Germanic peoples

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…

century Germany also witnessed a rebirth of ‘national identity’ spurred by the promotion of a supposed and superior Germanic Aryan race which later was merged with the Germanic concept of the Viking identity. The initial Germanic Viking identity began in 1852, during the initial Viking revival of the 19th century. (Lönnroth 1997: 245) In 1848 Richard Wagners presented the operatic tale Ring des Nibelungen that captured the romantic and mystic tale of the Vikings in a Norse/ Germanic setting.…

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 End of Roman Britain: Anglo-Saxon Invasion vs. Settlement of England The transition from Romano-Britain to Anglo-Saxon in Britain offered one of the most debatable, anthropological records to this day of how this Germanic influence was executed. Not only were there burial site alterations that infer a different religion or belief of the afterlife, but also historical sources of early writings, linguistic differences, archaeological evidence, and tribal hideage that concluded the formation…

Ethelbert of Kent goes down in history as the first Anglo-Saxon king to promulgate the earliest written codes in England. ‘The Dooms of Ethelbert ’ (ca.602-603?), created years after he was converted by Augustine in 597 AD , is written in Germanic tongue and is predominantly German in underpinnings. It is speculated to be promulgated in Canterbury and is composed of ninety clauses (‘judgments’) largely based on a system of fines. The compilation is claimed to be instrumental in securing a…

Beowulf: A Guide to Proper Kingship Great authoritative figures lead their people in times of good and bad by setting moral examples. In Beowulf, Beowulf serves as an authoritative figure through his youthful heroism. The epic begins by discussing Shild, the first king of Denmark, and how Shild is the basis of what a good king should be. The plot advances to Beowulf, a noble warrior from Geatland, who saves the Danes from Grendel and his mother because Hrothgar, king of the Danes, fails to…

Germanic and Christian influences in Beowulf ? # 1  Throughout history, many different people from separate cultures end up living together. As a result, religious integration happens and many aspects of the different cultures merge or incorporate each other’s stories. For example, the integration and substitution of many greek deities in Roman myths. A similar integration happened with Germanic and Christian cultures. Beowulf is a Germanic myth written around 750 BCE that was passed down…

There are many characteristics that describe the ideal Germanic hero. These are pride, desire for glory, and battle prowess. In Beowulf, the title character possesses all of these characteristics and more, thus representing the heroic archetype. Beowulf is an outrageously proud man. He knows that he is great and is extremely delighted by his accomplishments. This is shown when he says, “I drove / Five great giants into chains, chased / All of that race from the earth…” (lines 248-250). This…

These natural disasters could again be described as a folder. These disasters would be classified by the wear and tear of the folder. Each and every single blow the Roman Empire took from these natural disasters the uglier the empire got. Rome went through 2 serious natural events, an earthquake (366 CE) and a plague which the date was not recorded. The earthquake caused a shock around the whole empire and this shock caused a massive flood. This distorted many things such as buildings and…

bubonic plague. The plague spread through fleas that were on rats on ships that carried cargo being traded. Warfare also weakened Europe as a whole causing it to change to a more rural and less populated place. People such as the Goths, Visigoths, Franks, Lombards, Angles, and Saxons also emerged as the dominant people in terms of literacy instead of the Romans. This is a big change because the Romans viewed those groups of Germanic people as barbarians. Romans also had kings and emperors while…