Germanic paganism

Language is the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. The common trope “language in culture” has various contextual meanings and helps highlight several actions that language does: language creates culture, language gives identity, language brings people together, and language keeps people apart. The frequent use of the trope “language in culture” and the actions of languages do a significant job identifying…

History is no stranger to unexpected outcomes, especially when it comes to wars and battles. One notable example is the battle of Agincourt. The battle was a part of the Hundred Years War, which took place in the year 1415. The two combatants were the French and English. Their force compositions were vastly different. According to Enguerrand de Monstrelet, a French chronicler, the French forces out numbered the English by 6 times (de Monstrelet 340). Despite the overwhelming odds, the…

Beowulf and Grendel: A Study in Cultural Paradigms As Religion and social attitudes towards what defines a hero and a villain, changes throughout history.The criteria for what they can and cannot do also changes. As well as what they are and how they are portrayed by their peers, and whether the audience should or shouldn't have sympathy for them. Modern day heroes and villains have more character and the background to them, that shows how complex their life really is. Normally, heroes in the…

“Beowulf ” is an epic poem that has been translated by Burton Raffel. It marks the beginning of English literature. This epic is filled with many amounts of action pack scenes. “Beowulf ” is set around the Anglo-Saxon period, also known as the Dark Ages. It tells the tale of a magnificent hero, Beowulf, who travels to another’s kingdom to conquer evil forces. As Beowulf gets older, he somewhat loses his luster and is defeated in his last standing battle. His death may have been tragic, but he…

Identity Through Loyalty Beowulf exemplifies how loyalty was a defining characteristic of one’s identity inside Anglo-Saxon society. When Beowulf first lands in areas controlled by the Danes, he is identified based on loyalty to his king. When questioned by the guard at the shores about who he and his men are, Beowulf replies, “We belong by birth to the Geat people / and owe allegiance to Lord Hygelac” (Beowulf 260-261). Aside from what clan he comes from, the other important part in his…

The German Fusiliers were a type of German soldiers rented to the British to help fight in the Revolutionary War in America. During the American Revolutionary War, German princes hired out some of their regular army troops to Great Britain to use to fight against the American troops. About 30,000 of these men served in North America. A large amount of them were called Hessians, because the largest group came from Hesse-Kassel. They didn’t come as individuals, but as entire groups of soldiers…

In both modern and ancient times, gold is a versatile, tangible symbol of wealth and power, and a standard on which monetary and symbolic value is placed. In Anglo-Saxon England, many connotations of gold are represented in the poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney. John Gardner's novel Grendel presents gold in a modern literary context. Although both literary works focus on relatively the same characters and context, gold plays a different role in each. The meaning of gold in Beowulf…

Beowulf, written in c.700-750AD, is one example of an epic poem written with uncanny roots to the Anglo-Saxon faith. During the approximate era the story takes place, most soldiers were illiterate, and would enlist the help of bards, or poets, to tell their stories and uphold their legacies. Though most poems written by bards, upon translation, ended up with strong Christian influences, the most fundamental aspects of Anglo-Saxon life are still evident in the work. Some of the most unequivocal…

Fuller English September 14, 2016 Title Strength, courage, honor and bravery are some of the few words that are used to describe a hero. An Anglo Saxon hero is the cornerstone to the definition of a hero. The term Anglo Saxon originates from the Germanic tribes that conquered England. These tribes were warriors. They conquered land and other tribes to become the most powerful. The heroes that the Anglo Saxons created reflected their own lifestyle. The heroes live in tribes, heroes must be…

This sentence highlights the controversy surrounding the issue of whether or not the Kingdom of France was subject to the authority of the Holy Roman Empire. This debate also includes the issue of whether French king was a subject of the Holy Roman Empire and, therefore, a subordinate to the Holy Roman Emperor. Because both the French and Germans claim to be descended from Charlemagne, some French argued that the transfer of power from the Frankish Kingdom to the Holy Roman Empire, which many…