There are many characteristics that make up the Germanic code in the Anglo-Saxon culture spread throughout Beowulf.. The author shows that Beowulf is the archetypal Germanic hero through his fate, trust, and reputation.
Fate, or wyrd in the Anglo-Saxon culture, is defined as “the principal, power, or agency by which events are predetermined; fate; destiny” (Yewdaev). Fate is an unforeseen force that guides a person’s life regardless of the individual’s actions, and in Beowulf this applies despite conflicting Christian and Pagan points of view. To the modern reader, the poem seems to shift between the “wise God” (Bloom 83), a Christian ideal, and “the man’s courage” (Bloom 83), a Pagan belief, as the deciders of fate. The narrator is explaining that it is a mixture of both. Bloom stated, “an arrow by any other name would kill you. Your choice, then, was whether you took that arrow in the back or head-on.” (84). This is stating that fate is inflexible, definite, and already planned, but the person can determine how it happens by their own free will.
Fate plays a major role throughout the plot of Beowulf. There are three major events: the battle with Grendel, the battle with Grendel’s mother, and the battle
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These actions of loyalty lead to many of the kingdoms and families to give their trust to Beowulf. His purpose for helping the Danes kill Grendel was to repay a debt that his father owed to Hrothgar. Beowulf also exemplifies trust by believing that by helping the Danes, he would settle the score and remove the unjust done between the two tribes. He went out of his way to not only make peace with another tribe, but to settle turmoil that could have potentially brought harm to his father and his father’s tribe. Beowulf does not appear to even question his father and simply acts with blind faith to his
One of the first examples of respect and trust in the poem is when Beowulf arrives with the intention of fighting Grendel. Beowulf's intention is to honor the allegiance between his father, Ecgtheow, and Hrothgar. When Ecgtheow was alive, he killed Heatholaf who was a Wulfing and it started a war. Hrothgar decided to send treasure to the Wulfings which repair the conflict and ended the
“If the battle takes me, send back this breast-webbing that Weland fashioned and Hrethel gave me, to Lord Hygelac. Fate goes ever as fate must.” Of course we see kings all the time in most novels. Beowulf, the character was supposed to advanced and become one of the strongest men alive. But at the end he fails, we learn that he dies and at last he wasn't really that big. But a doom in a story it's more heart pounding. Especially when a son gets taken away from his father. The call to action. In "Beowulf" the call to action is when the character Beowulf is called in by King Hrothgar. He is brought in to be talked to. Hrothgar's kingdom in the Danes (Denmark) is pounced by the villain/monster of Grendel. Now it is Beowulf's responsibility. The weight on Beowulf's shoulders is to go find Grendel, Grendel's mother and the forever lasting fire breathing dragon. We can relate to the quote above because us readers assume that he will defeat all three and be the best of the best. But Beowulf himself doesn't believe his own lies. He boasts' about him declaring he has the required skills to defeat all three enemies. At
Beowulf is steeped in a pagan tradition that depicts nature as hostile and forces of death as uncontrollable. Blind fate picks random victims; man is never reconciled with the world. Beowulf ends a failure. There is some truth in this conclusion, but for the most part, someone who didn’t have a well-lived life has most likely portrayed it.
In the two epics, Antigone and Beowulf, fate plays a major part in determining the events that happen to the two main roles of these stories, Antigone and Beowulf respectfully. They both go along with their actions, knowing that it is fate that has determined they must act in this manner, and that fate itself will determine whether they will succeed or fail. In both cases, even when they feel death will find them if they proceed on their current actions, they continue to move forward towards what they believe is their fated end. Overall these stories follow the fate of both Beowulf and Antigone, and their journey to the end.
In all three works, fate plays a powerful role, as it did in many prescientific cultures. Fate is a necessary element in these people's lives so that they can have some means of justifying aspects of their existence. However, the fatal agents in the works differ; in looking at this, one must keep in mind that the three works were written in vastly different time periods, for different audiences, and for different purposes. Beowulf was intended to convert people to Christianity. It cannot be a true story, since it takes place in the sixth century (Raffel, 150), four centuries before Christianity came to Scandinavia. (Creed, 141) Most scholars agree that it was written by a Christian, in order to show how the belief in God can overcome evil. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in 1606 for a Christian audience, perhaps in an attempt to impress the new king, James I. Since King James was an expert on witchcraft, Shakespeare gave the Witches a significant role in ...
In the story Beowulf’s men show loyalty to him as well, from the time of them being brought down to help him. When he brought fourteen of his bravest and strongest men he had to choose them because he knew of their worth and of their loyalty. Later on in the story Beowulf vows to protect the town with all that he has inside of him, he didn’t have to do it but instead he choose to do so. Even though he was much younger than everyone else. Beowulf knew that since he promised Hrothgar that he would of it by him giving up Beowulf would be betraying all the loyalty that he had to King Hrothgar. Beowulf also shows loyalty because he could of sent any of his leaders to go and defeat Grendel but instead of doing that Beowulf took the chance of bringing himself and then bringing the men along with him as a sense of backup just in case he needed them. Beowulf knew it was his duty to do so, this is a huge representation of loyalty to his dear friend King
According to Henry Bosley Woolf, “News of the evil wrought among the Danes by Grendel is carried across the seas” (86). When Beowulf, who is in his home in the land of Geatland, hears about the tragic attack that Grendel has caused the Danes, he announces his plan to sail to Heorot and help King Hrothgar with Grendel (Beowulf 45). Beowulf, by helping King Hrothgar, is showing great signs of honor because Beowulf feels as if it was the right thing to do since he had been successful in his past deeds. In return, Beowulf expects no reward for his action but rather just being able to put another notch in his
Throughout life a man makes many descions which determine the way his life will be lived and the way it will end. All choices a man makes in his life have consequences and each man must account for them. In life, every man must reap what he has sown. The values a man holds to be important in his life govern the choices he makes. The epic Beowulf is a good example of this truth. In the story, Beowulf is a god-like human who possesses a strength and warrior spirit unmatched by anyone. The choices he has made resulted in this power and it is also those same choices that play a part in his end.
The battle between fate and free will produces a lopsided victory by fate in Beowulf. A continuous reference is directed to fate by context as well as in elements of theme, plot, and character. The most prominent relation to fate is seen with Beowulf. From his early adventures as a warrior to his later rule as king, fate strongly influences Beowulf's beliefs and courage. He attributes the successful outcomes of his many fights and struggles to the reasons of fate. The lives and outcomes of Beowulf and his enemies are obvious examples of the Beowulf poet showing that God has the power to control everything, resulting in predetermined fate. "Fate goes ever as fate must."(Line 455)*
Actor Bruce Lee once said, “The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.” This is the idea behind the Anglo-Saxon concept of Löf. Löf can be described as glory or fame after death. This fame makes a person “immortal” because their name lives on forever in the stories and minds of the people. In the epic poem Beowulf, the main character, Beowulf, desires Löf and performs many heroic tasks in its acquisition. He defeats a monster named Grendel, along with Grendel’s mother, and a treasure-guarding dragon. Beowulf’s courage, strength, and pride reveals the theme that immortality can be achieved through Löf.
Beowulf is driven by forces that are beyond his control. Just as his lineage contributes to his preeminence, so to do the values of generosity and loyalty common to most Anglo Saxon warriors impact the course of Beowulf’s life. The lineage of a character in Beowulf greatly affects the character’s life expectations, especially for princes, warriors and monsters. The concept of fate (wyrd) manifests itself in Beowulf as the will of God, which Beowulf often credits his success in battle. Beowulf, along with other characters, believes that God will determine the winner in every battle. Because of this belief, Beowulf puts his trust in God and accepts that “fate goes ever as fate must” (455). Fate is a concept that is accepted by many characters
More often than not in Anglo-Saxon literature does the prevalence of a unified belief if fate arise and play a part in the various aspects of the lives of many individuals. In Beowulf, this proves to be especially evident. The main character, Beowulf, makes no secret in demonstrating his overwhelming belief in fate and the predetermination of individuals' lives while he is simultaneously forging his own fate through showing multiple heroic traits and proving himself to all people around him. Bernard Cornwell's The Last Kingdom attempts to provide a glimpse into the life of an Anglo-Saxon warrior called Uhtred. Uhtred possesses largely different traits from Beowulf, as Uhtred attempts to form his life around his fate rather than let fate take its own course throughout his life; though, the end result will ultimately be the same for both of the protagonists. In both these works, the topic is fate playing a large part in the lives of Anglo-Saxon individuals, whether they choose to acknowledge it or not. The authors of Beowulf and The Last Kingdom both portray how individuals of Anglo-Saxon culture were not only aware of their fates being predetermined, but they also would
One way this can be seen is through the values Beowulf's society seems to hold—as many things considered important by the figures within Beowulf are also considered important by certain sects of ancient paganism. For example, the concept of fate, as opposed to God's will, is a notable feature of Norse paganism (Corrigan). This aspect can be seen in the story through the words of Beowulf himself. When Beowulf agrees to help Hrothgar rid his nation of Grendel, Beowulf claims"Fate will unwind as it must" (Allen 48), and toward the end of the work describes fate as the one who will decide if he wins or loses his battle against a murderous dragon (Allen 63).Beowulf believes the future is controlled by a force outside his power. If Beowulf were Christian instead, he would attribute his future to the works of God, with acceptance that it is God who decides how each and every circumstance will result.
Beowulf is an epic poem written during the Medieval times about an Anglo-Saxon warrior named Beowulf. The poem has an unknown author due to its age, but was translated into modern English by Seamus Heaney. In the poem, Beowulf goes on many adventures and multiple themes are exhibited throughout the story, including kinship and bravery in battle. The Last Kingdom is a modern novel written by Bernard Cornwell and is based around vikings who annex most of England for themselves in the Medieval times. Many themes appear throughout this novel, including the emergence of Christianity or the importance of land ownership. In both these work, fate is constantly present. The blind belief of fatalism in Anglo-Saxon culture tends to lean towards those in leadership roles rather than to commoners due to always needing a source of guidance beside themselves as displayed by both Uthred and
Beowulf is an interesting story in that it has a meaning that is firmly rooted in fantasy creatures based in mythical origins while providing insight into religious ideals and practices of the time. It also speaks of tradition and the struggle of man against things perceived as evil. In this tradition especially, Beowulf is an incredible allegory regarding the struggle of good and evil in the Christian tradition.