Beowulf

1. I thought Beowulf, although difficult to follow at times, was in the end a good and exciting story and worth the time to read it. It's a heroic epic poem that was first written down around 700-1000 A. D. telling the legendary tale of Beowulf and also of battles from the 5th or 6th century among Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian tribes in present day England. So there is some history in it, even though it is mainly a fictional tale with monsters and dragons meant to entertain. The story also shows a lot of aspects of Anglo-Saxon religion and culture as well as there wisdom and ideals.

The story starts off with the description of the Danish king Hrothgar: how he built his reputation up as the greatest of kings through victories in battle and through his own good deeds and gifts. He built a great mead hall made of gold and treasures and everybody ate, drank and was merry for years. This all comes to a halt when a bloodthirsty beast named Grendel emerges from the shadows of darkness and infiltrates the great hall destroying all 30 of Hrothgar's greatest warrior guards inside. He began living in that hall for 12 years (although God would not let him sit on the throne.) One of the things that I found confusing is that the descriptions of God seem to be refering to the Christian God and not to the Anglo-Saxon god Odin since Odin was an ambivalent god, not choosing sides. This is when the legend begins and Beowulf arrives with his own fleet on Hrothgar's shores, proudly boasting to be the first warrior who could finally keep his word and kill Grendel since many warriors had already said they could and failed.

From then on, the action begins and we see Beowulf's strength in action. He was said to have the hand-grip strength of thirty men, and so instead of going to fight Grendel with a sword he trusts his strengths and goes solo. Beowulf boasts about his abilities a lot but he earns all his glory by risking his life wherever he goes to help others. I liked all the different ways the author would use to describe Beowulf, such as "the brave one" or "that great warrior" or "the strongest of men, brave and noble" instead of using something weak like "he".

I like the descriptions of the warriors and the action scenes. I think the story is hard to follow sometimes because there are so many names to keep track of in a short space. A lot of different kings and queens are mentioned but it's hard to differentiate between them because they often are described in the same way. I was surprised when Beowulf killed Grendel in episode 4 because there was such a big lead up to it, but the actual battle was described real quickly with Beowulf killing Grendel with only his hand grip.


2. Beowulf shows a lot of examples of Anglo-Saxon culture. For one, the Anglo-Saxons were a warring people where warriors would earn status and rewards through their own deeds. Battle armor and swords were very valuable, and the Anglo-saxon's belief in animism meant that the swords that were used to kill great beasts were thought to be sacred. This is why Beowulf had all his armor and treasure with his body on the funeral pyre at the end of the story.

The Anglo-Saxon kings in Beowulf were also called "treasure givers" and "gold-friends" since a lot of their power depended on how they supplied their knights. When Beowulf kills Grendel, Hrothgar gives him a gilded battle flag, a helmet wrapped in metal bands, and a horse with the same jewel inlaid saddle that he had used in battle. "He had no reason to be ashamed among warriors for taking those rich gifts." Although in an Anglo-Saxon culture, the ultimate reward for a knight was not treasure but eternal fame. This is why in Beowulf there are so many warriors who die attempting to slay Grendel before Beowulf comes along.

The strong Anglo-Saxon belief in God and fate is also shown throughout Beowulf. In episode 8 one line stood out to me as an example of this: "It is wonderful to say how mighty God through his wisdom and large heart distributes land and rank to the race of men. He controls all." In episode 5 fate was described: "Fate is not easy to flee from, try it who will."


3. In a way Beowulf is like Batman or Spiderman, since he was born a normal human being and is able to kill monsters far greater than the average man. He's different from them though because he fights like a normal human being would, not using special powers or gadgets. He relies on his strength- his hand grip. He's not invinceable but unlike batman or spiderman he does become a ruler of his people for fifty years and doesn't stop fighting even into his old age as he slays the dragon when he's in his seventies, making him the ultimate warrior. Batman and Spiderman are more like law enforcement heroes while Beowulf is more like a war hero.

4. I felt that Beowulf's death was probably the best way he could've died. He remained brave and noble till the very end and refused to run away from the dragon even as he was being engulfed in flames. Although maybe he couldn't have done it without Wiglaf, he did slay the dragon and ended it's reign of destruction on the neighbouring people.
He was allowed to speak some dying words showing that he was at peace with himself and that he was ready for death ("I feared no one. I awaited my destiny well: never did I plot a quarrel, never did I swear an unjust oath. I take joy in this despite a mortal wound. I have traded my old life for the people's needs.") I felt this was a good way for him to seal his legend, and the long mourning scenes shows that he wasn't being arrogant when he said he was the best as the last lines of the epic seal the legend of Beowulf. "Thus the Geats mourned their great lord, saying he was among the world's Kings, the mildest, the gentlest, the kindest to his people, and the most eager of eternal fame."