While researching the Vikings and what made them such fierce warriors, I learned that the cause of their behavior came from their code of ethics as well as their ideals and religion. The Vikings had a code of ethics that dictated how any respectable warrior especially those who wanted to be heroes among their people. This is proven in the book Vikings: Raiders From The North which states "Self-respect, honor, and reputation were
we still use the pagan name of Friday as well as pagan names for other days of the week in the English language. Friday has come a long way from the Anglo-Saxon frigedaeg or from the Old High German Freyja, a goddess of love and fertility. In Germanic mythology Freyja was portrayed as the goddess of youth, beauty, and sexual love. She was married to Odur, but he left her to travel around the world. Afterward, Freyja was depicted weeping, and her tears were drops of gold. Freyja's most famous possession
. ... middle of paper ... ... JSTOR. The John Hopkins University. Web. 23 March 2014. Mackie, W.S. “The Demons’ Home in Beowulf ”. The Journal of English and Germanic Philology. 37.4 (Oct., 1938): 455-461. JSTOR. UIP. Web. 21 March 2014. McNamee, M.B. “Beowulf: An Allegory of Salvation”. The Journal of English and Germanic Philology. 59.2 (Apr., 1960): 190-207. JSTOR. UIP. Web. 23 March 2014. Rafeel, Burton. “Beowulf ”. Literature: The British Tradition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson,
incongruity as the topic of this paper. And so I found myself smack-dab in the middle of an argument that has evidently raged for the last one hundred years or so. I found sources that ran the gamut from the position that Beowulf was a quintessentially Germanic pagan work that had been corrupted by some revisionist monastic scribe (Mooreman 1967), to the assertion that the author intentionally created a Christian allegory along the lines of Book 1 of The Faerie Queen (McNamee 1960). I have chosen the middle
compiling a comprehensive history of paganism is a difficult task, if not an impossible one. How do we conceptualize paganism? What was the character of paganism in the age of the Carolingians? In James Palmer’s ‘Defining Paganism in the Carolingian World’, he claims that paganism as a basic idea is fairly concrete, but that paganism as a system of belief remains a largely unknown area. Palmer makes the case that any modern conception of the character of paganism is due almost entirely to its representation
part of The Germanic branch of Indo-European.The original Heathens were the pre-Christian North European peoples who lived a thousands years ago in the lands around what is now called the North Sea. These included the peoples of Anglo-Saxon England, Scandinavia, Germany and Frisia (Friesland). One who does not belong to a widely held religion.Often The word Heathen is used as an insult by Christians against people who don't worship their (GOD). They tend to confuse Atheism, Paganism and Heathenism
This juxtaposition led to the literature of the time being overtly Christian, yet having just enough undertones of paganism so that not to alienate a part of the audience. Therefore Beowulf’s poet being from this period had an obligation to “treat, present, and interpret t... ... middle of paper ... ...arch Complete. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. Moorman, Charles. "The Essential Paganism Of Beowulf." Modern Language Quarterly 28.1 (1967): 3. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Feb. 2012. Phillips, James
it is not. Instead, the poem reflects a society that has a deep pagan background and has brought with it stories from its pagan past. Beowulf is a Germanic tale that was likely first composed in the first half of the eighth century, but it was not until the late tenth century that it was committed to parchment. At the time of its writing, the Germanic tribes were clearly pagan, as seen by such evidence in the text as Beowulf’s cremation at the end of the epic and the direct reference to swearing
the time of societies progression of converting from the Paganism religion to the Christianity religion. The Christian influences in the poem were combined with the early folk tales and heroic legends of the Germanic tribes. You can see that Beowulf believes in GOD, however, the mention of pagan practices are throughout the poem. This may have a tendency to overshadow the elements of Christianity. As a matter of fact Christianity and Paganism are so closely intertwined with each other in the poem
Scripture, yet they cannot be dissociated from the creatures of northern myth, the ever-watchful foes of the gods (and men)” (Tolkien). The poet behind Beowulf was likely exploring the new elements of scripture and their reaction with the design of paganism in the old
The Anglo-Saxons were from an antiquated time from over a millennium ago. However, they still held many values dear that people today also hold in high regard. They held those who kept key values of the culture, such as storytelling, kinship, and loyalty, in the highest esteem. The tale of Beowulf exemplifies this in multiple ways. The Anglo-Saxons held the value of storytelling very highly, and for good reason. At the time there was no written word so the only way that anybody would be remembered
The Anglo-Saxon culture had many strong values that they practiced in battle, faiths, and their everyday lives. Some of these values include honor, perseverance, and loyalty (to their leader and each other). Beowulf displays and represents these values in many ways. Honor is a quality the Anglo-Saxons practiced heavily. Anyone successful in battle, or going into battle at all, was teeming with honor from those around them. Leaders were showered with respect and honor because it’s associated with
To begin, in the Anglo Saxon time period, the people thought much differently about what was good and what was bad. They had strong beliefs in things they where suppose to do before they die. One major belief is that you need to achieve some kind of glory before you pass away. This was for you and for the people around you. You needed something for the people of your town and those who know you, to remember you by forever after you are long gone. They had much respect for the older people around
The Anglo-Saxons were a group of people with high honor. They were depicted for being a bunch of bloodthirsty men. But it was a lot more than that to them, they based themselves off of honor, intelligence, and emotion. The Anglo-Saxons were a group of people who strove for honor from their people. Beowulf talks about bravery and courage stating, “Often, for undaunted courage, fate spares the man it has not already marked.” Fate will spare people, if not already marked, for having courage. Courage
Fate. It is “the development of events beyond a person's control, regarded as determined by a supernatural power,” as defined by Google. In short, fate is seen as a predetermined future. In the Greek religion, they believed that the God of the Sky, Zeus controlled the fate of humans. In the Gnostic religion, fate is viewed as something that’s destined to happen, and something that cannot be altered. Many other religions have their own interpretation of fate, which leads me to the essential question:
Motivations (The analysis of Beowulf’s motivations for his actions.) “Feeling important makes one heavy, clumsy, and vain. To be a warrior one needs to be light and fluid,” Carlos Castaneda. For the Angelo Saxon Warriors, “Fighting was a way of life, and not to avenge the death of a family member was a social disgrace, so endlessly intricate blood-feuds generated perpetual excuses for going to war.” (Mursell, Gordon, 1997)These people believed they must work together to fight, not one individual
“The only people I owe my loyalty to, are those who haven’t made me question theirs’.” Since Anglo-Saxon times, values have been held dear to every person, values such as loyalty, strength, and service. In the epic Beowulf, we can see how the values of people have changed or even stayed the same since those times. As a work of art, it serves as a demonstration of how Anglo-Saxon values were held dear to them. We can see many values that are relevant today in the main character of the epic poem Beowulf
The warrior culture was a dominate aspect of Anglo-Saxon society. Anglo Saxon’s lived an agrarian lifestyle relying of the land as a source of life. Because of their lifestyle, the Anglo Saxon’s lived in small communities. Anglo Saxon England consisted of hundreds of tribes and clans. These tribes and clans were always at war between one another. This is where the warrior culture was dominate. Each tribe needed a warrior to protect them from neighboring clans. In the epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf
Aaron Leszczynski Mr. Fisher-English Lit Period 2 8 September 2014 Vengeance Anglo-Saxon, it is the culture that the protagonist in the epic Beowulf lives in. (The protagonist in the novel is Beowulf.) Anglo-Saxon culture was very aggressive. The BBC took a look at their culture and they said, “The new conception of royal justice was aggressive. The Anglo-Saxons had a brutal corporal and capital punishments at their disposal, including ‘the ordeal’ and grisly mutilations.” (Wood 1-6). In order
The Presence of Nemesis in the Middle English Epic Beowulf “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot” (King James Version, Exodus 21:25). This is one of the most well-known quotes concerning revenge circulating today, and if it had arisen just 11 centuries earlier, it surely would have been the motto of the ancient Anglo-Saxon warriors. The Anglo-Saxons were a tight knit group of hardy fighters and because they were together nearly all of their lives, they considered each other