Germanic languages

Beowulf, a Pagan or Christian Poem Prose, riddles, poetry, and proverbs can all be found in Old English Literature, as well as a mixture of Christian and pagan traditions and influences. One such an example would be, Beowulf, the epic long poem whose title character displays heroism and generosity. In this paper, I will explain how Christian values have been woven throughout the poem and mixed with Germanic hero values. Secondly, I will explain the long standing debate of whether or not Beowulf can be considered a Christian or pagan epic. I will compare the elegiac themes in the Wanderer and Beowulf and how they were heavily influenced by the Anglo-Saxons. In conclusion, I will discuss how Beowulf is still relevant today. Beowulf is the longest epic poem in Old English, which was the language spoken in Anglo-Saxon…

The medieval time period encompassed a vast amount of fascinating literary works. It was a period of new beginnings that was reflected by a great deal of change. Some of the most notable changes that impacted the society at that time include the evolution of language, culture, and religion. Each of those three aspects were strongly influenced by a gradient of factors. These changes were necessary in order to adapt to societies needs in that time period. In the early period of the Middle Ages,…

Norse mythology is known to be an important tradition held by several groups of people who would share many poems and stories regarding the culture of the Nordic people. The word ‘Norse’ was used to refer to people of the Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, and Swedish territory and comes from the term ‘North Sea’. Norse Mythology derived from legends from others that would speak different German languages. They also share some mythology traditions that pre-Christian Germanic groups had.…

France an important food producer. France's official name is the French Republic. France has a semi-Presidential Republic. It has both a President and a Prime Minister. The semi-presidential system (refered to as semi-presidentialism) is a system of government in which a popularly elected fixed term president and along with a prime minister and that is responsible to the government of a state. The current president and prime minister is Francois Hollande and Manuel Valls. The French parliament…

In the Middle Ages, Christianity dominated the lives of the nobility and the peasants. The church became prosperous and very influential. King Alfred made a substantial contribution to Old English language and culture by overseeing the transcription of the only oral form of the epic poem Beowulf. In The Canterbury Tales, the author is Geoffrey Chaucer; he is considered the father of English literature. During the writing of Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales, there was religious instability. The…

time, so has our English language and the way we use it has as well. Just as old English transferred into middle English and thus ended in modern English, so has the way we display the English language. The English language has changed over time and will continue to improve throughout 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…

Although Christianity dominated the Anglo Saxon lifestyle, paganism was a present reality still being practiced. Paganism is a religion based on animism, or the belief that spirits resided in everything ("What Is Paganism?”). Pagans often worshipped multiple Gods, sacrificed animals and other commodities, and loved feasting and participating in festivals. An individuals destiny, fate, and glory were all important to Anglo Saxon’s in that they believed that immortality could be earned through…

position and how their interlacing creates success for the Anglo Saxons. The role of a king is made clear through the comparison between Hrothgar and Beowulf. Hrothgar, the Danish king, is the antithesis of what a king is meant to be. He is referred to as the “homeland’s guardian” (616) out of irony since he wasn’t able to protect his own people from Grendel the monster. In a culture that glorifies fighting, Hrothgar is weak and does not fight back. This shows the asynchrony between what he…

The Joy of Grendel “Is it joy feel?”(Gardner 173). These were the some of the last words uttered by Grendel before his demise. Why does Grendel feel this joy? Grendel had suffered inwardly all his life. Why is at this time, when Grendel is defeated Beowulf, does he feel joy? Perhaps, Grendel is feeling joy because this was the end of his struggle the two beliefs he encounters in the novel. At Grendel’s death, he has a revelation that he should have had while he was still living. In the…

After the collapse of the Roman Empire in 410 A.D., the Anglo-Saxon Era began in England. Germanic tribes migrated to England and developed a tribal society that revolved mostly around war and agriculture. Tribal society often held traditions of storytelling and gathering in mead-halls to celebrate victories over a neighboring tribe. The first great story about a world-renowned hero is Beowulf. The main character, Beowulf, was a great warrior about whom people passed down spectacular stories of…