hrothgar. Beowulf helped the Danes for glory and because of a sense of devotion to Hrothgar who once helped Beowulf’s father, Ecgtheow, after he killed a man. Hrothgar paid the death price for
Loyalty is a vital characteristic. “ I remember how we sat in the mead hall, drinking and boasting of how we’d be brave when Beowulf needed us. He who gave us these swords and armor: all of us swore to repay him when the time came, kindness for kindness with our lives, if we needed them (pg 60 lines 745-750)”. In this quote, a follower of Beowulf named Wiglaf was expressing his thoughts and feelings as he was watching his great leader die. Wiglaf decided that kindness repays with kindness.Loyalty with loyalty. Beowulf was very loyal to the Geats. What Beowulf said, he meant. This was critical because it reminded Wiglaf how loyal Beowulf had been to him. It would only be right to repay it back to Beowulf, which is what he did. The Geats wouldnt have wanted an unloyal leader and neither would anyone else. By Beowulf actions, words and promises, it showed that he was true to his word and loyal to his
One of the first pieces of British literature recorded is the epic poem Beowulf. The poem concentrates on the life of the adventurous Geat warrior, Beowulf. Beowulf faces several challenges throughout the poem that depict him as a man who would go to extreme lengths to accumulate fame. While creating a legend for himself, Beowulf and other characters within the poem reveal several values of the Anglo-Saxons. These values include their belief in boasting, revenge, and loyalty.
The Anglo Saxons were an interesting people that were loyal to their lord. Each group had a leader that commanded and directed the warriors. Loyalty was an important part of the Anglo Saxons culture. In Beowulf, the Anglo Saxons were expected to remain loyal to their leader as he was responsible for protecting them in battle. The leaders of the Anglo Saxons were admired for their courage and determination as they guided the group of warriors in their endeavors. In “The Wife’s Lament”, the wife remains loyal to her lord even though she is treated harshly by him. She chased after him when he left, and continued to love him after he ostracized her. As evident in Beowulf and “The Wife’s Lament”, the Anglo Saxons greatly relied on a noble leader to protect them from danger and direct them towards success; as a result, the followers were loyal to their lord by showing reverence and admiration as well as honouring their legacy, even if the lord neglected to fulfill his duties.
Uniquely, loyalty is a highly valued ideal in the Anglo Saxon period. In Beowulf, loyalty is shown in the kingdom that Beowulf helps. Along with the fact that the village would celebrate often. This vividly paints a picture of how even though the Anglo Saxons are barbaric they value the family unit, tribal loyalty, and the kingdom as a whole.In the poem Beowulf it states " all of Beowulf's band had jumped from their beds, ancestral swords raised and read and determined"(Burton Raffel 31). This expresses that a large band of people were loyal to Beowulf when they rushed over to join the cause. This contributes that love and loyalty in the kingdom. Notable this reflects how loyalty was valued to the Anglo Saxons.
Some of the most common values during the Anglo-Saxon period include courage, loyalty and generosity. The Anglo-Saxon era was almost always in the state of war which is why it is a time when fighting is valued more than working things out. This meant that heroes of this period fought for fame, glory, and pride. Heroes were expected to boast. Beowulf, the best symbol for Anglo-Saxon heroes, proves this by volunteering to fight the monster just because he was bored and wanted to do something he can brag about. In the story, Beowulf boasts of his bravery by talking about his past battles and victories. Beowulf basically acts more for his own glory than for the general well-being to his people. While in our modern period,
The other leading heroic trait that Beowulf possesses is loyalty. The Anglo-Saxon warriors believe in the idea of comitatus, which are the faithful and unbreakable bonds between his king and his warriors. Throughout the story, Beowulf had shown devotions to both his leader and his followers. As mentioned earlier, Beowulf easily passed all the treasure to his uncle noting that “since every benefit I have ever received I owe to you, my closest and kindest kinsman on earth." (Chapter 31).He shows great gratitude to his king by presenting all of his treasures that he had gained. He was then portrayed to be “loyal and true and loved him dearly,” (Chapter 31). Additionally, not only he is committed to his rulers, Beowulf is also loyal to his followers. As described by Wiglaf, one of his most faithful men, “Our ancient king often gave us---heroes while in hall!---helmets and mailcoats, the finest treasures he could find for his men anywhere on earth, armor like the brilliant well-wrought war-gear you are
In the first marking period of English Language Arts III, our class was given a syllabus in order to instruct us on how to label the five tabs inside our binders. The first section, General Information, contains the syllabus and any rubrics and checklists we may obtain in the class. After that comes the Literature section, this section contains notes, powerpoints, and all assignments associated with the Anglo-Saxons, Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, and Geoffrey Chaucer.Then comes The Classwork Assessment Task section which includes one quick write regarding the contrast between Anglo-Saxon culture and modern day culture. Placed after the Classwork Assessment Task section is the Vocabulary tab. The Vocabulary tab holds all notes and assignments containing vocabulary from both Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales. The final section of my binder is the writing section which includes writing tips, grammar exercises, and essays.
Values help people determine what is right and wrong. They provide our moral compass in life.
Values can be a person’s ideal way on how to behave in certain places or their principles, just like ethics, beliefs, or standards (Henslin). Values can vary in cultures or religions as well. For example, when it comes to the LGBT community, which is also known as the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, I believe that everyone deserves to be happy
But within one heart sorrow welled up: and a man of worth the claims of kinship cannot be denied. His name was wiglaf, a son of weohstan’s, a well-regarded Shylfing warrior related to Aelfhere.(744-754).” This quote shows that Beowulf's strength and loyalty to himself, the Geats, and the Danes brings companionship and loyalty from others to himself, and because of that he has one person that is willing to help out of a whole army. This proves that a little loyalty can go a long way especially when others or yourself need it.
Loyalty, defined as support and allegiance to someone or a country, demonstrated through various aspects of the human condition can be seen through aspects of the epic. Therefore, in the text, when Beowulf went to Herot to help the king Hrothgar it was discovered that he felt loyalty to this king. King Hrothgar after gaining the crown was faced with a conflict. This feud that Hrothgar got involved in saved Beowulf and his father. (ll. 191-207, Burton Raffel). This loyalty relates to the aspirations and growth in characters. This loyalty demonstrated through the Anglo-Saxons text leads to the ideas of the human condition today. That loyalty is an essential part of being human. All beings feel a sense of loyalty to someone or something. Beowulf, for example, felt loyalty to the king because he had helped Beowulf and his family. Later in the text, Wiglaf demonstrate loyalty to a dying Beowulf, when all of the valiant warriors abandoned their loyalty to their leader and king. Wiglaf demonstrates to the reader that he too was loyal to the king due to the wonderful gifts that Beowulf had bestowed upon them, but most of all him. (ll. 754-790, Burton Raffel). Therefore, loyalty played a large role in the Anglo-Saxon time, but not only that, but it still plays a huge role today. Loyalty today demonstrated through patriotism, love for one’s country and the ability to care for one another based on prior experiences. Moreover, the Anglo-Saxon value of loyalty demonstrates the importance of allegiance to leaders and families but creates an illustration of what loyalty today looks