Anglo Saxon Culture In Beowulf

Anglo-Saxon Culture Embedded in Beowulf The epic poem, Beowulf, exhibits many elements of Anglo-Saxon culture such as heroism, loyalty, and paganism. These components played a major role in the timeframe in which Beowulf was written and helped create a story that has been passed down through the generations. The Anglo-Saxon culture was an extremely pagan one. The author of Beowulf attempts to bring a Christian perspective to the epic and in particularly to the main characters’ actions. However, the roots of pagan culture run deep throughout the storyline. One example of this is the great importance placed on lineage. Norse beliefs closely tied your family line with who you were and it was very difficult to transcend ones lineage to make an image for yourself. In addition, the exploits of a warrior were passed on to the next generation. As a result, a warrior during this era took great strides to fight and win as many battles as possible. It could
Beowulf embodies his role as a hero seamlessly. At the opening of the poem you see Grendel wreaking havoc upon the Danes by killing those who choose to stay in Herot. Eventually Beowulf gets wind of the information and heads off to the monster. Upon his arrival he tells Hrothgar, king of the Geats, that he is there to rid them of this evil and will not take no for an answer. Beowulf goes on to defeat Grendel leaving Grendel’s furious mother to deal with. Even though Beowulf no longer has the need to repay Hrothgar, he chooses to fight her as well. This demonstrates the heroic code seen in this time period. “In Germanic societies, such as the one in which Beowulf takes place, there were heroic codes which defined how a noble person should act. In addition to strength, courage and honor, these codes also included loyalty, generosity, and hospitality.”(Stitt) Each of the attributes Beowulf shows along the entirety of the poem displaying the true hero he really