Beowulf Analysis

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word epic? Something epic could be associated with an event or action of something heroic or impressive. This is similar to what an epic poem is. Beowulf is an epic poem, a long narrative poem that is usually about the deeds of a heroic figure. Occasionally stories that are passed down orally through different generations are transformed into epic poems. The people who heard the story of Beowulf experienced it not be text, but by hearing it from scops. Scops were poets who entertained people by memorizing and telling stories like Beowulf. These poets memorized 3,200 lines of the poem. Beowulf is on of the first works of English literature. It might have been recorded in writing in Old English around 700 A.D. by an Anglo-Saxon poet. Since Beowulf originated from Anglo-Saxons, are the traditions that affect the events of the poem Beowulf accurately represent those of the Anglo-Saxons? The basic purpose of an epic poem was to share stories of the culture’s history, pass down the values of the culture, and also to entertain the listeners. The Anglo-Saxons had a pagan culture that honored warriors more than anything. In the events of the poem Beowulf, the traditions of the Anglo-Saxons are properly illustrated.
Anglo Saxons were people who settled in Great Britain after the Roman soldiers left in 410 A.D. They were made up of different people from Germany, Denmark and Holland. The Anglo-Saxons controlled most of