Beowulf Poem

 

Introduction

            After the fall of the great Roman Empire, many Anglo-Saxon communities were at cross roads regarding which religion or cultures and customs to follow. There was a great shift as most societies incorporated cultural ideas and ideologies from northern German and Scandinavian groups that had migrated into the region. The influence of these two groups over the then Anglo-Saxon community is depicted in the great epic poem of ‘Beowulf’. Even thought the poem is thought to have been written during the Christian Anglo-Saxon period, it depicts the religious, cultural and custom facts of that period and how these elements were shaped and later changed.

Beowulf poem

            The Beowulf poem can be interpreted into three major aspects that were important during this period. The then society believed in the importance of strong leadership in the society as well as the importance of the proper burial of their dead. Throughout the work we see which elements of their society were held most valuable to them as the tale depicts the general life style and conditions of Anglo Saxon culture which led to their success during that period (Hen, 1995).

Leadership during this period

            Leadership during the post roman period was characterized by lords who were rulers over the people as well as vassal who were particular people loyal to the king and who likely did the kings bidding. The poem depicts this fact at its beginning by stating that Beowulf had been summoned by his king to fight a dragon that had been pestering the king. This feudal relationship between the king and his vassals was important during this period. The kings’ vassals were expected to be strong worriers who would fight not only for the people but for the kings’ honor. These worriers were in return, greatly honored by the king and his loyal subjects. In the poem, after Beowulf successfully eliminates the giant Grendel and later Griendels mother, he becomes a legend who is treated with ceremonies, praise and lots of gifts (Perry, 2011)

Worriers in the society

            The poem depicts the importance of worriers in that society. Worriers played an important role in that society in that they protected the people and the crown. Due to the important role of the worriers, the society immortalized them by making them legends. The important role of the worriers was cultivated in the minds of the children of that society who understood the value of growing up as fearless worriers. Like any warrior-based society, one would expect physical dominance and violent prowess to be important aspects of life. Beowulf highlights the importance of these characteristics multiple times throughout the story. In the poem, Beowulf successfully tracked down and killed the giant and its mother with his bare hands. Bravery and risking one live were the main elements in that society and were ensconced in all society members especially the males from the time they were young till they grew up. Different sections of the poem show how as young boys, the men are educated on the importance of courage and fearlessness and how as grown men these boys now worriers boast of their prowess in battle (Perry, 2011). The way a warrior would establish his identity was through physical dominance displayed in battle. Much pride is taken by showing off physical ability and publicly discussing ones accomplishments. Beowulf purposely fights Grendel completely unarmed to showcase his might and dominance over the rest of the warriors who had failed to defeat Grendel even with weapons. This seems grossly over the top, yet the poem is emphasized on the importance of physical preeminence.

Success and loyalty

            Success in this society was measured through successful warfare and loyalty. One’s identity was determined through heritage, which was enhanced through battle successes. These brave and successful conquests were later narrated so that the younger generations were aware of the victories that had been achieved by their elders. This served as a moral booster to the children and the general clan that had faith in their worriers. The loyalty of these worriers and the society as a whole is also depicted in the poem. Beowulf’s Father is mentioned several times along with the fathers of other men in the story like Hrothgar, whom Beowulf calls, “Halfdane’s Son” while Beowulf is often referred to as “Ecgtheow’s son”. Brief back-stories are often given that describe some their heritage. King Hrothgar was an ally of Beowulf’s father as he maintains the alliance in honor of him (Hill, 1995). One would gain loyalty by sacrificing themselves for their fellow fighters by showing fearlessness. Many good things would come from displaying these attractive characteristics weather it was loyalty, or material wealth.

Importance of kinship

            Kinship was highly important to Anglo Saxon warriors, as men were associated with the accomplishments of their ancestors that acted as their primary source of pride. Successes of their predecessors were used as guidelines for newer generations to live up to. Short stories are recited throughout the poem reminiscing on kings and warriors from the past who protected their people along with other acts of courage. One’s past, along with loyalty defined their character. The importance of kinship was so strong that the poem points out that if ones kin was killed by another it was the duty of the other clan members to exact revenge on behalf of their dead kin (Liuzza, 2013).

The great heroic code of the empire

            The basic heroic code called for the king to reward warriors with material gifts and public praise, while there was also a material price placed on every warrior’s life. The value was paid to the warrior’s family as compensation for their death. This retribution was referred to as “wergild”. This tradition ensured that Beowulf was buried with vast amount of treasures including the loot he amassed after defeating the dragon. Warriors were rewarded but were also entitled to protection by the crown as a result of their loyalty. Furthermore, kings were expected to provide the warriors with a mead hall. This is sort of a lodge type of building that protects the warriors at night while they congregate, drink, sing and share stories (Liuzza, 2013). In the poem, the new mead-hall built by King Hrothgar was the main cause of Grendel’s attacks. The sounds of warriors singing and drinking through the night annoyed Grendelas he would soon visit the hall in a series of attacks. All in all, the great heroic code it served the empire good as the worriers will remain dedicated to their work and their liege.

Dominance and leadership

            The poem depicts that in that society, only the strong were able to lead the others and the kingdom. This is evident when Beowulf picked his successor as Wiglaf who remained to rule the people when he went fight the dragon that all solders in the land had failed to kill. With this gesture Beowulf ensured the continuity of the kingdom in the hands of the bravest and loyal legend Wiglaf. This illuminates the notion that the most dominant and proven male is needed to lead the people. None of the Geatish warriors were quite as powerful as Beowulf as the tale foreshadows future attacks by neighboring Scandinavian tribes. All of Beowulf’s fellow soldiers had fled in the face of the dragon except for Wiglaf (Hill, 1995). He remained by Beowulf’s side until his death and took the throne after he was deceased.

Religion

            It has not yet been clarified due to the fact that the this particular poem was written during the Christian Anglo-Saxon period, however there was an element of religion incorporated in the beliefs of the Germanics who existed in the period that the poem refers to. In the poem there are a number of times when there is reference to either pagan or Christian belief. The poem describes the Danes that Beowulf had gone to visit as pagans who prayed to ‘the killer of souls’ while other parts of the poem insist on the fact that Beowulf addressed a ‘ruler over all mankind’ it is still unclear as to whether he was referring to the ‘God’ or ‘gods’. Regardless of whom the poem refers to it is clear that there was religion in that society (Bjork & Niles, 1998).

Death and burial of legends

            According to the society going to war was the norm therefore, cowardice was not an option. Like the Greeks depicted in the Iliad poem, war was part of the normal routine of the Germanic people therefore death of worriers that come in great numbers was also a norm. It was presumed that when worriers would go to war it would be their last thus when Beowulf goes for his final battle he leaves his successor behind to rule his people. Most of the dead worriers were buried with honor and dignity. Therefore when Beowulf dies, not only is he cremated and buried, but a monument is set up for his honor. Like all brave worriers who died before him, he is buried along with the treasures which he took from his conquests (Liuzza, 2013). The monumental mound is set up at a place that is presumed to be where the legend died as Beowulf’s grave was placed near the place where he had died trying to kill the dragon. One’s death was part of their legacy and was a major factor that determined how a warrior was remembered. Therefore, great worriers such as Beowulf had mounds erected next to cultural monuments to ensure that even after their deaths they were remembered and respected by the society. Once again, this illustrates the importance of loyalty, pride, self-sacrifice, and fearlessness in Anglo-Saxon culture. The burial of individual in the society with treasure also helped illustrate their importance in that society. In the poem when King Scyld Scefing dies, he is buried along with his earthly possessions. The funerals depicted in the poem show that the greatness of an individual in the society was shown by his funeral.

Conclusion

            It is clear that the period characterized by the poem characterized great changes in the Anglo-Saxon society. Not only was this society trying to establish itself after the fall of the roman society, but it did so successfully by incorporating different customs into what they already had. This later led to the successful foundation of a great empire whose norms existed for a long time to come and which to date still characterizes the Middle Ages.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Hen, Y. (1995). Culture and religion in Merovingian Gaul A.D. 481-751. Leiden: Brill.    

Liuzza, R. M. (2013). Beowulf. Peterborough, Ont: Broadview Press.

Bjork, R. E., & Niles, J. D. (1998). A Beowulf handbook. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Hill, J. M. (1995). The cultural world in Beowulf. Toronto u.a: Univ. of Toronto Press.

Perry, M. (2011). Sources of the Western tradition: Volume 1. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth.