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Beowulf project other genre

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Peter Wilson
Peter Wilson

This document discusses the warrior culture depicted in Beowulf and how it compares to other myths. While Beowulf follows some common archetypes of a sword-hero, his culture is different in some ways. Beowulf epitomizes the hyper-masculine warrior expected to be strong in battle, boast, and promise to accomplish tasks or die, but his role in maintaining peace between tribes was also complex. The document compares Beowulf to Theseus and notes similarities in their entering of dangerous realms to slay monsters, but also discusses ways Beowulf differs as a more tactically shrewd hero than purely cerebral ones like Theseus.

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Hero/Warrior Culture in Beowulf and Other Myths David Tang and Peter Wilson
¡°Beowulf ... clearly belong[s] to a subset of the overall Indo-European sword-hero complex. Moreover, [he] also share[s] at least some elements in common with figures belonging to other subsets of that complex.¡± - C. Scott Littleton
Premise ? Beowulf and his story largely follow common archetypes ? However, Beowulf¡¯s Anglo-Saxon warrior ? culture is different from cultures seen in other myths. As a result, Beowulf is different from the warrior-heroes seen in other stories
Cultural Differences ? In many ways, Beowulf, along with the Anglo-saxon expectations of him, epitomizes the familiar hyper-masculine, brazen hero o Strength and ability in battle o Importance of boasting o Binarism ¡°(I will do x or die)¡± (Morey 487).
Cultural Differences After all, isn¡¯t this what you think of when you picture Beowulf?
Cultural Differences ? However, Beowulf¡¯s role in the community seems to be more complex o Acts as ¡°peace-weaver¡± through his actions to promote good relationship between tribes (Morey 486) ? ? ¡°[F]ulfills his society¡¯s idealized feminine role¡± (Morey 486). Role as king includes great generosity, satisfying
Individual Differences ? Beowulf is, in many ways, a traditional ¡°sword hero¡± of mythology o ¡°Beowulf [is] not only [a] refle[x] of a common IndoEuropean sword-hero tradition, but also of a subset of that tradition that tells of a hero's descent to a netherworld to slay a non-draconic monster and/or its mother, one or both of whom are threatening the survival of the hero's community¡± (Littleton 6).
Similarity to Theseus ? Both o Come from afar ? Theseus from Troezen ? Beowulf of the Geats o Enter dangerous and underground realms ? Theseus: most known for success in labyrinth ? Beowulf: Grendel¡¯s mother¡¯s cave and the dragon¡¯s lair o Slay ravenous monsters with magical swords
Individual Differences ? Beowulf is an interesting combination of brutish and sensible o Often acts more than cerebral heros like Theseus o Still acts with underestimated tact and shrewdness o ¡°The most accomplished binarist in the poem ¡­ Beowulf is also aware of the often agonizing circumstances of coming to a decision¡± (Morey 487).
Sources Morey, Robert. ¡°Beowulf¡¯s Androgynous Heroism.¡± The Journal of English and Germanic Philology 95:4 (Oct. 1996): 486-96. JSTOR. Database. 10 Oct. 2013. Littleton, Scott. ¡°Theseus as an Indo-European Sword Hero, with an Excursus on Some Parallels between the Athenian Monster-Slayer and Beowulf.¡± The Heroic Age1.11 (May 2008): Web. 10 Oct. 2013. <http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/11/littleton.php>

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Beowulf project other genre

  • 1. Hero/Warrior Culture in Beowulf and Other Myths David Tang and Peter Wilson
  • 2. ¡°Beowulf ... clearly belong[s] to a subset of the overall Indo-European sword-hero complex. Moreover, [he] also share[s] at least some elements in common with figures belonging to other subsets of that complex.¡± - C. Scott Littleton
  • 3. Premise ? Beowulf and his story largely follow common archetypes ? However, Beowulf¡¯s Anglo-Saxon warrior ? culture is different from cultures seen in other myths. As a result, Beowulf is different from the warrior-heroes seen in other stories
  • 4. Cultural Differences ? In many ways, Beowulf, along with the Anglo-saxon expectations of him, epitomizes the familiar hyper-masculine, brazen hero o Strength and ability in battle o Importance of boasting o Binarism ¡°(I will do x or die)¡± (Morey 487).
  • 5. Cultural Differences After all, isn¡¯t this what you think of when you picture Beowulf?
  • 6. Cultural Differences ? However, Beowulf¡¯s role in the community seems to be more complex o Acts as ¡°peace-weaver¡± through his actions to promote good relationship between tribes (Morey 486) ? ? ¡°[F]ulfills his society¡¯s idealized feminine role¡± (Morey 486). Role as king includes great generosity, satisfying
  • 7. Individual Differences ? Beowulf is, in many ways, a traditional ¡°sword hero¡± of mythology o ¡°Beowulf [is] not only [a] refle[x] of a common IndoEuropean sword-hero tradition, but also of a subset of that tradition that tells of a hero's descent to a netherworld to slay a non-draconic monster and/or its mother, one or both of whom are threatening the survival of the hero's community¡± (Littleton 6).
  • 8. Similarity to Theseus ? Both o Come from afar ? Theseus from Troezen ? Beowulf of the Geats o Enter dangerous and underground realms ? Theseus: most known for success in labyrinth ? Beowulf: Grendel¡¯s mother¡¯s cave and the dragon¡¯s lair o Slay ravenous monsters with magical swords
  • 9. Individual Differences ? Beowulf is an interesting combination of brutish and sensible o Often acts more than cerebral heros like Theseus o Still acts with underestimated tact and shrewdness o ¡°The most accomplished binarist in the poem ¡­ Beowulf is also aware of the often agonizing circumstances of coming to a decision¡± (Morey 487).
  • 10. Sources Morey, Robert. ¡°Beowulf¡¯s Androgynous Heroism.¡± The Journal of English and Germanic Philology 95:4 (Oct. 1996): 486-96. JSTOR. Database. 10 Oct. 2013. Littleton, Scott. ¡°Theseus as an Indo-European Sword Hero, with an Excursus on Some Parallels between the Athenian Monster-Slayer and Beowulf.¡± The Heroic Age1.11 (May 2008): Web. 10 Oct. 2013. <http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/issues/11/littleton.php>