On June 8th 793ce foreign ships brought an unexpected surprise to the Lindisfarne monastery, the Northmen had arrived. This attack marked the beginning of the Viking Age, an era of raids that shook the western world until its end at the battle of Hastings in 1066. These Northmen arrived and promptly the “heathen miserably destroyed God's church by rapine and slaughter .” It is important to note that the Vikings had an oral tradition and no known sources exist depicting events from their perspective. “We see the attack through the eyes of the victims, who spread the word that the Vikings were bloody and violent. In fact, they were violent, but no more than anyone else at the time. Compared to Charlemagne’s armies, the Vikings were amateurs.…
They attacked for food, livestock, treasury, and land. After these invasions, anything that was left behind was burnt. These men, who were nicknamed Beserkers, were like raging mad men. At churches they had special prayers to ask God to save them from the Norsemen. For better success, they built hundreds of ships, and quickly sent them to other countries to invade.…
In the Epic of Beowulf there is a perfect example of religious conflict intermingling together in a way that creates conflict between the Danes religious views and the narrator’s Christian interpretations. In the Epic of Beowulf there are presents of Christian views that the narrator placed in the book to compare the differences between the brutal and barbaric…
The Vikings came from what is known as Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. During the time from the 8th to the 11th centuries the Vikings traveled in their longboats to the British Isles and the coast of Europe raiding the settlements.…
The epic Beowulf is seen today as a fine representation of Anglo-Saxon nobility and ignobility. The setting is Denmark, land of Danish Anglo-Saxons that lived as the Vikings of the first millennia. Many characters in Beowulf are brutal warriors that would charge into battle hoping to find glory in battle or an honorable death that would send them to Valhalla. Despite a somewhat belligerent way of life, many lived by a code of honor and had a sturdy, thick moral fiber. This tale accurately details its characters as noble and ignoble in the eyes of an Anglo-Saxon by introducing them to deadly battles, wealth, and achievement.…
The night of the battle I rose from the mist of the moors making my way to the Great hall. I ripped the great door off the hinges seeking innocent souls to fill my bloodlust. From what I could see everyone was in deep slumber so I grabbed a warrior to make him my snack , my intention was to devour all in sight. As I advanced toward the next warrior Beowulf , my only thought was how good his blood must taste and how easy it will be to devour him. But much to my surprise this was no ordinary may, he had the strength of thirty in his grip . I howled and shrieked in frightful pain as he held onto my arm not letting go. My mind was racing this man was like no other I had met my match in the worst way possible.…
From 793 to 1066 AD, the Vikings struck terror into the heart of every European. Their sudden, ferocious raids on villages, churches, and monasteries made them both hated and feared. However, the Vikings accomplished more than merely destroying towns. In fact, they were the best explorers of the age, venturing as far south as Africa and as far west as North America. Wherever they settled, they altered the cultural fabric of the conquered area. This paper attempts to analyze specific changes the Vikings initiated in the places they settled, particularly in the British Isles. Using traditional archaeological evidence and newer techniques, archaeologists have been able to find other effects the Vikings had on European society besides looting.…
The Vikings were people who lived from 800-1100 AD. Most of the lived in Scandinavia, but they also had colonies in places such as England, Ireland, Scotland, and many other places in Eastern Europe. The main language that they spoke was called Old Norse, and it has become the basis of many languages today, including Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish. The word Viking comes from the Old Norse word vikingr, which means "camp", or "dwelling place". They wrote in an alphabet known as Runes. Runes were also used to write many Germanic languages at this time.…
1. Time and again, Beowulf’s warriors worked to defend their lord’s life, laying about them as best as they could with their ancestral blades.…
about a hero, Beowulf, who comes to help the Danes fight the dreaded Grendal. Beowulf…
Malcolm X has always preached violence in cases of defending one’s self. “Sometimes you have to pick the gun up to put the Gun down,” and “If someone puts their hands on you make sure they never put their hands on anybody else again,” are two of his quotes that express his opinion towards violence (Goodreads, 1). Violence is a type of aggression that results from many different circumstances where individuals are to either fight or give in to their opponents. This concept of violence is illustrated in “Beowulf” by Burton Raffel, “The Whale Rider” by Witi Ihimaera, and “Thank you Ma'am” by Langston Hughes where all characters are faced with situations where they have to use violence in order to save themselves and others. Violence is an innate characteristic of human nature because we use it as a defense mechanism without thinking of the consequences.…
They see the mightiest fall of the beast. They see many men knocked off their pedestals. They have seen the truth first hand, that no man is invincible. Contrastingly, it is with the greatest admiration and hope that they hold Beowulf in a higher regard. The villagers and even King Hrothgar sees Beowulf as a God and give every responsibility to him, “But you have made yourself immortal By your glorious action”(21). The most supreme and noble citizen calls Beowulf “immortal” in front of every other citizen in the mead hall. The Danes have seen warriors, kings, and men alike fail and fall at some point. They know that Beowulf cannot truly be invincible. However, they never act on that truth but instead continue to treat Beowulf like a mystical and unbreakable God. If they accept the truth then they are without true hope, and it is easier for them to live in the dark than to live with no hope and only truth. In conjunction with that Godly treatment, they hand Beowulf every responsibility of keeping the people safe. They ignore the truth that Beowulf will one day fall because of the instant gratification of not having to face their monsters and problems face to face. Through this complacency and blatant disregard for the truth, the people are able to sit back and watch Beowulf and his men fight every battle for them. Ultimately, once the truth does come out and Beowulf shows vulnerability, nobody knows what to do because…
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…
Violence and persecution against minorities were integrated in the socioreligious and political influences and motivations of the Medieval era. Though some historians of the Post-World War era interpret the persecution of minorities in the medieval ages as a representation of the history of persecution in Europe. The violence against minorities during the medieval period was not a precursor to world war era violence, though an integrated part of public order demonstrated by the warrior class according to T. N. Bisson. Historian David Nirenberg has similarly argued that violence in the Middle Ages was neither the anti-thesis of proper social behavior, nor the collapse of public order but a necessary element in the restoration of order and public…
I will begin my story from the point of my arrival in Denmark when my initial engagement takes place: I began my terror long ago when I sat in the darkness yelling and growling in pain of the happiness and joyousness coming from Hrothgar and his men yet, they still challenge me, after seven years they still celebrate and boast and laugh with their music. I, Grendel, through my great strength and immunity from the weapons of humanity, vow to plague the mead hall. I stayed in the darkness consumed with impatience, bitterness, and jealousy of listening to loud, joyous music coming from the hall; songs of rejoice make my hands scratch and claw at the top of my head. The king of Denmark shall flee in terror as my wrath is cast upon the people of the mead hall. After the laughter and the celebration were finished that night I came out of hiding from the marsh hidden in the darkness. I attacked from the front of the hall, destroying all in my path and devouring all those who stand in my way. The pathetic humans tried without success to prevent my massacre. Their weapons are primitive, worthless against my flesh. I hurled myself towards the crowds, devouring the humans who stood in my way. I hold my brutal and violent acts, those of jealousy and envy; just as the acts of my descendant Cain, in the highest regard as a force of sheer and utter destruction. I will prevail, of this I am sure.…