Research Paper On Beowulf

What are the story's origins?
How has the story come down to us across the last 1000+ years? Who wrote it?
The story of the Beowulf has been passed orally through many generations until a single written manuscript was maintained in the Anglo-Saxon England at a location which is unknown. The manuscript dates back to about 1000 year, although the poem is believed to be written between the period of the seventh and tenth century of the first millennium (Collection items-Beowulf). The written copy hardly escaped the fire in the eighteenth century and therefore it underwent a lot of transcriptions and editions until it attained the position of a classic (Heaney). The origins of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf are the images of German-Scandinavian
mythology and folklore. There are visible echoes of ancient pagan Scandinavian legends. The ancient Anglo-Saxon author of the poem is unknown, but he was familiar with the historical and ecclesiastical literature of the time. Therefore, it is not clear whether the author himself introduced the spirit of the Christian religion into the poem, or it was due to the processing of the text by the monks when copying the manuscript.
Beowulf can be described as an epic story.
Beowulf is a hero who helps his people get rid of the evil and darkness that fester among them. He is portrayed as a courageous, strong person at the beginning but as time wears by, his strength and his motivations change. He matures into a wise hero toward the end of the poem and proves himself to be more than just a hero to his people. The story is based on people acting against their cores as results of inhumane actions of their counters. Taking the story to be a true-life account, I feel that an eye for an eye rule lead to development of the story and characters of Beowulf. It is a primary epic poem that came about as the result of the oral tradition of storytelling during the eighth century AD. It was written down only later, which meant it went through a lot of transformations as it descended from one generation to the other. The characters and the story evolved through each re-telling and ended up being what it is today (Collection
items-Beowulf).
What can we learn from it about culture from which it came?
Beowulf is an old tale that depicts the heroism and moral code of pre-Anglo Saxon culture.
Although the story has been set in Scandinavia, yet the origin of the poem is from England. Its context is historical representing the values and traditions of the old times. These customs have been evolved through centuries, yet retained to some extent. The Scandinavian people present warrior culture, where the kings expect valor and loyalty from the warriors and are then offered rewards. There were places in Beowulf where people would gather in the presence of their masters to drink and feast. However, the story tells that there was a constant fear of invasion that plagued the Scandinavian people (SparkNotes on Beowulf). Beowulf is, therefore, a fine combination of Christian-pagan elements that together express the heroic code of honor. There are details of pagan religious traditions and funeral rituals and at the same time, there is the use of Christian phrases. The main ethical grounds of the poem are undoubtedly secular that display fidelity, generosity, and bravery while the hero gains a long-lasting fame of great expeditions carried out throughout the history (Bjork and
Niles).
What themes are present within the story?
The poem raises themes of the struggle between good and evil, most obviously exemplified by the physical conflict between Beowulf and Grendel, paganism and Christianity, which unfold in the world of kings and warriors, feasts, battles and fights. The poem is interpreted modern writers as an allegorical struggle between life and death. The development of the plot and the heroes of the poem develop under the influence of Christianity. This is a classic fairy tale about the triumph of good over evil, which is the main product of the early Middle Ages. Another important theme is that of youth and age. In the first part, we see Beowulf as the young, daring prince, in contrast with Hrothgar, the wise but aging king. In the second part, Beowulf, the aging but still heroic warrior, is contrasted with his young follower, Wiglaf.
In some ways, “Beowulf” represents a link between two traditions, the old pagan traditions and the new traditions of the Christian religion. The poet, probably himself a Christian, makes it clear that idol worshipping is a definite threat to Christianity, although he chooses to make no comment on Beowulf’s pagan burial rites. The character of Beowulf himself is not particularly concerned with Christian virtues like meekness and poverty and, although he clearly wants to help people, in a Christian sort of way, his motivation for doing so is complicated (“Other Ancient Civilizations - Beowulf”).
One of the other central themes of Beowulf, embodied by its title character, is loyalty. At every step of his career, loyalty is Beowulf's guiding virtue. Beowulf comes to the assistance of the Danes for complicated reasons. Certainly, he is interested in increasing his reputation and gaining honor and payment for his own king back in Geatland. However, we soon learn that a major motivation is a family debt that Beowulf owes to Hrothgar. The young Geat is devoted to the old king because Hrothgar came to the assistance of Beowulf's father, Ecgtheow, years before.