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The Epic Values Of The Epic Of Beowulf

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Anglo-Saxons, the clans that ran Old England and led Britain, used bards and scops to tell their stories. These bards and scops, honored members of society, passed their oral traditions down the generations. A well-known epic poem told by the Anglo-Saxons, Beowulf, about an epic hero, who leads the Geats in many well-known victories, demonstrates various beliefs that the Anglo-Saxons had. Even though throughout the time the epic, continuously passed down was changed and evolved to the version that exists today. Which was written to the text by Christian Monks, who added here and there parts of their own religion to the epic, leading to the well-known epic today. Moreover, through Beowulf, the reader has the ability to take some of their values …show more content…

Loyalty, defined as support and allegiance to someone or a country, demonstrated through various aspects of the human condition can be seen through aspects of the epic. Therefore, in the text, when Beowulf went to Herot to help the king Hrothgar it was discovered that he felt loyalty to this king. King Hrothgar after gaining the crown was faced with a conflict. This feud that Hrothgar got involved in saved Beowulf and his father. (ll. 191-207, Burton Raffel). This loyalty relates to the aspirations and growth in characters. This loyalty demonstrated through the Anglo-Saxons text leads to the ideas of the human condition today. That loyalty is an essential part of being human. All beings feel a sense of loyalty to someone or something. Beowulf, for example, felt loyalty to the king because he had helped Beowulf and his family. Later in the text, Wiglaf demonstrate loyalty to a dying Beowulf, when all of the valiant warriors abandoned their loyalty to their leader and king. Wiglaf demonstrates to the reader that he too was loyal to the king due to the wonderful gifts that Beowulf had bestowed upon them, but most of all him. (ll. 754-790, Burton Raffel). Therefore, loyalty played a large role in the Anglo-Saxon time, but not only that, but it still plays a huge role today. Loyalty today demonstrated through patriotism, love for one’s country and the ability to care for one another based on prior experiences. Moreover, the Anglo-Saxon value of loyalty demonstrates the importance of allegiance to leaders and families but creates an illustration of what loyalty today looks

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