Wealth In Beowulf

“Beowulf drank to those presents, not ashamed to be praised, richly rewarded in front of them all. No ring-giver has given four such gifts, passed such treasures through his hands, with the grace and warmth that Hrothgar showed.” This quote highlights one of the many themes in the book, Beowulf, that theme being wealth. Beowulf makes such an interesting topic to discuss because it covers the normalities in Anglo-Saxon culture, the ethics of gift-giving and how these customs have carried over into today’s world.

The Anglo-Saxons were pagan and this version of Beowulf has strong christian undertones inserted into certain parts of the story, but strangely enough the warrior code is a defining part of this book. Just some of the rules of this

Looking at what the Anglo-Saxons did from a more modern point of view would really change the perspective. Everybody has to get paid in order to live a decent life at least. The quote, “And in that hall he’d divide the spoils of their victories, to old and young what they’d earned.” Still holds true today. However, I imagine that they did not live on the same system that people live on today, it is very probable that they had a trade and barter system. All of that being said, modern people are still driven by money, the majority of the population does not work primarily out of passion. People work because they have the same greed and fear that the warriors had.

The tale of Beowulf is a tale of human nature, people still want the same things that they wanted thousands of years ago. Even if people switch out words now to make themselves sound less selfish, it is still there. Beowulf makes such an interesting topic to discuss because it covers the normalities in Anglo-Saxon culture, the ethics of gift-giving and how these customs have carried over into today’s world. It is relatable if one looks at it from a more personal point of