Devians In Beowulf
To fully understand the Viking and Scandinavian elements in the poem, the culture and society of the Anglo-Saxons must first be discussed. The same time the stories for Beowulf were being created, around 800-1100AD, Scandinavia was being invaded and was under attack. As a result of this, it left a culture obsessed with being saved by a great warrior, valuing battle honor, glory, and heroism. The concepts of “wyrd” and “weirguld” were also popular at this time. Along with other characters, the actions and words of Beowulf in Beowulf are used to reflect society's beliefs and incorporate the elements of this time.
The Scandinavians strongly believed in fate, or wyrd, and that a person’s destiny was unchanging from birth. Destiny is a driving factor in most of the story and much of Beowulf’s courage came from his belief in fate. Society at this time saw death as something no one could avoid and something they would rather have to embrace. Beowulf shared this thought, which gave him the courage to battle anyone because he believed that if he died it was because “what God judged right would rule what happened to every man…” (Lines 2858-2859). The Anglo-Saxons applied destiny to the throne as well, believing that a higher power put them in that position for a reason. Beowulf again shows these same beliefs when he turns down Hygd’s proposal of becoming the King of Daneland because he would be overstepping the almighty.
Along with fate, heroism played a very important role in ancient Scandinavian society. Beowulf embodies the ideals that Anglo-Saxon culture valued most during this time. His bravery, arrogance, and superhuman strength are examples of what a perfect hero would look like to Scandinavia. Though his physical appearance is very telling, Beowulf’s actions do a better job of summing up the importance of status, battle honor, and glory to the Anglo-Saxons. These ideals go hand in hand with heroism. For example, when Beowulf first introduces himself to the Danes, he
lists his achievements in battle in order to earn their respect. In this society, gaining the reputation of a great warrior was the main concern of any soldier. The story integrates this when Beowulf brings Grendel’s head up over the monster’s jewels because being labeled as a glorious warrior was more rewarding than bringing back great treasure in this time. When the head was brought back by the warrior, it was said that “...his courage was proven, his glory was secure”(Line 1646) whereas the ancient hilt only gained Beowulf a lecture. On the other side of things, the Anglo-Saxons had certain ways of shaming those that sinned or didn’t benefit the community. In the same way that society valued strength in an honorable warrior, showing weakness or committing sinful actions were sure ways to be thrown out or looked down upon. The Anglo-Saxon tradition of outcasting the weak sets up the plot for this epic poem. Someone who has sinned would be given the cold shoulder in a different way. One of the worst sins that could be committed by anyone was to kill a member of your family, as Unferth did. This event forever brands himas a “kinkiller” that “...will suffer damnation in the depths of hell.” (Line 589) The reason for this introduces their concept of weirgild, which is a system of revenge or a repayment compensated to the affected family for the loss of value or life of a loved one. When Unferth killed his own kith, he upset the entire system because there was no way for him to pay for or right his actions. Another example of the existence of weirgild in the text is Grendel’s mother’s attack on Heorot Hall. Hrothgar interprets the situation as someone that understands this Scandinavian system, and states that she attacked because her son “...died in battle, paid with his life; and now this powerful other one arrives, this force for evil driven to avenge her kinsman’s death.” (Lines 1337-1340) Though there are so many Viking and Scandinavian elements included in Beowulf, the most obvious to the reader are the concepts of wyrd, weirgild, and the appreciation for a glorious warrior. These elements were created through the social conditions in Scandinavia around 800 AD. The actions and words of Beowulf and other characters were able to perfectly capture these ideals. If the Scandinavian culture of this time is understood by the audience, it will allow any reader to further understand why the characters act the way they do.
The Scandinavians strongly believed in fate, or wyrd, and that a person’s destiny was unchanging from birth. Destiny is a driving factor in most of the story and much of Beowulf’s courage came from his belief in fate. Society at this time saw death as something no one could avoid and something they would rather have to embrace. Beowulf shared this thought, which gave him the courage to battle anyone because he believed that if he died it was because “what God judged right would rule what happened to every man…” (Lines 2858-2859). The Anglo-Saxons applied destiny to the throne as well, believing that a higher power put them in that position for a reason. Beowulf again shows these same beliefs when he turns down Hygd’s proposal of becoming the King of Daneland because he would be overstepping the almighty.
Along with fate, heroism played a very important role in ancient Scandinavian society. Beowulf embodies the ideals that Anglo-Saxon culture valued most during this time. His bravery, arrogance, and superhuman strength are examples of what a perfect hero would look like to Scandinavia. Though his physical appearance is very telling, Beowulf’s actions do a better job of summing up the importance of status, battle honor, and glory to the Anglo-Saxons. These ideals go hand in hand with heroism. For example, when Beowulf first introduces himself to the Danes, he
lists his achievements in battle in order to earn their respect. In this society, gaining the reputation of a great warrior was the main concern of any soldier. The story integrates this when Beowulf brings Grendel’s head up over the monster’s jewels because being labeled as a glorious warrior was more rewarding than bringing back great treasure in this time. When the head was brought back by the warrior, it was said that “...his courage was proven, his glory was secure”(Line 1646) whereas the ancient hilt only gained Beowulf a lecture. On the other side of things, the Anglo-Saxons had certain ways of shaming those that sinned or didn’t benefit the community. In the same way that society valued strength in an honorable warrior, showing weakness or committing sinful actions were sure ways to be thrown out or looked down upon. The Anglo-Saxon tradition of outcasting the weak sets up the plot for this epic poem. Someone who has sinned would be given the cold shoulder in a different way. One of the worst sins that could be committed by anyone was to kill a member of your family, as Unferth did. This event forever brands himas a “kinkiller” that “...will suffer damnation in the depths of hell.” (Line 589) The reason for this introduces their concept of weirgild, which is a system of revenge or a repayment compensated to the affected family for the loss of value or life of a loved one. When Unferth killed his own kith, he upset the entire system because there was no way for him to pay for or right his actions. Another example of the existence of weirgild in the text is Grendel’s mother’s attack on Heorot Hall. Hrothgar interprets the situation as someone that understands this Scandinavian system, and states that she attacked because her son “...died in battle, paid with his life; and now this powerful other one arrives, this force for evil driven to avenge her kinsman’s death.” (Lines 1337-1340) Though there are so many Viking and Scandinavian elements included in Beowulf, the most obvious to the reader are the concepts of wyrd, weirgild, and the appreciation for a glorious warrior. These elements were created through the social conditions in Scandinavia around 800 AD. The actions and words of Beowulf and other characters were able to perfectly capture these ideals. If the Scandinavian culture of this time is understood by the audience, it will allow any reader to further understand why the characters act the way they do.