Anglo Saxon Values

One of the main reasons we study literature from different cultures and different time periods is to learn about the people who wrote them. From “Beowulf” we can speculate on the values, religion, and culture of Anglo-Saxon people.“Beowulf” expresses many values of the Anglo-Saxon people. Three major values of Anglo-Saxon people seen through “Beowulf” are bravery, truth, and honor. These three values were very important to most Anglo-Saxon people and were key parts in their society. In Anglo-Saxon society, warriors who serve a king or feudal lord for land or treasure were called thanes. Thanes, being that they were the warriors of the land, were expected to always be brave. These warriors were the ones that the rest of the culture admired
and revered. Bravery was essential in all times of battle or warfare. Beowulf shows bravery when he faces and defeats Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the dragon. Hrothgar’s men cower in their houses while Beowulf and his men face the monster Grendel, this shows a lack of bravery. Truth was valued greatly by the Anglo-Saxon people. Even though they often boasted and bragged, like Beowulf does when he tells the story of the swimming match with Breca, their boasting had to be entrenched to the truth. Thanes were expected to uphold their valor, and so all their boasting had to be true. Any thane who lied, such as Unferth who challenged Beowulf’s skill due to the swimming match with Breca, would be disgraced. To the Anglo-Saxon society, honor was everything. The thanes expressed honor through their service to their kings, supporting their boasting, and their treatment of each other. The honor of kings in the Anglo-Saxon societies were dependant on their generosity to their warriors who fought for them. Avenging a killing was seen as honorable but eventually the Anglo-Saxon people created a system where a family was compensated for the death of their thane. “Beowulf” depicts many values of Anglo-Saxon people and represents them greatly. From reading the story, one may come to understand the values that were important to the people who wrote it. Bravery was expected from all thanes to be strong in all situations. Truth was upheld as a test of loyalty to the people around them. Honor was everything to the thanes and was expressed through everything they did.