The Beowulf Overlap
The Beowulf epic depicts the Germanic warrior culture and in extensive lengths, the warrior code, reputation, contrasting values of a thane and king, and vengeance thematic concerns. It is not until the 1800s that different scholarly figures take a keen interest in the Epic and its characters together with its complicated ideology of Christianity and paganism. These are detailed with respected to the Anglo-Saxon culture, a blanket term for the different Germanic cultures. The controversial Epic is narrated by a Christian who doesn’t deny the pagan values upheld in the story. The Epic hence arouses high tensions between medieval Christianity and paganism but appreciates the great importance of human life and how the memory of a deceased person lives on in heroic codes. The Epic was initially written in Old English closely related to Germanic culture, the precursor of Modern English, and was rarely ever recorded orthographically.
Self-image and reputation borne from identity in the lineage is a critical theme in the Epic. Beowulf is a depiction of heroic deeds, and as such, the concept of identity is essential, and of its major components, reputation and heritage are the most critical. The world in the poem is one in which a person cannot identify themselves without referring to family lineage, and every male figure is a father’s son. There’s an emphasis on kinship bonds, and every person takes pride in their ancestors and their actions. Different characters appear to make their lives about living up to their ancestral heritage. While ancestral lineage provides a model of behavior that creates a sense of identity for a person, a good self-image is what solidifies the status.
Shield Sheafson, from the Danish royal line, is orphaned in a world where every man prides himself in lineage, and he, therefore, filled with a sense of fatherlessness. Valiant deeds are the only means to build an identity for himself. From the beginning of the Epic, a heroic reputation is Beowulf’s most valuable possession. In his introductions, to the Scyldings, for instance, he cites the various achievements that gain him honor. When he is insulted by a drunken Unferth at a banquet, his reputation seems to be his crucial concern. Beowulf has a firm belief that self-image is the key to immortality since, even after one’s death, it is the only aspect of life that lives on. In his preference for fame, Beowulf leaves gold at the cave and returns with Grendels’ head and the magic sword.
Unferth’s slur arrogantly accuses Beowulf of being unable to defeat Grendel since he had lost a swimming contest in the open sea. By defending his fame with utmost persuasion and grace, he wings the favor of King Hrothgar and the Danes. Virtues attributing to his glorious reputation as widely described in Beowulf and include courage and aggression in battle, strength, and leadership. Besides, he has good deeds, an essential quality in heroism in the mead-hall. Towards his untimely death at the end of the poem, which, as warned in Hrothgar’s sermon, would leave his people in trouble, his pride gets the best of him. Beowulf is already when he decides to face the dragon alone, despite having been warned of his great pride. In the last words of the poem, Beowulf is seen as “most eager for fame,” but it is crucial to recognize that in his world, reputation lives on in the afterlife.
The warrior code is central in the mead-hall world, and living by thane values is one of the ways of immersing a good reputation. The thane values are what a person must live by to live up to the warrior code and comprise of virtues such as duty and honor, loyalty, courage, and brevity. These values differ slightly for men and women in the Anglo-Saxon culture because of the difference in responsibilities. For women, the essential value is hospitality and ceremoniousness. For men, especially kings, political skill and generosity are important. Warrior, who must live by the warrior code, uphold virtues of courage, honor, duty, and brevity, are most highly supported.
Being a warrior king in the Anglo-Saxon culture has even more supremely reigned. Beowulf, King of the Geats, and Hrothgar, King of the Danes, are regarded with mythical status by the people because of unmatched brevity and vigor. Beowulf is exalted to almost god-like status by his people due to his ability to unite the people. The warrior code carries the belief that warrior kings have a relationship with the gods, who endow them with power and skill to become unmatched warriors. This belief is possibly the source of allusions to Beowulf’s mystical abilities in instances such as his swimming match against Breca and the riches that he later on acquires. While the line between paganism and Christianity remains unclear in the Epic, it is clear that close companionship between warriors and the gods is a source of victory in battle.
Through Beowulf’s transition from warrior to a wise leader, the values of a thane and those of a king appear to be in high contrast. The difference in his roles in these two positions creates a great conflict in the values that he must uphold. The dispute arises right from his early interactions with Hrothgar when he is a young man with barely anything to lose. While Beowulf desires a glorious reputation for himself, Hrothgar is an aged king who has people to lead and protect. Despite the difference in the values that these two characters chose to uphold, it is crucial to recognize that they act as society dictates, should they be in those roles. Throughout the poem, however, his warrior skills are adamantly explained, and it’s only on a few occasions that his kingly skills appear in the poem.
The heroic code dictates that a king has a responsibility to his warriors. Such include providing them with a safe sanctuary and reward with gifts and praise. Hrothgar emphasizes the role of a king in diplomatic relations with warriors and outsiders and his role in establishing stability for his people. In his reign as king, Beowulf demonstrates most of the same qualities except in his last moments of death, where the two roles conflict. The other Geats, although proud of Beowulf’s brevity in killing the dragon, are worried about the jeopardy that he leaves them in. As had been earlier warned by King Hrothgar, his death leaves his people vulnerable to attack by their enemies because they would not have a leader to lead them into battle.
Throughout the poem, vengeance seems to be at the heart of several characters. Some of the first characters who seem keen to take revenge against their offenders are Grendel and his mother. Grendel is bitter with the world because of the lineage he is born. While his anger is not specifically towards anyone, he deeply detests men and their success and glory and hence raids the Heorot, a symbol of the same. Grendel’s mother’s rage is more specified, and the raids Heorot because a person from there has killed her son. Despite her lack of strength and might, she is motivated by a mother’s rage to avenge her son. As she faces Beowulf, who is the man that killed her son, in the mere, she is enraged and determined to kill him at whatever cost.
Throughout the Epic, vengeance is a clear way of life for the people, as seen in several instances. While it is a significant motivator for Beowulf and his battles, King Hrothgar prefers more subtle options of conflict resolution. Upon his return to Geatland, he finds a feud between Hrothgar’s Scyldings and a southern tribe, Heathobards. His solution to the conflict is more skeptical as compared to Hrothgar’s solution, which is to marry off his daughter in to solve the conflict. The Heathobards, later on, burn the Heorots in unclear events, but vengeance is significant speculation for the cause. The final battle that Beowulf engages in is as a result of revenge. The dragon sought retribution because a fugitive slave had stolen a valuable cup from its treasure. He burns down Beowulf’s home in this effort, who, in return, seeks his revenge.