Devians In Beowulf
To fully understand the Viking and Scandinavian elements in the poem, the culture and society of the Anglo-Saxons must first be discussed. The same time the stories for Beowulf were being created, around 800-1100AD, Scandinavia was being invaded and was under attack. As a result of this, it left a culture obsessed with being saved by a great warrior, valuing battle honor, glory, and heroism. The concepts of “wyrd” and “weirguld” were also popular at this time. Along with other characters, the actions and words of Beowulf in Beowulf are used to reflect society's beliefs and incorporate the elements of this time.
The Scandinavians strongly believed in fate, or wyrd, and that a person’s destiny was unchanging from birth. Destiny is a driving factor in most of the story and much of Beowulf’s courage came from his belief in fate. Society at this time saw death as something no one could avoid and something they would rather have to embrace. Beowulf shared this thought, which gave him the courage to battle anyone because he believed that if he died it was because “what God judged right would rule what happened to every man…” (Lines 2858-2859). The Anglo-Saxons applied destiny to the throne as well, believing that a higher power put them in that position for a reason. Beowulf again shows these same beliefs when he turns down Hygd’s proposal of becoming the King of Daneland because he would be overstepping the almighty.
Along with fate, heroism played a very important role in ancient Scandinavian society. Beowulf embodies the ideals that Anglo-Saxon culture valued most during this time. His bravery, arrogance, and superhuman strength are examples of what a perfect hero would look like to Scandinavia. Though his physical appearance is very telling, Beowulf’s actions do a better job of summing up the importance of status, battle honor, and glory to the Anglo-Saxons. These ideals go hand in hand with heroism. For example, when Beowulf first introduces himself to the Danes, he
The Scandinavians strongly believed in fate, or wyrd, and that a person’s destiny was unchanging from birth. Destiny is a driving factor in most of the story and much of Beowulf’s courage came from his belief in fate. Society at this time saw death as something no one could avoid and something they would rather have to embrace. Beowulf shared this thought, which gave him the courage to battle anyone because he believed that if he died it was because “what God judged right would rule what happened to every man…” (Lines 2858-2859). The Anglo-Saxons applied destiny to the throne as well, believing that a higher power put them in that position for a reason. Beowulf again shows these same beliefs when he turns down Hygd’s proposal of becoming the King of Daneland because he would be overstepping the almighty.
Along with fate, heroism played a very important role in ancient Scandinavian society. Beowulf embodies the ideals that Anglo-Saxon culture valued most during this time. His bravery, arrogance, and superhuman strength are examples of what a perfect hero would look like to Scandinavia. Though his physical appearance is very telling, Beowulf’s actions do a better job of summing up the importance of status, battle honor, and glory to the Anglo-Saxons. These ideals go hand in hand with heroism. For example, when Beowulf first introduces himself to the Danes, he