War Like Germanic Peoples Of Beowulf example essay topic

The epic poem Beowulf describes the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. The hero, Beowulf, is a seemingly invincible person with all the extraordinary traits required of a hero. He is able to use his super-human physical strength and courage to put hispeople before himself. He encounters hideous monsters and the most ferocious of beasts but he never fears the threat of death. His leadership skills are superb and he is even able to boast about all his achievements. Beowulf is the ultimate epic hero who risks his life countless times for immortal glory and for the good of others.

Beowulf is a hero in the eyes of his fellow men through his amazing physical strength. He fought in numerous battles and returned victorious from all but his last. In his argument with Unferth, Beowulf explains the reason he lost a simple swimming match with his youthful opponent B recca. Not only had Beowulf been swimming for seven nights, he had also stopped to kill nine sea creatures in the depths of the ocean. Beowulf is also strong enough to kill the monster Grendel, who has been terrorizing the Danes for twelve years, with his bare hands by ripping off his arm. When Beowulf is fighting Grendel's mother, who is seeking revenge on her son's death, he is able to slay her by slashing the monster's neck with a Giant's sword that can only be lifted by a person as strong as Beowulf.

When he chops off her head, he carries it from the ocean with ease, but it takes four men to lift and carry it back to Hero mead-hall. This strength is a key trait ofBeowulf's heroism. Another heroic trait of Beowulf is his ability to put his peoples welfare before his own. Beowulf's uncle is king of the Geats so he is sent as an emissary to help rid the Danes of the evil Grendel. Beowulf risks his own life for the Danes, asking help from no one. He realizes the dangers but fears nothing for his own life.

After Beowulf had served his people as King of the Geats for fifty years, he goes to battle one last time to fight a horrible dragon who is frightening all of his people. Beowulf is old and tired but he defeats the dragon in order to protect his people. Even in death he wished so secure safety for the Geats so a tall lighthouse is built in order to help the people find there way back from sea. The most heroic of traits within Beowulf is that heis not afraid to die.

He always explains his death wishes before going into battle and requests to have any assets delivered to his people. And if death does take me, send the hammered mail of my armor to Hi glac, return the inheritance I had from Hre htel, and from Wayland. Fate will unwind as it must! (18) He is aware of the heroic paradox; he will be glorified in life or death for his actions. He knows that when he fights an enemy like Grendel or Grendel's mother he will achieve immortality as the victor or the loser. When we crossed the sea, my comrades and I, I already knew that all my purpose wast his: to win the good will of your people or die in battle, pressed in Grendel's fierce grip.

Let me live in greatness and courage, or here in this hall welcome my death! (22) Even with the enormous amount of confidence Beowulf possesses, he understands that Fate orWyrd will work its magic no matter what and he could be killed at any point in his life. He faces that reality by showing no fear and preparing for a positive or a fatal outcome. Beowulf is the prime example of an epic hero. His bravery and strength surpass all mortal men; loyalty and the ability to think of himself last makes him revealed by all. Beowulf came openly and wholeheartedly to help the Danes which was an unusual occurrence in time of war and wide-spread fear.

He set a noble example for all human beings relaying the necessity of brotherhood and friendship. Beowulf is most definitely an epic hero of epic proportions. The works of Beowulf, The History of the Franks, Life of Wilfrid, and Lives of the Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow, show how the early medieval societies ran the gamut from a pagan, kin based society through to a hierarchical Christian society. The war-like Germanic peoples of Beowulf lived within a culture bound by kinship, heroism and paganism. The Merovingian culture depicted in Gregory's history was a society moving from paganism to Christianity and small kinship groups to larger kingdoms. The Anglo-Saxons of Bede's era so blended the roles of religious life with that of secular that at times the distinction between the two becomes unclear.

Each society has elements of the others, but as the degree of Christianity intensifies the differences in structure become apparent. Beowulf depicts both the actions of a great hero and a generic Germanic society that habits roots firmly planted in an earth-bound warrior clan setting. They were in constant readiness for a fight. The instability of the antique world, with the endless threat from foes, required that people be ready for battle at any moment. Within these groups an argument or insult could begin a war. Once a feud began there were few ways open toend it: death to an enemy, marriage allegiances, or wergild, that is, the exchange of wealth for peace.

In Beowulf, it is a feud between Grendel and Hrothgar's people that bring Beowulf and his men to Heo rot. Because Grendel refused any form of wergild toend his destruction, it fell to Beowulf to eliminate the creature and return Hrothgar " 's honor. Often kin societies elected a ruler based on his feats and accomplishments in battle; therefore heroes continuously needed to prove themselves. Even the oral records of such people kept the heroic deeds of individuals and families so that they could judge one another by these narratives.

Thus, through knowledge of Beowulf's achievements and that of his kin, Hrothgar accepts him as a champion. The integral parts of the Germanic society, feasting, storytelling and gift-giving, serve as the backdrop of anticipation for or completion of battle. The telling of stories and exchange of gifts accompanies great feasts, one of the society's many forms of hospitality. Hrothgar gave a feast for Beowulf both in preparation for his combat with Grendel and afterwards to reward him for his success.

Following the victories, Hrothgar honored Beowulf in his hall and completed his obligation as a lord by delivering great gifts of appreciation to the hero. Through gift giving a lord accomplished not only honoring warriors and securing alliances, but also distributing wealth among the community. Through his generosity Hrothgar enables Beowulf to return home with treasure that will enrich his country's economy and allow the hero to distribute the wealth to his people. The writer of Beowulf, most probably an Anglo-Saxon Christian, attempted to connec this contemporary readers to the ancient peoples through Christianity. Most Germanic people of fifth and sixth century were not Christian. The poet either adds his Christian reference or perhaps alters the pagan myth to make it Christianized.

When the writer gives the Creation a Christian element or when he traces Grendel's lineage to Cain he appears to be altering the poem to make it more palatable for his audience. Although the poem has the biases of its eighth century writer, the society's structure and pagan influences are present. Beowulf is an excellent model of the divine-like super hero of pagan mythology, helped by his god to defeat the powers of evil through magic. Many pagan myths have epic heroes: Hercules of Greece, Lug of the Long Arm of Ireland, Gilgamesh of Mesopotamia, to name a few. Magic plays a key role in the ancient an dearly medieval world.

It represents power, usually allotted by supernatural beings or associated with ancient places and items. When Beowulf kills Grendel's mother he does it only with the help of a powerful magical weapon. This weapon then loses its power after the destruction of the monster. Similarly, Merovingian Gaul believed that long hair was magical and to remove the hair of an enemy destroyed their power. The History of theFranks shows a prime example of this: when given the choice of cutting off hergrandchildren's hair or having them die, Queen Clotild would rather see them dead.

Moving from the study of the Germanic to the Merovingian people, the shift from the old ways of paganism and small kin groups to the hierarchical structure of larger kingdoms and Christianity become apparent. In The History of the Franks, Gregory shows the early people of Gaul as being typical of warrior clan societies. Given this then the people ofBeowulf and the Frankish people are very similar. This similarity begins to diminish when Clovis starts his reign. Two major changes stand out in Clovis' reign. First was the spread of his domain over Gaul.

Through successful campaigns against the Goths, Clovis received the title consulate from the Emperor Anastasius. Knowing the instability of the late antique world, Anastasius obviously wished to protect his borders by gaining an alliance with Clovis. The acknowledgment from the Roman emperor empowered Clovis with the authority to expand his domain. He was the "Augustus' of Gaul and by rights could control those around him, which leads to the elimination of lesser rulers and the amalgamation of their kingdoms into Clovis'. By accepting the consulate Clovis to some extent accepted Roman rule. Although never completely Romanized, some aspects of the empire emerge within the Gallic kingdom.

For instance, as Gregory explains, Clovis setup a ' seat of government' in Paris, a metropolitan ruling establishment that was new to the rural based society. Also, the transfer from an oral law to a written law system appears to take hold. After Clovis Gregory begins to refer to written treaties between kings. The second major change was Clovis' conversion to orthodox Christianity. In Gregory " 's view this conversion is the key to his success because without God Clovis is nothing. While God may or may not have significance here, Christianity does.

Surprisingly Christianity emerged and thrived within the unstable environment of Gaul before Clovis, however his conversion allows the church to gain power. As is customary of a war lord society, the king sets the example for the people. When Clovis became Catholic hispeople did so also. At one moment the church in Gaul gained thousands of new believers, as well as the protection of the sovereign.

Yet, even before Clovis, Christianity had been gaining believers in Gaul through the miracles of its church men and women. The miracles attributed to the saints become particularly important to the Gallic people and St. Martin of Tours became the most popular of their saints. The cult of St. Martin, aswell as other saints, was the peoples' way of transferring the magic of their past gods to Christianity. With miracles the people had tangible evidence that God had power on earth and that he chose to distribute it through his servants. Once the people attributed certain qualities to a person or place the church did not have the power stop its spread or more likely chose not to stop it. Here was the perfect way for the church to acquire and keep worshippers.

It was also a great source of revenue. The church received funding based onthe powers ascribed to the saints. Tours, for example, was a pilgrimage spot for many believers. The community and the church depended on the people who visited and therefore had no desire to end the stories, if anything they added to them. The tombs and relics of the saints did bring income to the towns and churches, but to say they meant only money to the church and its believers would be false. These items were very sacred items to the faithful as well as visible signs of the power of Christ.

Those who believed took the sites and holy people very seriously. For the "rational' American of the twentieth century the miracles of the past have become myths. They are difficult to believe since few have the faith in God that medieval people had. As the church grew, it accepted noble born persons, mainly women, into its ranks. Although having the nobility in its hierarchy gave the church wealth from the donations of the nobles, it also expanded the possibilities of trouble. Not all who entered the church gave up their identity as nobles and some did not enter freely.

The revolt at the nunnery of the Holy Cross came about because Clotild felt she and her companions deserved different treatment due to their noble birth. Had they truly believed in serving the church their nobility would not have mattered. Interestingly, this revolt would not have taken place in a society as that found in Beowulf. The idea of an all female community was unheard of by the Germanic people. As peacemakers, diplomats, and pawns in marriagealliances' women played a role in Germanic society that did not allow them the choice of withdrawing. Gregory consistently writes of the plots, threats and murders that abounded in his country.

He was quick to blame the nobility for their pettiness and used Clovis as a model example for peace. Clovis' Christianity blinds Gregory to the malicious wayClovis's spread his power. After Clovis' death, his sons divide his kingdom between the mand the conspiracies intensify. While plots occurred in Beowulf, it occurred less often ina society that choose its leader based on his skills as a warrior instead of by birthright. Atthe time of the Merovingian kings they no longer required their leaders to be warlords. That is not to say that they did not lead wars, just that the kingdoms passed to the sons of kings.

This form of succession caused jealousies and greed amongst the noble families. On numerous occasions the church entered into conflict with the secular rulers. Gregory, for instance, had the unenviable task of placating two rulers because his diocese encompassed both their kingdoms. This man of God, who should have concerned himself with the spiritual salvation of his congregation, often had to protect it from disaster at the hands of nobles and kings. The penchant of courtiers and kings to involve church members in their schemes became common throughout Gaul and risked the lives of the members and their communities. Sanctuary, hospitality and protection given by the church to anyone who asked for it, caused Gregory on many instances to risk his life and his community.

Once he gave Merovech, the son of King Child ebert, sanctuary and because he refused to expel Merovech from the church of Saint Martin, Childebertravaged the area around Tours. The choices open to Gregory were to have the lands destroyed or disobey the laws of the church. His faith made it impossible for him to disobey the church. Observance of the church law was more valuable. In the Anglo-Saxon communities, the blending of church and state is more obvious than in that of the Franks. In the Life of Wilfrid and the Lives of the Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow, the power of the church within the kingdoms is strong.

It becomes especially pronounced through the merging of the church and the ruling classes. Although nobles joined the church in Gaul, the majority were women. In England religious men tutored the sons of nobles and many of these students joined the ranks of the church. Due to its association with the nobility the power and wealth of the church grew immensely. In fact, the wealth of the abbots of England shown in the two sources seems to equal that found in the royal courts of the period. The power that the churchmen wielded forged hatreds and jealousies.

Wilfrid throughout his life faced exile because his enemies wanted to destroy his power. Queen Iurminburgh, Ecgfrith's queen, recited Wilfrid's wealth and power to her husband so that King Ecgfrith would ruin the bishop out of enviousness. Likewise Theodore, Archbishop of Canterbury, agreed to condemn Wilfrid on false charges to lessen the power of York and gain it for Canterbury. Due to the forced exile caused by these plots, Wilfrid turns to Rome in hopes of regaining his authority. The sources indicated that the Anglo-Saxon churchmen often desired Roman knowledge and guidance. All the great churchmen traveled to Rome and returned with books and relics.

Through this transferring of books, the Anglo-Saxon world is privy to numerous works and a religious "authority' that other areas were not. Gaul does not seem to foster a close relationship with Rome the way England did. In Gregory rarely did the Franks turn to Rome for guidance, yet the abbots and bishops of England go to Rome quite regularly. Inthe Lives of the Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow and well as Wilfrid's life the main characters often travel to Rome.

To these great men making the pilgrimage to Rome is essential and many do so at the end of their lives to die within the city of the Pope. This affiliation between the church and the kings gave the rulers greater say in religious matters. For instance, some kings had the power to appoint bishops and abbots. Rulers gained the power to decide major church issues. In particular, King Oswiu made the final decision on the issue of the tonsure and Easter. A ruler having the final say in a church issue had not happened since Constantine decided the Arian issue at the Council of Nice ain 325.

For the Anglo-Saxons, the issue of Easter was equal to that of the Arianism, because the entire liturgical calendar set its dates from Easter. The fight between the correct calculation went beyond ecclesiastical circles and into the royal courts. The Easter question literally divided some courts. In one year Englfrith's court celebrated Easter twice because the king and queen held two different views. The need for unity within the church was imperative. King Oswiu settled the issue by declaring that he upheld the pope's ruling; Anglo-Saxons would follow the Roman Catholic Easter.

The degree of Christianity within the Germanic, Merovingian and Anglo-Saxon cultures helps define their societies. Moving from a non-Christian society to a Christian one required the shift in structure found throughout the works of Beowulf, The History of theFranks, Life of Wilfrid, and Lives of the Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow. Beowulf showed a society with an elemental structure based on family. The History of the Franks represented a society in which the family substructure existed but they were moving towards a larger, court society and the church began to take on greater importance.

Finally, Life of Wilfrid and Lives of the Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow depicted very little family structure, but communicated the great power and influence the church had taken on in the society. It is these changes of the early medieval world that create the image of the Christian court society the middle ages conjure to mind.