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Nathan Antunez

English

Figueroa

12/7/18

Values of Beowulf

To be great is never easy and in Beowulf demonstrated what s is to be great for the astounding

things he had to do to save lives. The Anglo-Saxtons are 2 different Germanic groups that attacked Great

Britain together and become one. An epic poem is usually a long story that follows a person through epic

adventures and could include things that aren’t real like dragons and demons. The hero must have a noble

birth or higher position of power, and he must perform tasks that take great courage, which usually holds

the fate of his nation. The Anglo-Saxtons were an established civilization that honored loyalty, heroism,

and pride vs. honor in their society.

The most important value that the Anglo-Saxtons had was loyalty. Wiglaft shows great loyalty to

Beowulf when no one wanted to help and fled except for him and helped slay the dragon. “And we must

go to him, while angry flames burnt at his flesh, help our glorious king” (Beowulf 723-725). This shows

the loyalty because he is risking his life to help but is keeping his word that he will help. Another time

when loyalty was shown in Beowulf is when Wiglaft did what Beowulf asked and made a monument in

memory of him. “The Geats built the tower, as Beowulf asked, strong and tall, so sailors could find it

from far and wide; working for 10 long days they made his monument. This shows values of loyalty

because he was the only one to hear about Beowulf’s monument and managed to create it. Loyalty is a

very important value to have for Anglo-Saxtons because it shows if you are willing to lay your life down

for your loved ones.

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Another very important value to the Anglo-Saxtons is heroism to keep the people safe. When

Beowulf went to defeat Grendel’s mother he did not hesitate to hind her lair he went straight in to find

her. “He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone’s assistance; the heaving water covered him

over. For hours he sank through the waves; At last he saw the mud at the bottom” (Beowulf 606-611).

This shows his heroism because he did not wait for help and had no fear trying to find and slay her.

Beowulf shows Great heroism when he knows he is older and could possibly die fighting this dragon and

still is willing to fight it. “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old now, but

still I will fight again seeking fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me” (Beowulf 606-

611). This shows that even in old age he has never lost his heroism because this battle will take great

bravery. The heroism is a value that was held highly because not many people had it in them.

The last value that the Anglo-Saxton people valued was pride vs. Honor. When Beowulf was

young he was very prideful and didn’t allow anything to stop him from reaching his goals even if it meant

putting his life in danger. “He tossed his sword aside, angry; the steel-edged blade lay where he’d

dropped it. If weapons were useless he’d use his hands, the strength in his fingers, so fame come to the

men who mean to win it and don’t care about nothing else”(Beowulf 487-492). This shows how he was

filled with pride and he would take nothing less than winning. As Beowulf aged another value grew and

he learned which he wasn’t handicapping himself with not using weapons and had no shame in it. “I’d use

no sword, no weapon, if this beast could be killed without it, crushed to death like Grendel, gripped in my

hands and torn limb from limb. But his breath will be burning hot, poison will pour from his tongue. I feel

no shame with shield and sword” (Beowulf 613-619). Beowulf swallowed his pride and gained honor

which is a value that comes with age. These two values pride vs. honor are cherished by the Anglo-

Saxtons because every warrior must have them.

The Anglo-Saxton were a community that honored values such as loyalty, heroism, and pride vs.

honoring their guild. All the values that the Anglo-Saxtons believe in are needed to run a successful

society. They all used these in all battles which makes them better people. It also makes them a closer
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unit. You can learn a many things throughout the story like Wiglaft is the loyal friend everyone need in

their life, heroism is something people need to have in them, and learning pride vs. honor as you get

older.