Preview

Beowulf Historical Values

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
889 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Beowulf Historical Values
Beowulf, an epic poem takes place around 500 AD. Many of the characters in the poem, the Swedish and Danish royal family members, correspond to actual historical figures. Originally pagan warriors, the Anglo-Saxon, and Scandinavian invaders experienced a large-scale conversion to Christianity at the end of the sixth century. Though still an old pagan story, Beowulf came to be told by Christian poets. This poem has hidden historical values of the fifth, eighth, and twelfth centuries. Beowulf is a significant part of English literature, molded over centuries, incorporating Christian beliefs, and famous for its use of gnomes in storytelling. Beowulf was created over many centuries. The setting took place in the 5th century, about the Scandinavians. The regions from this time period include, the Geat, Jutes, Swedes, Wulfings, Frisions, and the Scylding Danes. Beowulf is said to be of the Geats people, who were a North Germanic tribe inhabiting what is now Sweden. The story was being told by the Anglo-Saxons in the eighth century. Decedents of the people of the story, were the original story tellers. They talk about their family’s past and their decedents. The English are credited for writing the story in the twelfth century. During this time period, not many people knew how to read and write. Writing was labor intensive, hand written with ink and animal skin to date down their work. The Beowulf poem that is told is not the original story. When writing down old stories, …show more content…
The era of the authors added in their belief, Christianity. Their religion played as a big part in the story. The poem is filled with Anglo-Saxon historical content, providing readers insight into the values of the Scandinavians. This came to be a significant part of English literature, that was sculpted over

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Beowulf dated between the 8th and the early 11th century, takes place in Denmark and Sweden. It begins with the story of King Hroðgar, telling the story of a big and powerful monster awakening from his sleep, angry and bitter kills and consumes Hroðgar’s warriors and people. Beowulf, a young warrior from Geatland, hears of Hroðgar's troubles and with his king's permission leaves his homeland to help Hroðgar.…

    • 782 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Response To Beowulf '

    • 343 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Beowulf (1000 A.D.) is an epic poem, written by an unknown author and tells the story of Beowulf quest to defeat Grendel and save his people. The author develops his theme of the story by setting the stage for the story and portraying a conflict, which are Beowulf and his needs to defeat Grendel to save his people. The author does this to show reader show difficult of a task it will be for Beowulf to defeat Grendel, in order to save his people. The author creates an objective relationship with his readers by telling the story from third person, giving insight into the mindset of each character and allowing the reader to interpret the poem with his or her unique perspective.…

    • 343 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    study guide

    • 1295 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Why is Beowulf considered an English poem even through its events take place in Scandinavia?…

    • 1295 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf was written by an unknown Anglo Saxon poet from 700 A.D. and has been passed on ever since then. The story has been said to have taken place in 500 A.D. It is about a Kingdom called Denmark ruled by King Hrothgar whom is said to be a good ruler. The kingdom has been cursed for hundreds of years by a monster named Grendel. Every time the people of Denmark gathered in the hall of the kingdom Grendel would hear the music of god and it would hurt his ears because he was a Son of Cain. Then one day Beowulf King of Geats, comes to the Danish Shore and without fear stands up to guard and boasts about himself and explains to the guard that he is there to defeat the monster that has cursed the land. There are two different stories to the tale…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf is a historical and elegiac Anglo-Saxon poem. Religion is an irritable subject and one of the main topics. The heroic character Beowulf is a depiction of superior and God. Grendel is the delineation of the Pagan beliefs as well as the corrupt in the world. This poem is composed of internal and external complications between the Pagan’s and the Christian’s beliefs. Even though Paganism is meticulously extended throughout the text, there are several references about Christianity. Keywords and phrases such as “fate”, “hoping for hell’s support, and many more help the reader understand the different religions that are visible in this poem. The anonymous author of Beowulf thrived with the legendary poem by embracing Paganism, Christianity, and the conflicts of both religions.…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf is the stepping stone for the creation of many stories of good vs. evil, ending with the hero receiving unending praise and adoration. With that many of the people who read of the epic poem now relate to it on many levels, my belief is that the Christian elements throughout this poem make it more intriguing to the modern day peruser. The author of the poem is unknown but based on the style of wording used and the Paganistic elements it is believed to have originally been scribed by Christian monks. Beowulf is a 'story' that has been passed down for generations being used as entertainment by the Anglo-Saxons in 10th century England. The biblical jewels hidden throughout this story not only help a reader to relate to the author’s work…

    • 1025 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf Values

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Anglo-Saxon society that inhabited Britain from 449-1066 was composed of Germanic warriors who idolized honor, strength, and war. In the epic poem Beowulf, the beliefs regarding these values were displayed. “Behavior that's admired is the path to power among people everywhere”(“Prologue” 25-26). This quote demonstrates how people would strive to be the best warrior they could possibly be to attain honor and admiration from others. By showing how strong and dedicated one was through battle, he would become respected by the other warriors in the clan. The efforts made by warriors in battles were displayed during funerals. For example, when Shield Sheafson died, “Far fetched treasures were piled upon him, and precious gear.”(Prologue 37-38).…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Epic Poetry and Beowulf

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Beowulf is an epic poem set in Scandinavia during the sixth century. This epic was originally handed down through generations in spoken form by traveling minstrels. It was finally put in writing during the eleventh century. The poem reflects the culture of the time and the Anglo Saxon era. Beowulf is well known in Great Britain as a hero and great warrior. Beowulf exemplifies the traits of the Anglo-Saxon warrior code which include courage, confidence, and pride.…

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The poem shows the idea of believing in one God, which have brought a Christian perspective in the text. The characters always refer to one god as the savior of mankind. They would always have the pious custom of giving thanks to God for every battle against evil. The epic represents the belief in reward of afterlife. The idea of Christianity in the poem is that man who affords grace and guidance are worthy of God. All gifts of such strong power are believed only to be obtained from the Lord Almighty. “Afterward a boy-child was born to Shield, /a cub in the yard, a comfort sent/ by God to that nation” (Beowulf 12-14). God became the reason for the birth of Beowulf, to imply control of the superior power of Christian divinity. In this case, God is the known giver of life, to whoever follows his ways and the all earthly gifts flow from God only. Beowulf is presented as a hero who uses his powers for righteousness to please God. In the text, Beowulf was presented as a gift sent to Shield who will later become a hero to save people from monsters. He makes his minstrel sing in Heorot of the Creation of the earth and the lights of Heaven (Tolkien). Heorot hall, which is synonymous with the Garden of Eden, where men lived in perfect peace and harmony with the God of Heaven, the giver of life and all good things, is where the plot begins. The old king recognizes the visitations by Grendel as allowed by God because of prowess in his power and wealth…

    • 1611 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf's Legacy

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Many human characteristics derive from the imperative trait of self-interest. This egoistic personality can be observed through the ages. A resulting characteristic from this self-centered behavior is the ambition for a lasting legacy. Self-centered behavior creates an aspiration for a legacy because people want their own names to be well remembered. Therefore, a legacy can create an illusion of immortality and have an eternal impact on future generations. In the epic poem Beowulf, Shield Sheafson, Hrothgar, and Beowulf display a will for a legacy. The Scop reveals the desire for a lasting legacy as an archetypal human trait because a legacy decreases the fear of death by providing a form of immortality and as a result can be seen throughout human history.…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Beowulf, the Old-English epic poem, is characteristic of its Nordic-Germanic roots as a tale of a great Scandinavian hero Beowulf, who saves a neighboring kingdom from the wrath of the destructive, blood-thirsty monster, Grendel, and eventually becomes the king of his own people, the Geats. Closely related to modern day tribal and gang customs, it is questioned as to whether Beowulf should be considered a hero. He proves to be a great warrior and protector by killing three terrorizing beasts, a provider by bringing back great treasures from each of his exploits, and faithful by always looking out for his tribe and fighting in their honor. The true question…

    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf is an epic that follows the main character, Beowulf, and his quest for glory. Throughout his journey, Beowulf fights three monsters to protect the citizens of Denmark and Sweden. When this story was first told by the Anglo-Saxons, their main religion was Paganism. Paganism is a polytheistic religion which believes in animism, that spirits control every part of existence. As time went on, Paganism began to fade and Christianity started to take over. Beowulf is a prime example of dual authorship in literature since monks who wrote down the journey of Beowulf incorporated Christian ideals into the originally Pagan story due to the spread of Christianity.…

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The epic poem Beowulf is a tale of a warrior, named Beowulf, and the events that lead to his death. One of the main concerns of the epic poem was whether or not it is of pagan or Christian origin, or whether it has pagan or Christian influences. Even though the poem appeared to be originally a pagan story, there are many clues in the text that point to Christian influence and tradition. Beowulf is essentially a Christian story with Christian customs: that man's survival depends on the protection of God, that earthly gifts come from God, and also that Beowulf is a Christ-figure.…

    • 841 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The poem of Beowulf stands as one of the earliest works in English in which it deals with feuding, religion and fate. The poem Beowulf relates to his heroic deeds against Grendel, His mother, and the dragon while combining elements of christian ideas as well as pagan ideas. Around 700 A.D researchers speculated that the poem Beowulf was written by an unknown author in the West Midlands of England. They also included that the unknown author was a christian monk, who had much knowledge into the bible. Through the Anglo-Saxon Beliefs illustrated in the poem, Beowulf, characteristics of Christianity, paganism, and the clashing of the two ideas are representing through the epic hero Beowulf.…

    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Loyalty is strong being exposed in the poem. Beowulf and the character Wiglaf proved devotion and we can recognize that among all of the involved, they were the characters who represented…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays