Old English poems

One of the main reasons we study literature from different cultures and different themes is that we can learn about those people, in this case, the Anglo-Saxons. From reading Beowulf, we can learn about the values, religion, and culture of the Anglo-Saxons. Three values that these people found important are loyalty, bravery, and honor. In the Anglo-Saxon time, the people found loyalty as the most important role in their lives. The people prove loyalty for their king and their families as well

The poem, “Beowulf,” is one of the earliest poems that is still in existence today. It was written by a Christian monk, based on an Anglo-Saxon story. Although there are many contrasting pagan elements in the story, there are many Christian aspects as well. Christianity is presented in Beowulf through the character of Beowulf, the suggestion of God as the reason for success, and the references to stories of the Bible. Beowulf in particular is supposed to be a character that makes the reader want

Beowulf is a tale as old as time about heroes defeating monsters. It is enough to satisfy any childhood fantasy. Beowulf is one of the few examples of medieval oral poetry left, and also an example of the fusion of two cultures: Christian and Germanic. There are various monsters in the story that are recognisably Germanic, layered over with Christian influences. Countering those monsters are the hero and a king, again examples of Germanic and Christian tradition. Beowulf is a unique result of cultural

the significant role they play in warriors’ lives. The weapons show how technologically advanced Nordic culture is, and the complexity of crafting them is hinted at in the riddles from The Exeter Book. The way in which weapons are depicted in epics, poems, and charms conveys a key part of of Nordic society: warfare. Being victorious in war and fights plays an important role in Nordic society. When the Anglo-Saxons as well as other tribes migrated from Europe to Britain, the “war bands” they formed

Women in the time of Beowulf seem to have limited roles in the community because they are not mentioned or referenced frequently. The author of Beowulf disguises the important roles of women by shadowing them behind the masculine aspects of this tale including: brute force, loyalty to the crown, and bloodthirst. Women in Beowulf play key roles because they prove themselves to be great hostesses, great politicians, and even great dangers. Wealtheow’s role as hostess shows a huge amount of power because

Beowulf is an epic poem, written in the time period of the Anglo- Saxon. The Anglo-Saxon’s had similar beliefs to that of the people in the epic, so the poem gives us some idea of what the Anglo-Saxon culture was like. The people in this time period expresses their culture through an epic poem by having an epic hero encounter lots of monsters and successfully exceeds all the obstacles during their adventures. To be considered as an epic, a piece of literature has to exhibits a few specific literary

Beowulf is an epic poem staring a classic hero named Beowulf himself. Beowulf is definitely and example of a hero and can be compared in real life to marines, red cross volunteers, and cancer survivors. Beowulf shows all the qualities of an epic hero. Some of those examples are strength, good moral character, and a tragic flaw. Beowulf shows unhuman like strength throughout the poem, one place it is especially called out and noticed is in the following quote. “lifted the sword that was so massive

Beowulf is the classic hero archetype, his personality and heroics lauded and replicated in literature to this day. However, the same cannot be said about the Northern Anglo-Saxon society that fashioned him. A thorough dissertation of Beowulf exposes a society principally centred on opulence, strife, vengeance, brutality, superstitions, and chauvinism although underlying positive aspects subsist. Often disguised as “honor, glory, might and wealth” battle glory, affluence and retribution were rudimentary

People everyday struggle with problems comparable to the ones in Beowulf. That is one of the reasons why this poem is still so popular even one thousand years after its release. It has been translated into many different languages and by many different people throughout the years because of this reason. It also shows that people back then dealt with the same problems people still deal with today. Whether it is lust, greed, fame, fortune, arrogance, or even sticking to your own customs and tradition

Alfred became to care all about the future, and he wanted future leaders to have all the laws already set up. He never gave up and worked night and day into his old age to preserve the Anglo-Saxon literature by translating parts into Old English. A few of Alfred’s translations are Gregory the Great's ’Pastoral Care’, Boethius's ’Consolation of Philosophy’, St. Augustine's ’Soliloquies’, and the first fifty psalms of the Psalter. Alfred also had his