Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

The Germanic Heroic code displayed in Beowulf tends to value, courage, loyalty, vengeance, hospitality, a natural king, etiquette women, fate and people with good reputation (SparkNotes Editors). These codes traditionally are valued in warrior like societies as a means of comprehending their relationship in the world” (SparkNotes Editors). Living by this code is a constant theme in the epic of Beowulf, author unknown. Beowulf’s structure of three separate parts, each featuring Beowulf and his…

The Anglo Saxon epic poem, “Beowulf,” was written from between the 8th and 11th centuries. In the end, the dragon’s hoard is reclaimed by Beowulf shortly before he dies. The treasure is often seen as a symbol of multiple ideas. It may represent eternal glory, Beowulf’s final reward for saving the Geats. The glory may be from the victory over the dragon or even the treasure itself. The treasure may represent Beowulf himself, as he is equal to its value. He is also killed around the same time the…

Throughout the early British Literary stories, such as Sir Gawain, Beowulf, Lanval, and the Wife of Bath, there are signs of great heroes who have incredible, almost inhuman attributes. They easily ascend beyond what we consider the human limits, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and morally. Although we put these people on high pedestals as the pinnacle of human evolution for their time and the perfect example as who others should aspire to be, these heroes are still humans who…

The epic poem Beowulf was translated by Seamus Heaney and was written by an unknown poet during the Anglo-Saxen time period. Beowulf is a story about a warrior living in what is on Denmark. The poem tells of some of the many quests that this young warrior has attempted throughout his life. After attempting these quests some consider him a hero, while others do not. Whether he is a hero or not he fought many brave battles. In these battles Beowulf has encountered many terrifying monsters and…

I am reading the book The Burning Land, the 5th book in The Saxon Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell. The book takes place in late 8th century England, around the time when Christianity started becoming popular in England. The main character throughout all the books, Uhtred, has to take different sides in many wars in his journey to reclaim his homeland, the great fortress of Bebbanburg, which was usurped by his evil uncle early in his life. In this book, he has to decide whether he joins the…

Within the classic format of book reviews typically this paper would begin with an explanation of who the author was, why and where the story was written, and which audience the story was intended for. Beowulf lacks all of this. There is no historic documentation of who the writer was. We can guess where it was written based on the language it envelops and the style of poem, but as to when, scholars and historians can only guess… even that has a lengthy span of between 650-1025 (xii). We can…

Anglo-Saxon vs. Modern Era: A Contrast of Religion Now and Then 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 (Gunnarsson…

Beowulf is the epic Anglo Saxon tale of Beowulf himself, the son of ecgtheow, a great warrior and friend of Hrothgar the king of Danes. In this story example of an Anglo Saxon culture and literature to be a hero was to be a warrior. One had to be strong, intelligent, and courageous. Willing to face any odds, and fight to the death for glory and their people. While being kind and staying humble. “Beowulf” is the story of a dual ordeal; an external battle with vicious opponents and an internal…

Beowulf, an epic poem, had a many elements of Anglo-Saxon culture. Some of those elements included, but not limited to, loyalty, kinship, fame, etc. One of the main themes in Beowulf, embodied by the character, is loyalty. Beowulf helps the Danes and tries to increase his reputation. He wants to be loyal to his own king in Geatland. In the times of the Anglo-Saxons, the quality of your king was the quality of your loyalty. Beowulf's loyalty and honor saved Hrothgar's country and his people.…

One of the most important values that Beowulf’s character embodies is courage. From the start of the poem the author lets us know that courage is a much-valued quality in the Anglo-Saxon warrior culture. “So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness. We have heard of those princes' heroic campaigns (Greenblatt, p.41).” The author is using this to let us know that the Spear-Danes will be remembered because of their courage. This is important…