Beowulf Is Anglo-Saxon Epic Poetry
Can fictional works truly reflect the societies and cultures in which they were written? In other words, do fictional stories hold bits and pieces of the actual realities that they were written in? For example, when reading the many classic works of William Shakespeare, arguably the most famous playwright and poet in history, does the audience obtain knowledge of what society was like when Shakespeare wrote a particular play? Readers can gain extensive knowledge about a particular culture just by reading the works from that culture. By reading Shakespeare’s works, readers can learn more about the Elizabethan era’s love for drama, tragedy, and comedy. Similarly, readers can learn about ancient cultures, cultures older than that of Shakespeare’s era, by reading some of the works that have survived from these ancient times. Thousands of years before the Elizabethan or modern cultures existed, Anglo-Saxon Britain rose as a powerful society of vicious warriors that followed pagan beliefs. Set during the earlier times of the Anglo-Saxon era, Beowulf is a remarkable Anglo-Saxon epic poem that describes the powerful, courageous, and dangerous life of an exemplary hero named Beowulf. Beowulf is an incredible work that perfectly illustrates the different culture, important themes, and relevant influencing factors associated with Anglo-Saxon Britain.
To begin, it is vital to understand the type of society that existed when Beowulf was created in order to better understand how the Anglo-Saxon culture appeared in the epic itself. Formed in the 5th century, Anglo-Saxon Britain was filled with vicious warriors that loved to fight dangerous battles and gorge themselves on fine foods during celebratory feasts (Ross). For example, in Beowulf, after slaying the first two monsters that appeared in the epic, lavish feasts were held to celebrate Beowulf’s victories (58-62, 76-79). Also, during this time, loyalty was a huge characteristic that dominated much of the daily life for the Anglo-Saxon people (Ross). Warriors were expected to adhere to a strict code of honoring and fighting for their kings no matter the repercussions and sacrifices made. In Beowulf, the mighty Beowulf was given the duty of protecting Heorot, a mead hall owned by the Danish King, a close friend of Beowulf’s, at all costs, even if that meant dying (54-58, 71-76). Similar to constant loyalty, it was customary in the Anglo-Saxon culture to avenge the death of any loved one by killing the murderer (Ross). For example, a son would kill the man who murdered his father, and a warrior would kill the man who murdered his king. In Beowulf, after one of the monsters killed Aeschere, the Danish King’s advisor, Beowulf killed the same monster as to avenge Aeschere’s wrongful death (71). The concept of avenging deaths was a huge cultural and moral obligation in Anglo-Saxon British culture. All in all, Anglo-Saxon Britain was filled with violence and strict loyal bonds.
Similarly, to add to the understanding of the Anglo-Saxon culture, it is important to understand that the people of Anglo-Saxon Britain were pagans, or non-believers of world religions. Typically, pagans worshipped nature gods and claimed that their prosperity was based on the moods of these gods (Moloney). However, though the Anglo-Saxons were advanced in weaponry and battle strategy, the Anglo-Saxons, though they spoke Old English, did not develop a written language until Christianity made its appearance in this area (Beowulf 38-39).
To further elaborate on the Anglo-Saxon culture presented in Beowulf, before the written language form of Old English was developed, Anglo-Saxons passed down their cultural stories from one generation to the next by the use of oral traditions. Oral traditions are, simply, stories that survive the passage of time by someone verbally retelling them to others. However, a major problem with oral traditions is that it is very difficult to retell a story using the exact words initially used to tell it (Gill). As a result, the contents of oral traditions tend to change in accordance with how many times they are retold (Gill). Later on, in the eighth century, after Christianity began to take hold in Anglo-Saxon Britain, an anonymous Christian monk became the first person to physically write down the Anglo-Saxon oral tradition of Beowulf (Beowulf 38-39). As a result of the time it was written down and the religious affiliations of its writer, Beowulf was physically born into the world, carrying both Christian and Anglo-Saxon cultural elements.
Now, to understand the themes associated with Beowulf, it is vital to be familiar with the religious history of the Anglo-Saxon era. The act of translating the Anglo-Saxon oral tradition of Beowulf in a way that expressed Christian ideals was completely ironic as the Anglo-Saxons rejected world religions. Years before Christians flooded into the Anglo-Saxon territory, a large Jewish population entered the area (Ferguson 512). Once settled, the Jews slowly began to change certain aspects of Anglo-Saxon society to adhere to Jewish customs as the Jews began to change Anglo-Saxon funeral ceremonies and rid Anglo-Saxon churches of pagan-influenced décor (Ferguson 512). As a result of the changes the Jews made concerning society, the Anglo-Saxon people developed a hatred for the Jewish people (Ferguson 512). So, it was not surprising that when Christians, who practice customs closely related to Judaism, entered the area, the Anglo-Saxon pagans instantly recoiled away from the Christian religion.
To further explain the impact religion had on the themes included in Beowulf, in contrast with the Jews that entered Anglo-Saxon Britain, the Christians were determined to spread their religion to the pagans. However, how were Christians supposed to convert people who hated their religion to their religion? The Christians decided to take some of Anglo-Saxon Britain’s oral traditions and write them down. However, while they were being written down, the Christian monks decided to spruce the stories up by adding in Christian customs, ideas, and beliefs here and there within the stories (Moloney). It was crucial to leave behind fragments of pagan beliefs in these stories as to successfully show the pagans that they could be both wonderfully violent warriors and obedient followers of God (Moloney). As a result, there are many different themes in Beowulf that reflect the Christian religion. For example, in Beowulf, Beowulf was described as the greatest warrior that had ever lived, but his strength and victories existed because of his belief and trust in God (41-106). So, after each time he slew a troublesome beast, Beowulf claimed that he had succeeded because his belief in God allowed him to be victorious (Beowulf 41-106). To put it shortly, the Christians slightly changed pagan oral traditions as a way to show how the Christian and pagan lifestyles could coexist. These tweaked oral traditions that possessed Christian-based themes, like Beowulf, were used as conversion tools to persuade the Anglo-Saxon pagans to convert to Christianity.
To elaborate on the themes of Beowulf, it is important to understand that one of the main similarities that Christians attempted to establish between paganism and Christianity in Beowulf was the concept of loyalty. As stated previously, loyalty was a huge concept in Anglo-Saxon British culture (Ross). Similarly, in Christianity, loyalty between God and His followers is, arguably, the main idea of Christianity. To put it simply, Christians are to remain loyal to God by spreading His word, and, in return, God will bless them with good fortune. In Beowulf, loyalty was one of the main themes presented (Moloney). As an excellent warrior, Beowulf was described as being a very loyal person. For example, as talk of a terrible monster that terrorized the King of the Danes’ mead hall, Heorot, spread throughout the land, Beowulf was sent by his king to help the Danish King kill the monsters. In Beowulf, the text states, “[Beowulf came] to proffer [his] whole-hearted help and counsel” (47). Though the monsters were dangerous and his life was on the line, Beowulf never complained about having to slay the monsters. In fact, Beowulf happily ran into battle with the monsters as to help the Danish King that he was very loyal towards. In Beowulf, the epic explains, “[Beowulf] meant to perform to the uttermost what [the King of the Danes’] people wanted or perish in the attempt” (54). This proves that Beowulf supported the theme of loyalty within this poem because he was willing to die to suffice the Danish King. So, by using the theme and example of Beowulf being loyal, the Christians showed how the pagan idea of loyalty to kings is reflected in the Christian religion by the believers’ loyalty to God.
However, when reflecting upon the themes and religious influences of the Anglo-Saxon era, it is important to remember that Beowulf was not the only story used to convert the pagans to Christianity. Often taught and studied alongside Beowulf, “The Dream of the Rood” is a shorter poem written during the Anglo-Saxon era that discussed the story of the crucifixion of Christ, the main figure in Christianity (“The Dream of the Rood” 33-36). In this poem, Christ was portrayed similar to how pagan warriors were described in Beowulf. To elaborate, during his crucifixion, Christ gladly asserted himself on the cross after fighting the Romans that terrorized him while he gently calmed down the loyal and personified cross that held him up (“The Dream of the Rood” 33-36). The themes of dauntless warriors and unbreakable loyalties, which are themes in Beowulf, were fused with the Christian story of the crucifixion to help pagans become more likely to convert. Christians hoped that by shedding light on cultural and thematic similarities by using stories like Beowulf and “The Dream of the Rood,” they would be able to persuade the pagans to convert. All in all, the act of embellishing Anglo-Saxon stories with Christian details to help increase Christian conversion rates seemed to have been a successful plan as Anglo-Saxon Britain became predominately Christian shortly after the Christians arrived.
Finally, Beowulf includes authentic representations of the Anglo-Saxon culture and reflects themes associated with that culture, yet it also has a strong relevance to today’s society. As a result of those representations and reflections, Beowulf, though thousands of years old, has managed to inspire modern authors and scholars to learn about the Anglo-Saxon culture. To scholars, Beowulf could be described as some sort of diary written during the Anglo-Saxon era. Beowulf describes the Anglo-Saxon culture perfectly, which helps scholars who study British history to better understand the culture and mentality associated with this era. Beowulf is one of a handful of works that have survived from this particular era, which adds to its importance (Beowulf 36-38). Since Beowulf has provided scholars with a deeper understanding of the Anglo-Saxon culture, it can be assumed that if Beowulf had not survived, modern scholars would not know most of the aspects regarding Anglo-Saxon times that they currently do.
Lastly, the Anglo-Saxon content of Beowulf has had tremendous impacts on some of the most influential and popular authors of modern time. For example, J. R. R. Tolkien often credited Beowulf for inspiring his The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series (Hussein). Not only did the Old English language of Beowulf inspire many of the names and places he created, but Tolkien also used the content of Beowulf to aid in the creation of the fantastical and adventurous elements of his works (Hussein). In a similar fashion, J. K. Rowling, another one of the most popular writers in modern times, was heavily inspired by Beowulf when writing the Harry Potter series (Hussein). For example, Rowling adapted her version of dragons and other fantastic beasts after being inspired by some of the monsters that were conquered in Beowulf (Hussein). As a result, the cultural influence and relevance of Anglo-Saxon Britain exhibited in Beowulf has influenced many modern writers and scholars greatly.
All in all, Beowulf is a marvelous work that reveals the different culture, important themes, and relevant influencing factors attributed to the Anglo-Saxon period of British history. Through Beowulf, readers can become familiar with the violence and extreme exhibitions of loyalty that were constantly present in the Anglo-Saxon culture. Similarly, Beowulf explains how the spreading of Christianity into the region heavily impacted the oral traditions associated with Anglo-Saxon culture. Moreover, this shows how the similar themes in the Anglo-Saxon and Christian cultures were used to persuade the pagans to convert. Also, Beowulf’s informative features of Anglo-Saxon culture is still relevant today as it helps scholars learn more about the Anglo-Saxon era. Lastly, Beowulf has tremendously influenced the works of some of the most famous writers of modern times, like J. R. R. Tolkien and J. K. Rowling. As a result, Beowulf proves the theory that works written during certain times can reflect the societies and cultures present when they were written.
