Germanic Christianity

A hero is adequately defined as a larger than life hero who embodies the values of a particular society. Commonly, these heroes have superior strength, have strong love for their people and are fearless of death. The epic poem, Beowulf describes a hero who upholds the ethics of their society through heroic journeys to fight off the faces of evil. The Anglo-Saxons admired these epic poems and is known to be the most favored within their time. Beowulf prevails over insurmountable odds, shows…

Many may think of Rome as a folder. A very nice folder at first, something to put hard work into. However, that folder will break down. This is probably because it was carried around so many times. Possibly even dropped a couple of times. It also may have broken down because there was too much inside. This folder could easily be compared to Rome because after Julius Caesar ruled, Roman terror began. Just like that folder, many things started to nag at the stability of it. What are the primary…

Many of the challenges observed in Beowulf that the society of Herot faced are comparable to the struggles of Anglo-Saxon society. The epic, Beowulf, would be considered an archetypal symbol to Anglo-Saxons because the Anglo-Saxons had to fight groups in order to defend the society they had built up which is similar to what Beowulf encountered in the epic. One challenge that Beowulf faced was trust in his men. When Beowulf was going into his final battle Wiglaf was the only one brave enough to…

Author Brodi Ashton in her book Everneath explains the following about heroes: “Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with.” Paths chose by heroes are often fearsome, challenging, and test their strength as they navigate through perilous, unfathomable conditions; for both Beowulf and King Arthur – famous, legendary heroes – they face the same, yet different challenges on quests they encounter. Within Myths and Legends of the British Isles and the King Arthur…

Throughout the epic of Beowulf, it is clear to the reader that reputation is extremely important: it is especially important to Beowulf himself. When Beowulf first introduces himself to the Scyldings, he states his accomplishments to impress other around him. Doing this gains not only him honor but honor for his king as well. Then, when his reputation is attempted to be tarnished by Unferth, it is seemed as the worst insult possible that Beowulf can get. Beowulf is obviously concerned about how…

The last great bluff mentioned in part one of this article—that of tricking a superior force into surrendering—has been used many times. In 1812, the British force aligned with Shawnee warrior Tecumseh took Fort Detroit using about the same tactic. In fact, military history is full of tales of bluff and trickery. Here’s a few more tasty tidbits of military lore. Taking a Bridge by Charm Alone What can a insouciant saunter and larding on the charm get you? Here’s how two of Napoleon’s finest…

The idea of a hero during Anglo-Saxon times was simple. A hero had to do one thing to be a hero; he would have to fight the evil monster and win. After this, he would be a hero. Today, this is not the case. There are many different forms of evil that a person can fight to be considered a hero. This “evil” today includes many more things than in the previous Anglo-Saxon times. In the epic Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, he depicts Beowulf as a hero based on a different set of ideals that a hero can…

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…

Beowulf the Hero Beowulf was a hero in many ways. He was brave, kind, and willing to help others. The people of Denmark thought he was a hero in all of these ways, and more. They admired him so much, not only because he killed Grendel, but because he had all of these characteristics about him. Kindness was one thing that made Beowulf a hero. He was kind to go to a land and fight of this monster for strangers that he didn't even know. He was kind to Hrothgar, even when the sword that he said…

Beersheba, a largely protected town 43 km from the Turkish fort of Gaza, was the scene of an incredible Australian historic charge by the 4th Light Horse Brigade on 31 October 1917. Beersheba was the right end of a defensive trench line that stretched all the way from Gaza on the Mediterranean coast. After two failed attempts to attack Gaza frontally it was decided to defeat it by attacking the Turkish defence line around Beersheba. The attack was launched at dawn on 31 October but by late…