Heorot In Beowulf

Literary Analysis of Beowulf’s Heorot Beowulf, although it has an unknown author, is one of the most important pieces of literature in history in that it is the oldest surviving poem ever discovered. Apart of the poetry is Heorot, serving as the hall for feasting and a palace for the King Hrotghar. However, it is not only a component of the setting and scenery, Heorot serves as a richly symbolic element. Representing of society. In the literal sense of the poem, Heorot is a structure for the Danes, providing a place of warmth, and somewhere to eat, drink, and be merry. Celebrations are completed in the hall, commemorating the creation of earth and the defeat of the terrorizing monster Grendel, that once occupied a section of Heorot. Acting as a sort of safe haven from the outside world’s dangers and monsters, the Danes were able to live in the tenderness of companionship. “Heorot is filled with family and friends,” (). “The most famous of buildings under heaven.”

As part of a cultural metaphor, Heorot, the "greatest house / in the world" (145-146), is a symbol of human civilization on earth, with the monsters' attacks representing the occasional intrusion of the surrounding wilderness. More specifically, however, the mead-hall symbolizes the

This "state of grace" is brought about through the work of Beowulf, who delivers the Danes from evil. To be sure, hero-worship is a fundamental part of the Germanic heroic tradition, but the infusion of religion and moralistic language edges this element of the story toward the messiah-worship of Christianity. This explicitly religious form of hero-worship begins with King Hrothgar's reception of Beowulf "Now Holy God has, in His goodness, guided him here...to defend us from Grendel,"