Beowulf Response

BEOWULF:

Beowulf is the original hero, one of the most epic of all time. Do you disagree? Let me list the ways Beowulf is the ultimate hero: He was known throughout the land for his great achievements and feats of unbeatable strength, he could venture into lands and defeat monsters where every day people would fail miserably, he could convince you of his strength by his very presence, and he wielded only the most epic and worthy swords in battle. Yep. He was a modern day Troy. In the story, words like "the Great" and "famous" were completely overused to imply superb power and infamy.

"Wulfgar, famous warrior..."
"Hrothgar, guard of the Danes..."
"Never have I seen braver warriors..."
"The brave one [Beowulf], answered him..."
"He crossed the meadow, then came inside, the prince of warriors, the man of daring deeds, honored with glory, a hero in battle, to greet Hrothgar."

Those are a little overwhelming to read, but I suppose, going hand-in-hand with the many translations of the story, a poem needs plenty of evidence to support characters.

I can easily say that I enjoyed reading Beowulf, but I can just as easily say that it was, at certain points, more of a history lesson than a hero story. I suppose, though, that these history bouts were a vital aspect of the story, considering that in order to be a true hero (in Beowulf, anyway) you had to have a long family history of great heroes.

The main reason I enjoyed Beowulf was because of how it is so easy to relate to other stories I've seen and heard. The entire time I read, I was constantly thinking of modern day stories that are similar to Beowulf.

What makes Beowulf easy to connect to other culture and time periods is the religion, monster use, and warrior type depicted in the story. Every culture has some type of religion, some type of warrior figure, and some type of "Grendel".

+--Culture References--+

1) Warrior Tradition

In Beowulf, one of the most prominently used Anglo-Saxon traditions is the warrior tradition. I could provide a plethora of evidence for this, including all the evidence from my response above. Warriors were important to the Anglo-Saxons. Perhaps this was because their territory was constantly being invaded by ruthless adversaries and they hoped for a strong, fearless warrior to come miraculously rescue them. Or perhaps they concluded that the only way they could properly and effectively defend themselves would be to become powerful, renowed fighters. I would lean more towards my first idea, however, because it's clear to see that the Anglo-Saxons were fairly defenseless.

"But a warrior of Hygelac's
heard of Grendel's (the invaders) doings;
he was the strongest of men
alive in that day,
mighty and noble.
That man called for a ship,
said he would cross the ocean
and help the king (Anglo-Saxons) who needed help."

"I learned of Grendel in my native land.
Seafarers say this place,
the best of halls,
stands idle and useless
after sundown. Hrothgar,
the wise men among my people
advised that I seek you
because they know my strength--
they saw me come from battles
stained in the blood of my enemies,
when I destroyed a family of giants,
when I endured pain all night,
killing water monsters,
grinding them to bits,
to avenge for the Geats
those who asked for misery.
And now I shall, alone,
fight Grendel."

(It's no wonder the Anglo-Saxons wished for a warrior like Beowulf!)

2) Woden (Odin)
a) Magic

Odin, the Anglo-Saxon's god of death, poetry, and magic, also ties into the above section. Odin's three main powers were the roots of Anglo-Saxon culture. Although not directly mentioned in the story (probably due to the translations by new cultures) his powers are still very prominently seen. I will start by elaborating on magic. The Anglo-Saxons probably used magic as a device for 'explaining the unexplainable.' They also may have used it as a story-telling device: to make a story seem unbeatably fantastic. I mean, who doesn't like a story with magic and heroes? If this is true, then it ties into the Anglo-Saxon's tradition of poetry and story-telling. Maybe they felt so threatened by the constant invasions they decided to stick their heads in the clouds and tell stories about mighty heroes and magic powers. Or maybe they just liked being entertained. Those are my theories, anyway.

"[the Geat warriors were] striking from all sides,

seeking to take Grendel's soul,

[but] no battle sword could harm him--

he had enchantment against

the edges of weapons."

"That was a hoard

of great power,

that gold

ancient men

had encircled with a spell

so that no man

could touch it,

unless God himself

[allowed it]..."

b) Poetry

There's enough poetry in this story to support Anglo-Saxon culture references. Like I said above, I believe story-telling was important to the Anglo-Saxons. Every time the mood of the story changed, a poet would be introduced to sing about what was currently happening. I suppose to the Anglo-Saxons this was just an elaborate way of expressing their current standings. Is there famine? Sing of it. Is there a prosperous new crop being grown? Sing of it. Is there constant enemy invasion in which we hope for relief of by a mighty warrior? Sing of it!

"Hrothgar's poet touched

the harp and recited

many songs for entertainment

in the hall."

"The words of the poet,
the sounds of the harp,
the joy of people echoed."

"Poets sang sad songs

throughout the world,

how Grendel tormented Hrothgar;

how no warrior,

no matter how brave,

could kill Grendel."

c) Death

There's plenty of death in this story. Rather than tell you all about who died, I'll show you how. The Anglo-Saxon's god, Odin, was also the god of death. So of course any death in this story is going to be elaborate and unrealistic. I'm guessing that the reason Beowulf death scenes are so blown over the top is the same reason they told of magic: to make the story seem more interesting. They're not just saying: "And then Grendel died, it was epic." They're talking about "hot gore" and "blood" and " bone." When a character in the story dies, they are either "taken to Hell" or "seeking glory".

"...the mead hall was stained
in gore, the hall wet with
the blood of battle."

"...and bit into his bone locks,
drinking the streams of blood,
then swallowing huge morsels
of flesh. Quickly he ate that man,
even to his hands and feet."

"There bloody water boiled,
a horrible swirl of waves
mingled with hot gore.
That doomed one had died,
deprived of joy,
in his fen refuge, his heathen
soul taken into Hell."

"...the greatest of death fires
roared on the barrow.
Heads melted,
wounds, hostile bites
to the body, opened
and burst; blood
sprang out. Fire,
the greediest of spirits,
swallowed everything,
of both peoples, there together.
Their power had passed away."

"Those were the aged king's
last words, thoughts from
the heart, before he tasted
the funeral-fire,
that hot, hostile flame.
His heart departed, his soul,
to seek glory."

+--Beowulf = Superman?--+

Beowulf is easily the equivalent of a modern day Superman. I think I've already given some evidence to support this idea, but I can elaborate on it a bit more. There are a few key characteristics that tie Beowulf together with everyday heroes:

1) Superhuman strength. (Beowulf can wield the mightiest of weapons; Likewise, Superman has the strength of a 1000 men.)

2) He's a cockroach. Very, very hard to kill. (Nearly every superhero I can think of is nearly impossible to kill, but they usually have one distinct weakness.)

3) He has the weakness of ego: Huberous. (Pretty much every hero in existance goes through a phase where, after winning many battles and building up strength, they believe they can accomplish anything. They usually then jump into an impossibly hard mission. This mission usually either kills them or they barely win. Examples: The Matrix, Spiderman, Batman, Superman, The Spirit, Watchmen, etc.)

+--Beowulf's Defeat--+

Beowulf's defeat was actually slightly humorous to me. It wasn't the fact that he was defeated that was funny, but the events around it. For instance, near the beginning of the battle with the dragon, Beowulf orders his men to stay behind, insisting that he can slay the beast himself (despite that he's, like, 80). He even says that he would try to defeat the dragon without a sword and shield if it weren't for the fact that the dragon breathed fire.

"I would not use a sword

against this monster

if I might otherwise fight,

as I did with Grendel.

But how else fight fire?

A breath of poison?"

"You men wait on the hill,

protect the war-gear

and see which will,

after the death rush,

come away unwounded.

This is not your duty,

nor in the power of man.

No one but myself

can fight this monster.

Your lord shall either

win the treasure

or lose his life."

During the middle of the battle, Beowulf's sword fails him. I thought it was pretty interesting and hilarious how the narrator played this off:

"Naegling, the great sword of Beowulf,

ancient and shining,

broke, failed in battle.

Fate had not granted that

the iron sword would help.

(I've heard that Beowulf's

swing was too strong

for any sword,

overstrained any blade,

anytime he carried

a blood-hardened sword

into battle.)"

And then, at the end of the story, the men whom Beowulf told to wait were called cowards:

"Soon the cowards,

the ten warriors,

returned from the woods,

those who did not dare

fight with spears

when their lord

needed help."

+--Bibical References--+

 

I'd like to elaborate on the conversions from Anglo-Saxon religion to Christian in Beowulf. I found it interesting that it could be changed so easily from, perhaps, 'Woden' to 'God'. The Anglo-Saxons believed in Woden's powers during war. Therefore, in the story, there are numerous instances when God is used during or near a battle scene:

"...but I shall seize my enemy

in my hand grip and fight, 

enemy against enemy,

and let God decide

who shall be taken by death."

"Now a warrior, 

through God's might,

has performed a deed we,

in our wisdom, 

could not contrive."

"...but Beowulf kept in mind 

his strength, the precious gift 

God had granted, 

and God gave him 

help and support."

"...and Holy God, who

brought about war victory..."

"God the Ruler of Glory 

has given him

a great deal of honors."

I'm willing to bet that the Anglo-Saxons worshipped Woden when they triumphed in battle, if they battled and won.
Any wicked creatures in the story were called "devils" or "sinful" or "the race of Cain". I'm not sure if this was translated from some Anglo-Saxon words or just added in to support Christian belief of sin and the devil. Either way, I find it interesting.

Grendel especially, who is a wicked creature whether in Anglo-Saxon or Christian eyes, was translated into being "sinful" and an abonination against God:

"Race of Cain" 

"Race of monsters exiled by God" 

Evil = "monsters, elves, zombies, giants, and the family of Cain" 

"Blinded by sin, he felt no remorse" 

"He moved into the hall--stayed there 

every night (though God would never allow 

such an evil thing to actually touch the throne" 

"...Grendel stalking under the weight of God's anger" 

"Grendel, Hell's friend, God's enemy..."

Other Christian beliefs were most likely added to the story, rather than formed from an original idea:

"The poet told how the world came to be, 

how God made the earth

and the water surrounding,

how He set the sun and the moon

as lights for people

and adorned the earth

with limbs and leaves for everyone."

"It is wonderful to say

how mighty God through

His wisdom and large heart

distributes land and rank

to the race of men."

"...the wise king feared

he'd enraged God,

broken a commandment."

"(It is well known that God always rules the race of men.)"

"They even went to heathen temples,

worshipped idols, and called

to the Devil for help.

The Danes forgot God.

(Woe be to those who go to the fire's embrace,

even in great distress--There is no consolation there.)"