Beowulf's Heroic Code Essay

Beowulf was handed down orally for centuries. This epic was written in the eighth century. Beowulf shows the heroic code and conduct of the time. In Beowulf the soldiers that follow Beowulf are tested. They must be able to prove themselves loyal when the time comes. Wulfgar tells the soldier’s, “ Now go to him as you are, in your armor and helmets, / Helmeted, the silvery metal of his mail shirt / Gleaming with a smith’s high art”(131,139-40). Wulfgar describes the armor the men wear in battle. He describes the way the metal shines on the suits and how significant the blacksmith’s work had been done. Wulfgar speaks about what an honor it is to be following such a heroic person. The cultural elements exemplified in Beowulf occur in the warriors, mead hall, and beliefs.

The first element

occurs in the description of the mead hall. The mead hall is the chief place of entertainment. When the sun starts to go down, the mead hall gathers a crowd, “As day after day the music rang/ Loud in the hall, the harp’s rejoicing / Call and the poet’s clear songs”(3-5). The mead hall is described as a rejoiceful place where the warriors can come and enjoy a little entertainment. The mead hall’s always packed with excitement and wonder as night falls upon the warriors. Hrothgar’s throne cannot be touched because of its protection by God. God chooses who the next Divine Right of Kings will be. Sleeping on the throne is Hrothgar himself.
As the story continues, the author describes what happens when a hero dies Beowulf says to his followers, “And if death does take me, send the hammered? mail of my armor to Higlac, return/ The inheritance I had from Hrethel and he/ From Wayland”(186-89). Here Beowulf tells them what to do if he shall die. All of his armor is to go to his kin. That is the tradition if the hero dies.
The third cultural element is reflected in the beliefs. The soldiers believed that when they face Grendel, their death will be described as “flesh to the moors, [and Grendel will] crunch on our bones/ And smear torn scraps of our skin on the walls/ of his den” (182-4). At this description, the soldiers give a grotesque way of their deaths in the hands of the monster Grendel. Loyalty is extremely important during this age in time. Wiglaf tells the soldier’s what he thinks is true when they are supposed to show their loyalty:
And boasting of how brave we’d be when Beowulf
Needed us, he who gave us these swords
And armor: all of us swore to repay him,
When the time came, kindness for kindness
With our lives, if he needed them.

He allowed us to join him,

Chose us from all his great army.(709-14)

Wiglaf calls out the men of what they had said but did not follow through will. He speaks of failing Beowulf and not being the loyal warriors they were suppose to be.

Furthermore, Beowulf teaches the reader a lesson. The greatest strength comes from the mind and not the weapon. Within the three cultural elements lie the true meaning of a hero. Beowulf is not just a man who has a sword and can fight. He is a man with humility, honor, and respect, but Beowulf doesn’t always use a sword when fighting to win his battles. In many of the battles he fought, it was with his hands . When Beowulf battles Grendel’s mother he had dropped his sword and said that “if weapons were useless he’d use/ His hands, the strength in his fingers”(489-90). Although Beowulf is able to conquer the worst monsters and enemies, time takes its toll on him. Only then will Beowulf fall and a new hero will rise. To become a true hero, honor and respect are the keys to unlock the

door.