Arms And Weapons In Beowulf

The spear was the most common weapon of choice and could be used as a missile or used in hand-to-hand combat. The sword was not a common weapon used at all because it was very expensive to produce. The sword was usually given to a great warrior who has demonstrated courageous acts in battle. All warriors had a shield that was made of wood and usually lined together by metal. A seaxe was a single bladed knife that was carried on the belt on the warrior and was used more as a tool than an actual weapon (Beowulf 112-113).

“He chose the mightiest men he could find, the bravest and the best of the Geats, fourteen in all, and led them down to their boat…”(Beowulf 23) Beowulf’s internal pride suggested he use no weapons, just his hands. He believed if he had fate on his side, no weapons were necessary. Beowulf’s pride is what led him to be king of the Geats and his name and stories to continue on.

The Medieval Times was a time period between 5th and 15th century A.D. Because of the high desire for power there were many fights usually ending with one person dead. Some of the most popular weapons include swords, daggers and knives, and polearms.

Thor and Beowulf were mighty fighters. Thor had iron gloves, a strengthening girdle, and an invincible hammer. Ingri d’Aulaire’s book of Norse Myths does well to describe these, “For who, as Loki said, would belive that he came to Jotunheim on a friendly visit if he brought his hammer, his iron mitt, and his belt of strength?” (Ingri d'Aulaire, 2005) Beowulf fights without the use of weapons against Grendel, revealing his enormous strength. “Moreover, the seafarers, who carried thither rich gifts as good-will offerings to the Geats, have said that he, strong in battle, had in the grip of his hand the strength of thirty men.” (Beowulf, p. 26) Against Grendel’s mother, he uses the sword Hrunting. In the poem, Beowulf receives the sword Hrunting, “the name of the hilted sword was Hrunting, and it was one of the greatest among the olden treasures; its blade was of iron, stained with poison-twigs, hardened with the blood of battle; it had never failed any man whose hand had wielded it in the fight, any who durst go on perilous adventures to the field of battle; — it was not the first time that it had need to do high deeds.” (Beowulf, p. 71)

At this point in history the men who fought the wars were lead by their leaders with a code of chivalry. Chivalry can be explained as “the Anglo-Saxon code on steroids.” (McGee) Which is, explained further, a moral system for a good way to conduct fighting. The knights in Arthurian time went even further with that code to say that it was a way to conduct oneself not only in battle, but at all times. Knights, by being chivalrous, were kind to all people, fought well and true, kept faith and believed in the Christian God, and fought for their kings. Chivalry can be found across the Arthurian texts, The Song of Roland is one of the texts that has multiple examples of chivalry.

The Middle Ages which was known to be a very violent era in our world consisted of multiple weapons. The weapons that were used in this era were determined by the social class that you belonged to. These classes consisted of the lower class which would be the foot soldiers and then the knights. The weapons these two classes had though differed from one another. What types of weapons did each class have and how would these weapons have looked back in the middle age time period?

In today’s society, we see violence as a way to cope with all types problems. Humans have used violence as a way to resolve issues since ancient times. The poem “Beowulf” was written between the eighth and eleventh century by an anonymous author. The poem recounts the story of a brave warrior, named Beowulf, who battles three great monsters. Two of the monsters, Grendel and Grendel’s Mother, terrorize the people of Daneland and the third monster, the Dragon, lives in Beowulf's homeland. The epic poem “Beowulf” illustrates and normalizes the idea of violence within the Pagan Warrior Culture.

During the 16th century England and much of Europe found itself in turmoil and in a constant state of war. The outbreak of fighting led to the invention and development of new weapons and the growth and change of weapons of old. The development of weapons was a trademark of the time, with a sort of renaissance, or re-birth in the field of weaponry (Miller). The technology was highlighted by the invention of gunpowder by the Chinese which eventually found its way to England (Grolier). However, the use of gunpowder was minimal, because the use of had yet to be perfected. The technological advancement most useful during the period was progression of the metals used in weaponry. The new forms could

The story of Beowulf is one of a great hero. Beowulf is a very generous person who is always willing to help out when people are in need. Over the course of the story, Beowulf ends up in three major battles: the battle with Grendel, with Grendel’s mother, and with the dragon. All of these battles were different in their style and the way Beowulf approached them was different. Beowulf also had different reasons to participate in each of the battles.

In Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf, treasure and weaponry were of great importance to the people of that time. During the Anglo-Saxon period (410 to 1066 A.D.), gold treasures and swords were distributed to show loyalty and trust among a kingdom’s great warriors (“Beowulf Project - Archeology” 1). For biblical figures, such as Jesus and his disciples, treasure represented wealth and weaponry showed the ability to fight against Satan (“What Does the Bible Say about GOLD?” 1). In today’s society, treasure represents the success and riches one possesses while weaponry can be seen as strength or even arrogance. No matter what period in history, treasure and weaponry play a role and its importance is ever changing.

During the battle, the Viking's full equipment of attacking weapons consisted of sword, axe, spear, bow and arrow. Another weapon which also served

During the Elizabethan time there were a variety of weapons used for defence and leisure. Despite the end of the medieval times, many of its weapons were still in use (Mahabal). Because of this, the Queen pushed to have new, modern weapons be created in case of a war. The threat of a war was real because of the constant dispute between the Catholic Spanish and the French (Alchin). Most of the weaponry that came to be happened to influence English history forever such as the Rapier, the musket, and the cannon.

In their respective narratives, Beowulf and Cuchulainn and Beowulf battle evil, except in different forms. While Beowulf combats giant monsters with his bare hands, Cuchulainn uses weapons and accessories. “[Beowulf] hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-board: hand-to-hand is how it will be, a life-and-death fight with the fiend” (436-440). This excerpt allows readers to sharply contrast this fighting style with

The importance of hands throughout “Beowulf” has in the past been a great point of notice for many scholars, due to the sheer invasiveness of hand imagery throughout the text largely. Firstly, in the scenes regarding Grendel’s attack and victory (720-836), the use of hands is especially perverse. There are many words in this helping of the text which allude hands (mund, hond, and folmu) or hand whereabouts (clamm, grap, gripe), etc., mostly in reference to Grendel. This is important due to the fact that the use of hands allows Grendel. Furthermore, the obsession with hands helps to draw thoughtfulness to hand symbolism as power and strength throughout the combat-between the hero and the villain, which benefits

To begin, a cultural truth admired by the Anglo-Saxon is courage in battle because it is a trait of a good warrior in the eyes of Anglo-Saxon people. Courage in battle is the ability to not be afraid of the enemy, be strong, and brave. Beowulf shows his above average strength and courage in battle when he is going to battle Grendel: “When it comes to battle, I count myself/ as dangerous any day as Grendel,/ … No weapons, therefore,/ for either this night: unarmed he shall face me/ if face me he dares” (Beowulf 677-685). In this quote Beowulf states and declares his abandonment of weapons, as well as his belief that he is as strong as Grendel, so he will fight him without a weapon. This shows Beowulf’s courage in battle because it displays his tremendous strength and boldness by going to fight a monster with no weapons, which demonstrates that he is not