Comitatus, a code of mutual loyalty that causes a group’s leader to rule in consultation with his followers, is the beating heart of the epic of Beowulf. This commitment to one’s comrades before any and all others is something that has been sought by many through the ages of this world and will presumably continue to be sought as long as humanity endures. Although the idea of comitatus itself is more Germanic in origin, it pervades all cultures before and since to some extent. People have always and will always gravitate to those with whom they share interests or ambitions, all the while searching for a sense of camaraderie. It is, quite simply, human nature. Humans need to feel as though they are not alone in a strange world, as though there
Traditional epic literature tells stories of legendary heroes and their journeys both physical and psychological. Homer’s ‘Iliad’ and the Anglo-Saxon ‘Beowulf’ both contain heroes who follow the hero’s journey. The Iliad is set in Bronze Age Greece and is commonly attributed to the blind poet Homer. In this period, Gods and Goddesses graced the earth serving as inspiration for the mortal man to model himself on and achieve excellence on Earth. Victory in war was the pinnacle of glory and consequently, the aspiration of many heroes. Young Achilles is the Iliad’s central hero, recounting the final weeks of his quest for distinction amidst the chaotic Trojan War. In comparison, ‘Beowulf’, takes place in Medieval Scandinavia and was written by
Perhaps the best way to understand the human condition is to understand history; and the best way to understand history is by understanding origin myths. Although myths are allegorical, their metaphors hold the secrets that reveal truth – and origin myths are no different. Origin myths provide insight into humanity and a common past, shared by us all (Bergman 1994). Before the invention of written language, people used myths to pass on knowledge, values, and beliefs orally, and most, if not all, cultures throughout history have created origin myths to explain the world around them. Here, we will compare and contrast the creation myths of the Navajo, Chinese, Hebrew, Egyptian, and Polynesian people to illustrate that these cultures all hold
This essay examines the effects that women and heroes have on the lives of those that are a part of the society in which Gilgamesh is the ruler. A comprehensive analysis is made to discuss the various ways women and heroes demonstrate their power. The capability that women have to change a man, regardless of the flaws that the she may be incline to demonstrate, clearly resembles the amount of power that they have. More specifically, in the poem, The Epic of Gilgamesh, the powerful King of Uruk’s outlook on life and his pursuit of immortality depicts the women as a representation of a significant part of the life in the ancient society where men, need the power of women, despite their negative qualities and characteristics, for more than sexual pleasure; women are seen and needed as more than mere sexual objects, but as a benefit for the life improvement of all the men, gods, and heroes.
The Mongols were very brutal because as shown in Document 1, Jebe said that “I’ll trick them and make them come out in the open. I’ll pretend to retreat and when they come out I’ll attack them.” One of the prominent techniques of the Mongols was to secretly attack their adversaries. The Mongols’ enemies were defeated in an ambush by them. Another technique used by the Mongols was their military technology and their determination. An eyewitness reveals that, “their [Mongols] arms are bows, iron maces, and in some instances, spears…defensive armor made from buffalo…can live for a month on the milk of their mares…they [Mongols] are most obedient to their chiefs.” The Mongols were very determined towards conquering territory as clearly shown by their tools, armor, and their commitment. The Mongols had a barbaric way of living and consumed almost little to no food while conquering other territories. They did not care about their lives at all because they exposed themselves to dangerous things. Despite their brutal behavior, the Mongols respected the higher-ranking officials. They dedicated themselves to their work immensely as they would spend almost two days on their horses only. The Mongols organized themselves “into companies of ten, appointing one of the ten to be the commander…from among each ten commanders one has been given the title of ‘commander of the hundred’…each thousand men and so aso with each ten thousand, over whom they have appointed a commander whom they call ‘commander of the
In Conclusion, the mongols were extremely barbaric, ruthless, cruel people who took the lives and
Genghis Khan and his descendants were cruel, bloodthirsty, and ruthless people, but that does not mean that they were uncivilized. The Mongols did kill and conquer millions of people and promoted senseless destruction ,but while they did that they were at war. At war there is no rules and there is no such thing as uncivilized. At war people do what they need to do to be victorious. At war, people get killed and towns get destroyed. War is supposed be bloody and brutal. I do not believe that Genghis Khan or his descendant were uncivilized , they just did what they had to do to be successful. As for as the Mongols ruling , I believe that they were good rulers. The Mongols had a brilliant military. The Mongols military was built on speed and archery.They also had a an advantage on people they battled because of their adaptability and horses. The Mongol rulers also traded with numerous areas. They valued trade because they could tax it and earn money. The Mongol rulers also had good communication throughout the kingdom by sending messages by horseback. The Mongols were also tolerant to different religions. The Mongols were harsh while conquering but after they gained control they were
In the period 1200 to 1400 Eurasia was the home to the Mongols. During this time the Mongols conquered and ruled many parts of Eurasia. Mongols were pastoralists who lived on the Asian steppes. They lived in mobile tents called yurts and depended on their horses for everything from food to clothing. They were experts at horseback riding, as it was taught from a young age. They traded with settled societies for products they could not obtain from their horses. Even though the Mongols were just pastoralists, they were feared by many since they were skilled at fighting while riding their horses and had great military tactics, which led them to prey on weak cities. The Mongols were able to rule Eurasia because they were skilled at archery while on horseback and in every other aspect of warfare. This impacted all of Eurasia by increasing commerce/communication and
Many civilizations feared the Mongols. They were described as vicious amongst many civilizations. When they attacked the planned carefully and often smart. They would trick their enemies into coming to unknown territories where they were the only ones who knew how to maneuver through such as forests. Often more times than others, when they came upon territory that denied them the acquisitions they would want to acquire or the land that they wanted to have, they would start a battle and kill off the people of the land. One event in which he used his feared military power is when his favorite nephew is killed with an arrow. He asked the mother what she deemed to happen and she requested that they all be killed and put in pyramids by men, women, and children. Although the army of Genghis Khan killed at an unprecedented rate and use death almost as a matter of policy and certainly as a calculated means of creating terror, they deviated from standard practices of the time in an important and surprising way
The Mongols, a native asian tribe, eight hundred years ago conquered much of the known world. Said tribe originated from the grasslands of central asia and went on to become one of the most successful and most conversed about castes in history. The story of the mongols, however, is one that is quite difficult to tell. The Mongols were an illiterate clan, making it close to impossible to receive a message in full context, much like the telephone game nowadays were a message is spread through many individuals until reaching the final destination. For hundreds of years the Mongols have been a center of debate for many history related discussions, though the common conclusion is yes, the mongols were a barbaric tribe, that’s not really the case, and it’s backed by facts.
They have many accounts of the Mongols showing respect to different cultures and beliefs. They came in and rebuilt the countries they invaded by bringing new technology that would benefit the conquered land. According to some the Mongols were the best invaders to run their countries. Once the war was over the Mongols were good and fair to the foreigners. If the were so barbaric they would have pulled all the resource out and let the country and the people perish. I believe fear and order played a role in the Mongols actions to conquer their
The leader of the mongols was a cruel leader by the name of Genghis Khan. People lived in fear of the mongols, this was because one of Khan’s strategies was to use fear and cruelty as a weapon, there wasn 't a single person who wasn 't scared of invasion from his powerful army. The Mongolians of the Asian Steppe had a negative impact on the world during their rule of the Asian continent from 1206 to 1368 by influencing violence, population drop, and that they had too many people to control in a large area.
Through Battuta’s travels he learned and was shown many rituals of introduction and witnessed many ceremonies. One ceremony that was carried out, was one of Genghis Khan’s descendants he “watched the daily ceremony of this great Mongol King… noting their “handsome robes””. (Gordon, 107). When the Sultan held feast days Battuta went in depth when he described the poets and their costumes. He also described how they give their poems as “They stand up in ridiculous makeup and recite their poems”
In the thirteenth century, overlook left a single short sentence ‘Let us reward our female offspring when tearing away the censored pages from The Secret History of the Mongols. Jack Weatherford carefully explored the hint of what had been removed through his next analysis The Secret History of the Mongol Queens. His previous book Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World was deep insight into the man who conquered the half of the world and commanded an empire that China had dreamed of and Russia had not accomplished before. However, one would not normally think of the woman in that period as the most important reason for his empire expansion. Their lives and even the number of royal princesses were unclear in the history as if their