Warrior Culture In Beowulf

In Beowulf, the comitatus relationship is seen between Hrothgar and his retainers and between Beowulf and his men. The comitatus also extended to a long-standing bond between the Geats (Beowulf?s people) and the Danes (Hrothgar?s people). Because of this bond, Beowulf and his men left their homes and traveled to the lands of the Danes to help them in time of need.

A closer look, however, reveals a striking similarity between that code and today's work place. A lord or the modern-day boss chooses the best thanes/workers in the land through their experience in battle or a resume of previous employment. For example, when Beowulf first arrives "in the Shieldings' country" (ll. 277) he tells King Hrothgar all about his past triumphs in order to gain the King's approval to be one of his warriors. Once a contractual agreement is established, the lord/boss provides his thanes/employees with a share of his wealth/salaries. King Hrothgar states that, "Holy God has, in His goodness, guided [Beowulf] here to the West-Danes, the defend us from Grendel. This is my hope; and for his heroism I will recompense him with a rich treasure" (ll. 381-385). In return, a thane/employee promises to remain loyal to his lord/boss, ready to die in battle or at the office, finishing a project before a deadline. If a battle is won or a deal is closed, an ideal lord/boss, whose greatest characteristic is generosity, will divide the treasure among his thanes, or award a big bonus check to his employees. When Beowulf Carley 4 defeats Grendel, the "Halfdane's son present[s] Beowulf with a gold standard as a victory gift" (ll. 1019-1020). On the other hand, a violation of the agreement results in the exile/firing of the thane/employee, and a loss of livelihood followed by shame and embarrassment. Understanding 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.

The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf touches on the vice of pride, and is instilled in the main character, Beowulf, the great and mighty warrior. His boasting and arrogance when first dropping anchor at Heorot transitions throughout the poem, and, in contrast with his ideal kingsmanship, motivates him to accomplish and overcome the many challenges he faces as an epic hero. The contrast of his absent humility in the rise and fall of the story help promote the progression of the story, through its different purposes. Beowulf, when first landing upon Hrothgar’s kingdom, boasts, which does not go unchallenged, so that he might gain the trust of the Danes, but when knowingly facing his last battle, uses bragging to comfort and brace himself for his ultimate demise.

Beowulf, the defender of Hrothgar and Heorot, exhibits far more complicated (and less sincere) shades of revenge than the Grendel’s mother. At the end of the day, Beowulf’s goal is to become the preeminent warrior in all the land. In his society, the only way to gain such widespread celebrity is through courageous and self-endangering acts. Beowulf masks these deeds with a façade of seeking revenge; he supposedly comes to Heorot to save the Danes from Grendel’s terror, but his true motives lie in becoming a hero. His reward is not the pride of doing a good deed; Beowulf is rewarded with lavish and expensive gifts.

The kings and warriors are important in Anglo-Saxon culture, “The Anglo-Saxon social structure consisted of tribal units led by chieftains ("kings," or "lords") who, theoretically at least, earned their respect from their warriors (or "retainers," or "thanes," the group being called a "comitatus").”(6). In the Anglo-Saxon culture there are kings then below them are the warriors, and below them are the commoners. The kings had to earn the warriors respect, the kings were known for their fearlessness and heroism. He must share the winnings earned from war with his warriors, and the king must prove to be generous. “Although theoretically the thanes freely agreed to join a king, it was nevertheless vital for one's sense of self to be part of a

Many readers of the poem Beowulf may find it difficult to distinguish the 'good' kings from the rest – indeed, almost every man who holds a throne in the epic is named at one point or another to be 'good'. By examining the ideals of the time period as identified by the 'heroic code', it becomes clearer that a truly 'good' king is one who generously distributes treasure and weaponry to deserving retainers to honour courage and strength displayed in battle and to encourage the defense of the kingdom (Intro). When Beowulf ascends the throne of the Geats, the heroic traits of courage and strength for which he was so highly praised as a warrior do not serve well in making him a good king. Indeed, by exhibiting the traits of a thane, that is, by

As previously stated, comitatus was also a value expressed multiple times in Beowulf. When Beowulf arrives and discloses his intention of killing Grendel and riding the Danes of their burden, Hrothgar rejoices and says he will reward Beowulf with great gifts if successful.(Beowulf 381-386) This idea of benefits in exchange for protections reoccurs again when Grendel's mother seeks vengeance for her son's death, and Hrothgar affirms that he will again repay Beowulf for killing this monster, which is a challenge he agrees to.(Beowulf 1379-1382) Although Beowulf's arrogance and thirst for fame plays a factor in this decision, Beowulf is persuaded again and again the protect the land of Heorot in exchange for wealth. Through winning these battles, Beowulf earns the respect and love of Hrothgar, repays his followers through their own little system of comitatus, and returns to his land with gifts for the king and queen. Through this gesture, Beowulf is rewarded with land, and becomes revered in the eye of the king, assisting him in his assent to the title of king.

Every culture has its own set of values, beliefs, and customs. These values, beliefs and customs create each unique culture, and these cultural constructions are directly and indirectly acquired throughout the lifetime of the culture. A major part of culture is literature; the literature of the time reflects upon daily life and society during the time that the story was composed. Beowulf, an epic poem, is one of the most important and only works of Anglo-Saxon literature. Much like a fable, the epic poem of Beowulf had lessons that taught the people within this society how to behave. This essay will outline how the importance of Christianity and the Germanic Heroic Code in Beowulf are revealed throughout the epic poem as important aspects of the Anglo-Saxon culture as a whole.

The first half of this dual ordeal is the internal conflict of human nature to be overcome by pride and greed. The characteristic of pride and its contradiction to Christian values gives a first look at the dichotomies of pride vs. humility and sacrifice vs. greed. In Herot, King Hrothgar reminds Beowulf that pride, untempered by humility, will result in the tragic fall. He also shares with Beowulf a second element of Christian philosophy; “wealth, accumulated through the grace of God, must be shared unselfishly.” The characteristic of greed is contradictory in Beowulf. At first, Beowulf is made out to be a selfless warrior; he fights Grendel and Grendel's mother to ensure safety for his people, even if it means he will die. However, once the greed of Beowulf mixes with his pride, he loses that trait of selflessness. Beowulf lets his pride consume him, and begins to brag about what he has accomplished. Beowulf says “Grendel is no braver nor stronger than I am! I could kill him with my sword; I shall not...” (Beowulf 376) Beowulf starts to call himself the best soldier in the world, and that he is the only one that could kill Grendel. At this point, Beowulf is no longer fighting for the protection of his people, but rather for his own personal glory.

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

Furthermore, the primary duty of a hero is to provide his kinsmen with great treasure and weaponry. Beowulf fulfills this duty by stating "Behold this treasure … that I have been allowed to leave my people…" (Beowulf 91) to Wiglaf after defeating the dragon. The warriors in The Battle of Maldon describe their Lord and hero as a "treasure-giver," and also a "ring-giver." The warriors in both of these texts reflect on all that their lords or heroes provide for them. It is through this gratification for material wealth that kinsmen feel so indebted to fighting for their lord. Wiglaf illustrates this concept when he remembers "the bountiful gifts bestowed upon him" (Beowulf 88) and finds that "he could not hold back" (Beowulf 88) from his lord's side.

In Anglo-Saxon Literature, the term Comitatus was used to describe a mutually beneficial relationship that compelled Kings to rule in consultation with their warriors called thanes. The code of Comitatus was an integral part of a Vikings culture and honor. The three main parts of Comitatus are kinship, oral tradition, and gift-giving. Beowulf lived and died by the unwritten code of Comitatus in order to maintain his status as hero. Beowulf’s social interactions and the fight with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, the dragon demonstrate the hero’s lust for maintaining a good reputation through the code of Comitatus.

The scene in Beowulf when main character Beowulf proclaims the reasonings he felt to go protect the Geats suggests among the Spear-Danes classification as a warrior related with proving loyalty in the form of self-sacrifice. Additionally, I will argue in what follows that other scenes in the poem, such as, Wiglaf giving the speech on what amounts of cowardice behavior proves respect came from an urgency for loyalty proven through self-sacrificing methods. However, I will argue on top of loyalty being expressed as important it was not matter of want for Beowulf to sacrifice himself but his understood purpose. Influentially, a tension is formed between how reputation and loyalty is defined throughout the poem. The passage I will analyze is when Beowulf is speaking in the mead hall about urgency to be loyal towards the Geats right before Grendel attacks the hall. Here in Beowulf dictates that in order to be a good warrior he knew it was necessary to go to sea to defend the Geats which would entail him having to go extremes to prove his loyalty. Beowulf’s urgency suggests the believable notion that loyalty is necessary to survive in this society even when it means a warrior would sacrifice his own life for others. This in makes it difficult to withstand the belief that reputation was as important as loyalty.

In society, dwelling upon material goods usually connotes shallowness, and the pursuit of riches is often prefigured as an inclination towards greediness. However, in Beowulf, the collective reverence for wealth plays a defining role in the acts of heroism and manifestation of power. In fact, the poem oftentimes professes the idea of wealth and glory, most cherished, as an embodiment of strength and obedience among cultural values.