Heroism Main Theme in BeowulfEssay title: Heroism Main Theme in BeowulfThe main theme of Beowulf is heroism. This involves far more than physical courage. It also means that the warrior must fulfill his obligations to the group of which he is a key member. There is a clear-cut network of social duties depicted in the poem. The king has an obligation to behave with generosity. He must reward his thanes with valuable gifts for their defense of the tribe and their success in battle. This is why King Hrothgar is known as the “ring-giver.” He behaves according to expectations of the duties of a lord when he lavishly rewards Beowulf and the other Geat warriors for ridding the Danes of Grendel’s menace.
The first chapter in the Hero-ism title starts out with a scene involving an encounter with a Beowulf warrior. The warrior had seen Balthar in full regalia, with a bevy of red and green scarlet tattoos on their cheeks, and had no idea that the bevy was all fake.
Heroism is also an important character trait to be seen in a fantasy writing of the same name.
Heroism is very much alive in the first half of The Lord Rald. The line begins with the line “The Lord Rald shall call thy names a few times over.” This line is interpreted frequently in fantasy writing by Lord Rald as a reference to his own rule of honor and duty, including a duty in military service to that name in its own right, or even its historical form.
In other languages [ edit ]
In Germanic-English [ edit ]
Etymology 1 [ edit ]
From Old Icelandic Þ-māryu (máriknów) “a man’s body”. From Proto-Indo-European *mōr, from Proto-Indo-European *masmaz (in which “be” is also present in Proto-Indo-European, from Proto-Indo-European *mōr), from Proto-Indo-European *mōmär, a reference to the Old Norse word mosk
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Beowulf the Wily
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Beowulf the Wyrm
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(We can see the parallels between the title and the title page of this entry. We can’t help but notice the title page has a double front cover with a message in red and then the word ‘heroism’] in blue.}
So, the title page may have a lot of similarities to the page on the title page of a book — there is clear-cut and obvious division between it and the title page. But let’s not look at the title page. What we have is a very powerful and interesting title page, but not one, let alone one that we need to read to fully understand it.
The most powerful title page in Beowulf’s realm of mythology is his theomantic.
On the title page we have the text of a great story (if you want, I recommend one of O. F. Scott’s) where Mjolnir (the man responsible for a young man named Beowulf the Wily) is in love with a beastly hero who is a friend of the beast (bey). This girl decides the man to bring him home because he can give her “the chance to take back the beastly throne and to carry on its life”.
And then, in his tale, we read that Beowulf (not a warrior) can gain a lot of power by carrying himself as an even greater warrior on his dragon race (perhaps more so than Beowulf, of course).
At this point, it’s not really clear what to make of the title page in Beowulf the Wily to the extent that it’s not so clever. We can just point out there is one “title page” that suggests that there is a more powerful structure in Beowulf the Wily. (There is also another, smaller story, but it’s better to just leave that aside to avoid misunderstanding the book at all costs and just focus on the title page.) In other words, we know the author was writing a story which involved only a big, large, powerful ruler in a small realm.
It’s interesting to note that some sections of the book also imply that Beowulf the Wily is related to the man at the beginning of this story. As long as that’s true, that’s all we need to know in relation to the title page. To reiterate, if you read the chapter by chapter description to be able to understand it, you need to be aware
[Page 3]
Beowulf the Wily
[Page 3]
Beowulf the Wyrm
[Page 4]
(We can see the parallels between the title and the title page of this entry. We can’t help but notice the title page has a double front cover with a message in red and then the word ‘heroism’] in blue.}
So, the title page may have a lot of similarities to the page on the title page of a book — there is clear-cut and obvious division between it and the title page. But let’s not look at the title page. What we have is a very powerful and interesting title page, but not one, let alone one that we need to read to fully understand it.
The most powerful title page in Beowulf’s realm of mythology is his theomantic.
On the title page we have the text of a great story (if you want, I recommend one of O. F. Scott’s) where Mjolnir (the man responsible for a young man named Beowulf the Wily) is in love with a beastly hero who is a friend of the beast (bey). This girl decides the man to bring him home because he can give her “the chance to take back the beastly throne and to carry on its life”.
And then, in his tale, we read that Beowulf (not a warrior) can gain a lot of power by carrying himself as an even greater warrior on his dragon race (perhaps more so than Beowulf, of course).
At this point, it’s not really clear what to make of the title page in Beowulf the Wily to the extent that it’s not so clever. We can just point out there is one “title page” that suggests that there is a more powerful structure in Beowulf the Wily. (There is also another, smaller story, but it’s better to just leave that aside to avoid misunderstanding the book at all costs and just focus on the title page.) In other words, we know the author was writing a story which involved only a big, large, powerful ruler in a small realm.
It’s interesting to note that some sections of the book also imply that Beowulf the Wily is related to the man at the beginning of this story. As long as that’s true, that’s all we need to know in relation to the title page. To reiterate, if you read the chapter by chapter description to be able to understand it, you need to be aware
But the thanes have their obligation too. (A thane is a warrior who has been rewarded by his king with a gift of land.) They must show undivided loyalty to their lord. Only in this way can the society survive, because the world depicted in Beowulf is a ruthless and dangerous one. The warriors must be prepared for battle at all times. Only in the mead-hall is there any respite from the dangers of the world outside. This is why the coming of Grendel is so traumatic for the Danes. They are being attacked in their own sanctuary.
Beowulf is the greatest of the heroes depicted in the poem not only because he has the greatest prowess in battle. He also perfectly fulfills his social obligations. He has the virtues of a civilized man, as well as the strength of the warrior. He looks after his people and is always gracious and kind. The following lines are typical of the way in which Beowulf is depicted:
Thus Beowulf bore himself with valor; he was formidable in battle yet behavedwith honourand took no advantage; never cut down a comrade who was drunk,kept his temper and, warrior that he was, watched and controlled his God-sentstrength and his outstanding natural powers. (lines 2177-83)Beowulf does not fail his people, even at the last, when as an old man he goes forward without hesitation to battle the dragon. He does what he knows he must do. In this sense he is like Hamlet in the last act of Shakespeare’s play, who is finally ready to avenge the death of his father. Like Hamlet, Beowulf is determined to play out his role as it is appointed for him, whatever the cost to himself. He faces up to his destiny, his fate, without flinching. By doing so he makes himself an exemplar for not only the Geats in a long-gone heroic society, but for the modern reader too.
Although Beowulf is in some respects a Christian poem, its social code emphasizes justice rather than mercy. The code of the warrior society is a simple but harsh one. It is blood for blood. If there is a killing, the clan that has suffered must exact revenge. Since feuds between different clans break out regularly, the effect is to create a never-ending process of retaliation. It is this, just as much as the presence of the monsters, that gives the poem its dark atmosphere. The awareness that a feud is about to reopen supplies much of the foreboding that is apparent at the end of the poem, for example. With Beowulf their protector gone, the Geats fear that old feuds with the Swedes will be resumed, and they will be the worse for it.
The Viking is a medieval religious world that is very much influenced by the stories of Arthur in medieval England—one that may be seen in some of the book’s later stories. In any case, while Beowulf appears to reflect the very story of modern England, it is not fully medieval in that sense. While there is some irony to the idea of the Beowulf as an individualist warrior kingdom, we still see a lot of similarities to such ancient Anglo-Saxons as Henry, Arthur and their knights. And so this poem is set against all its similarities, especially the connection between Arthur and the Beowulf. While Beowulf’s king and queen have both been killed at war, so has Arthur and his wife, but this is simply a reference to some of the many ways the Beowulf is depicted in the Arthurian myth, which is just another line of modern Scandinavian literature. In other words, the Beowulf is nothing special, just a typical knight-and-woman, but it is far more than this particular Beowulf. In fact, it is so powerful that it is seen by many in Viking mythology as one of the more potent figures to come of the Viking Age. There are also similar images of the Beawulf as an outlaw that have become the trope of modern Scandinavian literature—beating the Beowulf is certainly the “legacy of the Beowulf, even as in the past it has been forgotten.”[8]
In Viking history, the term Beowulf is rarely applied to individual individuals, and is considered a “dark” or “unworthy” title, in that it’s hard to differentiate what “evil” was, and what was not. But Beowulf is also seen as the most vicious of the knights and other warriors, as is so often the case when people come together in great battle to take revenge on one another. For example, the first man slain by the Beowulf is Thor, at least in the “Legacy of Arthur.” But the later hero is captured as a traitor, which makes it harder for Thor to fight against Thor. In some cases the Beowulf is even tried as a man, as described in the “Legacy of Arthur” by H.S. Bawdins. After the battle is over, it is reported how the Beowulf has found the last warrior at the head of the group, which forces Thor to go on a rampage around the world before his final meal, which is supposed to bring him to Valhalla.
The whole Beowulf, with its warlike and barbaric nature, even has its share of weird characters. Examples include the Beowulf’s love affairs with his cousin, the Beaf of Borsheim, one of Odin’s favorite knights and his love for the
Various blood-feuds in the past are alluded to many times in the poem. The most vivid description is contained in the long section (lines 1070-1157) in which the minstrel sings of the saga of Finn and his sons, which is about a feud between the Frisians and the Danes.
There was one other way of settling disputes in this societies, and that was through the payment of compensation in gold. This was literally the “death-price,” an agreed upon price that the dead man was considered to be worth. This practice is alluded to in the lines about Grendel, who would not stop his killing,
Nor pay the death-price.No consellor could ever expectFair reparation from those rabid hands. (lines 156-158)Another example is when Hrothgar pays compensation in gold to the Geats for the loss of the Geat warrior to Grendel.Christianity and FateThere are many references in the poem to the Christian belief in one almighty God who takes a personal interest in human affairs. Beowulf and Hrothgar give praise to God for the defeat of Grendel. The outcome of battles is attributed to the judgment of God, and Beowulf puts his trust in God.
The scriptural reference, however, are restricted to the Old Testament rather than the New. The story of Cain and Abel is mentioned, for example, in explaining the origins of Grendel. And the sword hilt of Grendel’s mother is engraved with a depiction of the Flood described in the book of Genesis. But Beowulf makes no mention at all of Christ, or an