Compare And Contrast Beowulf And Gilgamesh

The Anglo Saxon era was a time in which honor and valor were cherished above all. If a person were a man, his their main purpose in life was to become an honored warrior. A time where civilization was not quite as “civilized” as people may think. A time where war was the greatest honor in life and many stories centered around the battlefield. Lasting from 410 to 1066 A.D., t The Anglo Saxons derived from north western Eengland. They were warriors and farmers whothat invaded Bbritain while it was still controlled by the Rromans. Anglo Ssaxons told many stories such as Beowulf and Gilgamesh by word of mouth which revolved around bravery, heroic deeds, and interactions with the gods.
Anglo Ssaxon stories generally weren 't recorded and instead …show more content…
It centers around Gilgamesh a king who is one third man and two thirds god. Powerful in mind and body Gilgamesh was not a good man as a ruler he raped whomever he pleased and used much slave labor to accomplish his projects. The gods above created a man whose name was Enkidu to keep Gilgamesh in line, but he is killed by an illness they inflict on him. Gilgamesh travels to the world 's end and learns about the god secrets recording them on a stone tablet. Throughout the story, Enkidu is represented as more of a hero than Gilgamesh;, to make his entrance, Enkidu stops Gilgamesh from assaulting a woman which earns his respect. Enkidu and Gilgamesh become good friends and plan on setting out on adventures together before the gods foil their plans. Gilgamesh is a classic example of Anglo Saxon literature using themes of heroic deeds, interaction with the gods, and warrior like traits …show more content…
They believed in an afterlife where warriors were celebrated greatly and lived together for eternity in one big party. Men were born to be warriors and taught they should be fighters from early ages. The highest honor was to die in battle or in another heroic fashion. Warriors were honored in death and usually had their bodies burned as a sign of respect, or they were buried with some of their possessions depending on the wants of the family. People were buried with their possessions because they believed they would need them in the afterlife. No written record is left about the gods and how they worshiped, but we do know they were very similar to vikings in their aspect of worship. One goddess Eostre was the goddess of spring and gave her name to