Beowulf
What does Beowulf tell us about the culture that created it? Lots of important...stuff...that's what. It shows us a culture steeped in tribal loyalties and heroic struggles against the odds. In the first quest Beowulf undertakes he must fight the beast Grendel, a huge troll-like thing that is killing and eating the warriors of Beowulf's realm. Thus, Beowulf does the brave, noble thing and goes to defeat this foe. When Beowulf defeats Grendel he does it for the good of his people. He takes it upon himself to protect those men who are loyal to him. He also shows incredible bravery against the odds and doesn't worry about corporal wounds in the face of greater immortal praise of his deeds.
Another thing that is worth noting is the fact that women play a minor role. Grendel's mother is one of the few females we see. And she's something of a hag, a witch, not your typical woman to say it frankly. This is pervasive in the works of this timeframe. There is a machismo evident that overshadows women. The poem focuses completely on the heroic deeds of man in battle.
A saying I've heard often that applies is that "no man recognises leadership without the challenge of battle." In a society of war and strife we can see a culture dominated by men. That does make sense. Men do the fighting so men do the ruling and men are praised as the saviors of their people. It may be offending to our new, "enlightened" view of the world but we do live in a very different world from this time. War is no longer our prefered way of defending ourselves. Women are much more free to do what they choose and are frankly better at some things than most men would be. That isn't the case with the culture of Beowulf. Life was hard, work was hard and in every way life was a struggle. The heartiness and strength of men were useful in farming, in fighting, in the physical labor demanded.
These times were dominated by superstition. Beowulf's weapons are named, they are nearly animate to him. He believes, as many did, that his weapons possess a mythical power. For instance, his sword is described as having "failed him before it went deep enough, helped him/ less than he needed." We can clearly see the personification of the sword here. It is like his kinsmen who, after his defeat, did not "[help] him," but instead "ran for their lives, fled/ deep in a wood." Beowulf lived by and died by his sword and this is a large part of why it is described in such human terms. It has its own moods in the work, it has its failings, too. In his final battle he also fights a mythical creature, the dragon. This serves to further higlight his struggles in the light of myth.
At the end of the poem we get a clear show of what "kinship should mean" with the one man who remains on the field in honor of his prince. Here we see one of the most important things to the Germanic and Scandanavian tribes, loyalty and fealty. The only man of the entire group who is memorialized by himself is the man who shows true kinship and loyalty. Those who fled are clearly disdained. This was what would have happened had they abandoned him like this in real life, they would be ostracized.
Herein are a few minor and no doubt poorly defended insights into the culture that created the epic Beowulf.
Another thing that is worth noting is the fact that women play a minor role. Grendel's mother is one of the few females we see. And she's something of a hag, a witch, not your typical woman to say it frankly. This is pervasive in the works of this timeframe. There is a machismo evident that overshadows women. The poem focuses completely on the heroic deeds of man in battle.
A saying I've heard often that applies is that "no man recognises leadership without the challenge of battle." In a society of war and strife we can see a culture dominated by men. That does make sense. Men do the fighting so men do the ruling and men are praised as the saviors of their people. It may be offending to our new, "enlightened" view of the world but we do live in a very different world from this time. War is no longer our prefered way of defending ourselves. Women are much more free to do what they choose and are frankly better at some things than most men would be. That isn't the case with the culture of Beowulf. Life was hard, work was hard and in every way life was a struggle. The heartiness and strength of men were useful in farming, in fighting, in the physical labor demanded.
These times were dominated by superstition. Beowulf's weapons are named, they are nearly animate to him. He believes, as many did, that his weapons possess a mythical power. For instance, his sword is described as having "failed him before it went deep enough, helped him/ less than he needed." We can clearly see the personification of the sword here. It is like his kinsmen who, after his defeat, did not "[help] him," but instead "ran for their lives, fled/ deep in a wood." Beowulf lived by and died by his sword and this is a large part of why it is described in such human terms. It has its own moods in the work, it has its failings, too. In his final battle he also fights a mythical creature, the dragon. This serves to further higlight his struggles in the light of myth.
At the end of the poem we get a clear show of what "kinship should mean" with the one man who remains on the field in honor of his prince. Here we see one of the most important things to the Germanic and Scandanavian tribes, loyalty and fealty. The only man of the entire group who is memorialized by himself is the man who shows true kinship and loyalty. Those who fled are clearly disdained. This was what would have happened had they abandoned him like this in real life, they would be ostracized.
Herein are a few minor and no doubt poorly defended insights into the culture that created the epic Beowulf.
posted by Anonymous at
12:20
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