The Anglo-Saxon Culture In Beowulf

Throughout the text of Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxons translated their beliefs when they passed this epic tale generation to generation. Loyalty existed as one of the strongest beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons. They believed that loyalty to the authority would lead normal people to greatness and rewards. Another belief expressed in Beowulf was the establishment of the epic hero. These heroes could do more than regular men could, as they defined themselves as strong, loyal, and well known people.

As the warrior’s all think he is dead after seeing blood arise to the surface after many hours, they come to find out that Beowulf was victorious in the battle. As Beowulf’s final fight in the epic he is faced with a dragon on his own land. The dragon was used to represent a serpent of Satan’s whom is a liar and thief. Beowulf fights a long battle with the help of Wiglaf, and finally defeats the dragon. He is killed by a stab to the side after many slashes already occurred.

The Anglo-Saxons were a complicated people with an even more complicated society but they are nonetheless a very interesting people’s. Beowulf swiftly implied since the beginning that “courage” is the ultimate form of “greatness”(“shmoop”). Bravery and heroism comes first in the Anglo-Saxon culture because they used it to prove how worthy they were of power and if they didn’t show it they feared that they would be punished or shunned this can be shown when I Beowulf it is stated that “ Often, for undaunted courage, fate spares the man it has not already marked.” Beowulf shows courage and bravery when he fights Grendel by ripping Grendel’s arm off with his bare hands knowing he could die while trying to do this. As stated by Axel Lazno “Everything Beowulf does is a direct link to courage. Beowulf is a perfect example of an

Because Wiglaf was Beowulf assistant, and the most loyal fighter. Additionally, other example how the whole kingdom's people would fain and devotion with they were mighty king.

Other times he boasts about his accomplishment or his challenging adventures that he has accomplished, ““They have seen my strength for themselves, Have watched me rise from the darkness of war, Dripping with my enemies blood. I drove five great giants into chains, chased all of that race from the earth. I swam in the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one; death was my errand and the fate they had earned.” (246-254). This is an attribute that really shows how Beowulf s so powerful and determined. Beowulf, being the first and the greatest hero of them all, he definitely sets high standards for a superhero demonstrating his super strength, his bravery and selflessness, and last but not least his boasting.

Titles that best fit the Medieval time period in Europe is Dark ages, Age of Faith and the Golden Ages. During this time Europe was a “Dark” place to be, but Faith and creativity came from this period. Even though corruption of the church overpowered the citizen, they still devoted themselves to God and help create magnificent architecture that can be traced to Europe. The people prided themselves with their religious beliefs. In summary, Medieval Europe was a difficult place to live ,but the citizens showed faith and devotion that help them move through that

Flaws by Contrast Comparisons and contrasts play a huge role in literary works, especially between characters. Not only do they show similarities and differences between various characters, but they also bring out specific qualities that make a character unique and help guide the readers towards a common conclusion. In the popular Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, the protagonist and hero, Beowulf, is emphasized for his extraordinary greatness. Throughout his story, he, as an advocate of good, encounters many opposing forces in the form of other characters. In a society where heroism and bravery are honored as essential aspects of culture, the contrasting values of these characters, or foils, help define Beowulf as the model hero.

Medieval Being loyal was a crucial trait of a hero in the medieval era, especially to those higher in power than them, such as their king or lord. In Beowulf, Beowulf and his crew are loyal to their King and Queen by fighting for them. The King praises the heros by saying “It is most fitting you do Queen Wealtheon. To the best of friends, who come in our greatest need”(6). The King tells the Queen that she should praise them as they have come when they needed them most.

Throughout his journey Arête and Metis has been very prominent part of his survival. He used both these traits while fighting Cyclops or while trying to avoid getting eaten by a sea monster or when killing all the suitors of Ithaca. In all scenarios he demonstrated his great use of both traits and endure the long journey to home and is still in one piece. If he hadn’t used his metis, he might have never made it out of the cyclops cave and if he hadn’t used arête then the cyclops would still be eating Odysseus. Arête and Metis both helped Odysseus to survive and endure his long journey back to Ithaca and did not caused his

380-381) Beowulf’s epicness is also shown whenever Unferth calls him out on the swimming competition he lost when he was younger. Beowulf bounces back by telling Unferth how he was the best swimmer and he had lost because he was wearing armor and brandishing a sword. Furthermore, Beowulf tells of how he slayed nine sea monsters on the five day swim and he prevailed from every one of them just fine. These tales show how Beowulf’s past actions impressed the people around him and word of him spread to many of the surrounding

Hero; a person of notable bravery and courage, respected for valiant deeds and gallant qualities. The idea behind heroism can be traced back to the beginnings of time, with heroes such as Achilles who embodied courage. The warrior people known as the Anglo-Saxons; Germanic tribes from Denmark as well as northern Germany , extremely valued the concept of heroes. Despite being converted to Christianity around 597 CE, the Anglo-Saxons treasured heroic ideals such as bravery, modesty, and valor; and were very interested in traditional heroes . Heroes were not their only value, these people also heavily cherished community, family, and retained high moral standards.