and moon to light their beams for those who dwell on land, adorned the distant corners of the world with leaves and branches, and made life also, all manner of creatures that live and move.” Beowulf also gives an explanation for monsters that the Anglo Saxons would recognize from their previous Scandinavian and Norse mythology, “From thence arose all misbegotten things, trolls and elves and the living dead, and also the giants who strove against God for a long while”. This part of the story…
traveled from places to places to perform on stage. We also do know the exact location where the poem was written. It was written in England along with the Anglo Saxon Civilization. The language of this time was known as English which is way different from our modern day English. By the time, this piece of literature was written, the people of the Anglo Saxons converted the poem into Christianity. Religion is also identified in this poem with its history and…
From Beowulf who fights against Grendel to achieve fame and glory; to Sir Gawain fighting the Green Knight for his king and honor. Both men are considered a hero for the Anglo Saxons. “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something better than oneself.” Joseph Campbell. Even today with firefighters putting their lives at risk to save someone from burning buildings, or police officers defending innocent people against others that put them at risk are considered heros. These…
The Anglo-Saxons believed that to be a hero, was to be a courageous warrior. The warrior had to be willing to face any odds, and die in battle, for honor and glory. The warrior must be strong, brave, and witty but also honest and humble. In the Epic Poem, “Beowulf”, Beowulf embodied the Anglo-Saxon as the perfect noble warrior. Beowulf demonstrated his bravery and strength in many instances. Throughout the story, he fought many monsters including, Grendel, Grendel's Mother, and a dragon. After…
The Dragon played a prominent role in the stories of Beowulf and Grendel. In Beowulf, he acted as Beowulf’s last challenge. In Grendel, he was a sort of mentor that attempted to help Grendel understand reality and the problems of the humans. Both stories portray the character in similar and unique ways that adapt to the story. One of the main similarities between the stories is the emphasis on the dragon’s greed. Both books hit home the love for gold that the dragon has. Beowulf introduces it…
the years with more and more exposure to other languages and methods to speak it. With an abundance of factors to how the English language has changed, there are two main causes to how we ended up with today's modern English instead of your typical Anglo-Saxon…
The Anglo-Saxon vs. The Modern Era: Contrasting Religions of Then and Now The cultural values of the Anglo-Saxons from the early Middle Ages reflect a somewhat different mindset than those we possess today. We tend to see more mockery towards religion and beliefs now, as opposed to how they portrayed such perspectives in the Middle Ages. The Danes and Geats in the epic Beowulf considered God as an Almighty Lord worthy of man’s respect and worship. However, in the movie Beowulf and Grendel…
Beowulf is an Old English epic story believed to be written somewhere between the 8th and 11th century in England, making it one of the oldest existing long poems. Beowulf, the main character, is a man of extraordinary stature that saves the Hrothgar and his people, the Danes, from the vicious monster known as Grendel. After Beowulf defeats Grendel, he clashes with Grendel’s mother and the evil dragon. Beowulf shows characteristics of an epic hero through traits of being brave, strong, and…
Beowulf: A Reflection of Cultural Context. A society's culture and values are dependant on their standard of living. Anglo-Saxons in harsh winter weather constantly warred amongst the neighboring tribes for food, valuables, and territory. In a world where survival hinges on combat, rulers would extol the concept of glory in death. These people were not allowed the luxury of having compassion, not to say they were completely void of it, but it was not necessary. Conversely, we today live in a…
A look into Cultural differences based on Beowulf Many cultural differences between the epic poem Beowulf (Gunnarson) and the movie Beowulf and Grendel (Heaney) were demonstrated, including character behavior. In the epic poem, characters that portray this difference from epic to movie are Beowulf and Grendel. Beowulf in the epic poem is mostly known as a God among men, he kills all the evil in his sight, has no flaws, and doesn’t care about much, other than being honorable. Being that this was…