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Representation of Cultural Studies

in the English Literary Work “Beowulf”

by Alma Chezka G. Waminal


Law Student
College of Law
Xavier University- Ateneo de Cagayan
“Whereas earlier works of modern Lao fiction had served
merely as entertainment for a small elite, the generation of
Lao writers who came of age during this time quickly grasped
the concept that fiction was an effective form of social commentary
and criticism. Among these enlightened writers is Outhine Bounyavong.”
(an excerpt from Beowulf)

The Historical Setting

Germanic warrior culture is the main backdrop of the epic Beowulf. The epic

begins with Beowulf, the king of the Geats, as he comes to the aid of the aging king of

the Danes, Hrothgar. It follows the titular hero form this point through to his crowning as

the leader of the Geats, and ends with his

untimely death defending his people from a

terrible dragon. Although the hubris of

Beowulf is undoubtedly the most important

aspect of the story, the progression of the

epic relies heavily on the aspects of

Germanic warrior culture in which the epic

takes place. Thus, understanding this society

is essential to the story's analysis. The Geography of 8th century Germanic tribes

The term Anglo Saxon will be used almost exclusively in this article from now on,

unless referring to a specific Germanic tribe. Anglo Saxon is a typical blanket term for

Germanic tribes, like the Geats or the Danes, who arrived from modern-day Denmark

and Sweden to conquer much of southeast England in the early 5th century and is the
most appropriate term for this article because it best describes both the people from

where Beowulf( the epic, not the character) originated and the characters of the epic.

Beowulf was originally written in Old English, a language that developed after the

Anglo Saxons conquered southeastern England. Scholars debate the exact date of the

conquest, but it is rather reliably placed around the 5th or 6th century. Old English is the

precursor of modern English spoken today throughout much of the world. Not

surprisingly, it is much more closely related to the Germanic languages of the

conquering Anglo Saxons than to modern English, which in later centuries was subject

to increasingly heavy influence from French and Latin. In the time period that Beowulf

was written, it was a fledgling language that was seldom written down, and which came

from Anglo Saxon languages that were almost never recorded orthographically. This

gave Old English little literary clout compared to surrounding languages.

The Anglo-Saxon/Germanic Culture Themes

 The Bard

Stories from Anglo Saxon languages were not written down in this time period

because they were originally passed on orally through Bards. These great speakers

were an integral part of Anglo Saxon society, responsible for preserving and reciting the

heroic legends of their ancestors: great warriors, noble kings and familial lineage. Bards

would tell tales with such prowess that their subjects would often gain mythical qualities.

They functioned as the tribes historian in that the history their people was a vital theme

in a Bard's verse.
Bards also had a connection with the society's pagan gods. As professor

Kenneth W. Harl of Tulane University writes in his guidebook to the Vikings, "the

Germanic gods were closely associated with veneration of the ancestors...social

customs and perpetuation of family traditions". Bards required an intimate connection

with their pagan gods to tell their mythical tales.

 Paganism

Paganism, at least in this context, refers to the native pre-Christian Anglo Saxon

gods. As like any other polytheistic religion the Anglo Saxon gods represented specific

phenomena observed by the tribes. WIthout the advent of scientific inquiry they created

stories to explain the seeming randomness of their world. Many Bards undoubtedly

wove these myths into beautiful prose that the tribe would invoke whenever they

required outside help in their brutal, hostile, and uncertain world.Thus enchanting

stories about the gods moving the moon or creating thunder entralled the tribesmen

who gathered at the feet of the bards who told the tales.

Literary critics of the epic Beowulf, for example, cite elements of the god

Ragnarok in Beowulf's actions. Ragnarok represents the end of the world in which all

gods and warriors fought and died for their faith. Although Beowulf fights for the

Chrsitian God, something that will be discussed later in the article, the theme of finding

glory in fighting to ones death for your faith is evident in the way Beowulf fights Grendel,

Grendel's mother, and the dragon.

One can even find aspects of Paganism in Beowulf's Death.


 Warrior culture and the warrior king

Beowulf also fights these monsters because he is part of a warrior culture. In

Anglo Saxon hierarchy warrior kings reigned supreme. The leaders of Anglo Saxon

tribes; like Hrothgar, king of the Danes; and Beowulf, king of the Geats were exalted to

mythical status by their people because of their unmatched bravery, strength and

vigor.The warrior king protected his people. He also served the important function of

uniting the tribe into a cohesive family as a god-like figure. Therefore, Bards would

speak of current and former warrior-kings with an exalted status.

The Norton Anthology of English Literature notes in its introduction to the epic

notes that the most important relationship to a warrior king was a union with the gods.

The gods imbued the warrior king with the skills to win in a battle and rewarded the king

with riches upon victory. This union was purportedly the ultimate endowment of the

warrior king's status. Elements of this pagan idea are replete in Beowulf. There are

continuous allusions to beowulf's mythical abilities, like his swimming match with Breca,

his hubris (which would lead Beowulf to his death) and to the riches that the gods will

bestow upon the warriors after winning hard fought battles alongside their warrior king.

The companionship between fellow warriors and the gods were among the most vital

attributes to a tribes military prowess.

 Christianization

Beowulf was written in a unique time period in Anglo Saxon history. By the 8th

century, coinciding with the authorship of the epic, Anglo Saxons had largely converted
to Christianity, casting away the polytheistic gods of the ancestors. But as previously

mentioned, bards had been telling tales, the tale of Beowulf included, since before the

masses were converted to Christianity. So the stories of old had to be fitted into the

teachings of the new religion. The result is a blend of both religions. References are

made to christian teachings, Beowulf invokes the monotheistic God of Christians, yet

aspects of the pagan warrior culture remain as described above.

The world that Beowulf depicts and the heroic code of honor that defines much of

the story is a relic of pre–Anglo-Saxon culture. The story is set in Scandinavia, before

the migration. Though it is a traditional story—part of a Germanic oral tradition—the

poem as we have it is thought to be the work of a single poet. It was composed in

England (not in Scandinavia) and is historical in its perspective, recording the values

and culture of a bygone era. Many of those values, including the heroic code, were still

operative to some degree in when the poem was written. These values had evolved to

some extent in the intervening centuries and were continuing to change. In the

Scandinavian world of the story, tiny tribes of people rally around strong kings, who

protect their people from danger—especially from confrontations with other tribes. The

warrior culture that results from this early feudal arrangement is extremely important,

both to the story and to our understanding of Saxon civilization. Strong kings demand

bravery and loyalty from their warriors, whom they repay with treasures won in war.

Mead-halls such as Heorot in Beowulf were places where warriors would gather in the

presence of their lord to drink, boast, tell stories, and receive gifts. Although these

mead-halls offered sanctuary, the early Middle Ages were a dangerous time, and the
paranoid sense of foreboding and doom that runs throughout Beowulf evidences the

constant fear of invasion that plagued Scandinavian society.

In some ways, “Beowulf” represents a link between two traditions, the old pagan

traditions (exemplified by the virtues of courage in war and the acceptance of feuds

between men and countries as a fact of life) and the new traditions of the Christian

religion. The poet, probably himself a Christian, makes it clear that idol worshipping is a

definite threat to Christianity, although he chooses to make no comment on Beowulf’s

pagan burial rites. The character of Beowulf himself is not particularly concerned with

Christian virtues like meekness and poverty and, although he clearly wants to help

people, in a Christian sort of way, his motivation for doing so is complicated. Hrothgar is

perhaps the character who least fits into the old pagan tradition, and some readers see

him as modelled after an "Old Testament" biblical king.

Cultural Criticism depicted in the work

“Suddenly then the God-cursed brutewas creating havoc: greedy and grim,

He grabbed thirty men from their resting places and rushed to his lair,

Flushed up and inflamed from the raid, blundering back with the butchered corpses.”

(Lines 120-125)

In some ways, “Beowulf” represents a link between two traditions, the old pagan

traditions (exemplified by the virtues of courage in war and the acceptance of feuds

between men and countries as a fact of life) and the new traditions of the Christian
religion. The poet, probably himself a Christian, makes it clear that idol worshipping is a

definite threat to Christianity, although he chooses to make no comment on Beowulf’s

pagan burial rites. The character of Beowulf himself is not particularly concerned with

Christian virtues like meekness and poverty and, although he clearly wants to help

people, in a Christian sort of way, his motivation for doing so is complicated. Hrothgar is

perhaps the character who least fits into the old pagan tradition, and some readers see

him as modelled after an "Old Testament" biblical king.

The epic poem “Beowulf” is a representation of how mankind has adopted a

hypocritical mindset that allows themselves to kill and commit evil, while at the same

time persecuting other groups for doing the same. One example are the Danes who

was known as the warrior race that controls and conquers other nations through

violence and desctruction, but they tell themselves that it is for the greater good and god

has given them the right to do so. Though this is a fictional epic, it relates very closely to

the history of the Roman Empire. They too dominated those around them, yet it was

alright because they believed that they stood for God and held strong in the beliefs of

the Holy Roman Catholic Church.

The Danes demonized the character Grendel and called him “monster”, “evil”,

etc. The irony is that the Danes did exactly the same thing to other nations and

societies. They too woulf go and conquer for the sake of power and riches, just as this

“creature” would come to feed and enjoyed the thrill of killing. The only difference

between them, other than the appearance, is that the Danes believe that God had given

them the right or permission to do so because they honoured Him, where clearly
Grendel did not. It is a hypocritical belief system for using the name of the Higher Being

as an excuse to do things they believe to be evil, which unfortunately, societies across

the globe have come to use religion and moral systems in such manner.

Some cultures that have existed in the past and have likeminded mentality as the

Beowulf and the Dane’s culture were the Romans. They were a great and powerful

empire who wanted to control the world and would stop at nothing to achieve it. They

wiped out entire communities of Germanic tribes; they instituted torture and did vile

things to other human beings, and were also responsible for mass persecution against

the Jews. All of these acts against their humanity however were, over looked, because

they called themselves “The Holy Roman Empire”. They were a Catholic Civiization and

they too used their faith to give themselves the authority to take life from another human

being just like the Danes did. Beowulf is a respresentation of how we as human beings

have adopted this hypocritical way of thinking over time that demonizes those who are

different than us, and then allows us to destroy them. It is a way of thinking that has

infected our community and culture for thousands of years and still does so today; it is

also what the warrior race of the Danes who glorify battle and combat to be possible.

One local adaptation of this culture can be glimpsed on the current issue in the

Philippines, which is the Extra-Judicial Killings (EJKs) or the “Tokhang” series. If a

police officer shoots and kills a suspect he is rewarded and given an accommodation,

but if a suspect kills a police officer the entire country feels sorrow for him and his family

and the suspect is then hunted down and put down like an animal. In both scenarios,

either one kills the other. The difference and where the problem lies is in the society’s
perception of the two and why it is understandable if a suspect dies, but unimaginably

sad if an officer falls in the line of duty.

Another example in the world view, is the flawed system of capital punishment of

death in some countries. Their governments decide to show criminals that it is wrong to

kill another person by killing the convict for doing so.

Conclusion

The main theme of the poem is the conflict between good and evil, most

obviously exemplified by the physical conflict between Beowulf and Grendel. However,

good and evil are also presented in the poem not as mutually exclusive opposites, but

as dual qualities present in everyone. The poem also makes clear our need for a code

of ethics, which allows members of society to relate to one another with understanding

and trust.

The question we must all ask ourselves now after examining the deeper

underlying meanings in this great work is how we as individuals can change these

hypocritical norms so that we can evolve and progress to a state much farther than our

own.

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