How Does Beowulf Show Loyalty

Imagine thousands of years from now, the remains of the modern American culture were discovered, and those discoveries would determine what was valued and believed in the culture. That's what happened to the Anglo-Saxons, a group of people who inhabited Great Britain during the fifth century. They were a mix of tribes from Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, and were much like the Vikings in the sense they had to raid and invade other towns in their early years. Although the Anglo-Saxons were a savage group, the archaeological and literary discoveries clarify that they valued loyalty, wealth, and warriors above all else. One of the most valued aspects of life to the Anglo-Saxons was loyalty. Beowulf depicts just how valued loyalty was in the Anglo-Saxon community, as loyalty was shown time and time again above all else. While Beowulf fights Grendel, “All of Beowulf’s Band had jumped from their beds, ancestral swords raised and ready, determined to protect their prince if they could” (From Beowulf 36). The thirteen warriors showed their loyalty, for they stood ready to fight the unmatched monster following the loss of one of their men. Both actions and words of individuals show loyalty in different ways. In this case Wiglaf's form of loyalty is his words, as he says, “Let us go to him, help our leader through the hot flame and
Anglo-Saxons join the community of ancient civilizations that have been judged for the little evidence they left behind. Although many of the Anglo-Saxon’s values known today were determined through these discoveries, the reliability of those conclusions are not fact but rather a simple idea. As artifacts and other uncovered evidence are the only things to conclude from, it is important to recognize that the modern society’s knowledge of ancient civilizations is just an