Examples Of Comitatus In Beowulf

Beowulf, an epic poem that tells about a well respected man leads the story as a hero with values of lof and comitatus. Beowulf and the best of the geats carry their christian morals throughout the story, although lof and comitatus are pagan values. The men wanted lof because they believed their wasn't an afterlife and that every accomplishment needed to be achieved on earth. Comitatus is the idea that no matter what, at all costs you protect and stand by your king. Is comitatus and lof as important then death itself ? As we look at the meaning and values in Beowulf we will see some fail and some that bring great success.

Comitatus was all Beowulf and the men had. The mead hall is where some of that was built and the trust and love. “ Hrothgar, their lord, sat joyless in herot , a mighty prince mourning…” (44-50). The attack of grendel destroyed

all the comitatus built there in the mead hall . King Hrothgar cried in mourning as all of his men fled with fear.
“Grant me,then,Lord and protector of this noble place, A single request!” (254-269).In the beginning , Beowulf's commitment to king Hrothgar that he will defend the hall of Heorot against Grendel and keep his promise to lead the kingdom with great strength and wisdom.Not only did he promise to be loyal but his men did to and it was shown here,“All of Beowulf's Band had jumped from their beds, ancestral swords raised and ready, determined to protect their prince if they could.” (368-371).As beowulf sat out to fight grendel and protect the kingdom , his men shared great companionship and stayed loyal to beowulf at the fight although they couldn't help due to the spell.

In the end they broke that commitment , but one stayed. “By almighty God ,I'd rather burn myself than see flames swirling around my lord.” (782-764).It was beowulf's last quest , him and his men sat out to fight the worst evil of them all . Greater than beowulf, he knew he stood no chance without fighting with weapons. Shown too strong the dragon showed his mighty powers and the men fled leaving beowulf alone,but one man stayed till his death ,

Wiglaf.“

Beowulf arose, with his men around him, ordering a few to remain with their weapons, leading the others quickly along under Herot's steep roof into Hrothgar's presence.” (173-235).Beowulf wanted to prove that he was an awesome leader and warrior and that he would do anything for hrothgar and lead the geats and provide complete safety and stay loyal to all of the land. As a result Beowulf did prove his strengths and battles grendel by himself. ”his claws had been caught, he was trapped.” (320-330). Beowulf promised to fight Grendel and so he did. HIm and the geats were in the hall and while sleeping , Beowulf waited for grendel to attack and when he did , Beowulf showed great strength by bending Grendel's claws backwards proving how unnaturally strong he really was. Throughout the story ,there is many values Beowulf takes with him and because of his family and what has led him to be such a great king he wants the next to do the same. “You're the last of our far-flung family.”(831-842). A successful king was well respected and he had achieved many fights. At his death bed Beowulf gives all of his fame to Wiglaf , the only loyal man that stayed with him . All of the riches and gold were gave into Wiglaf's life along with the pressure to lead a army as great as Beowulf.Wiglaf took on the pressure and hopes to keep the remembrance of his king well known and hopes he will live up to his expectations. “ and the riches he and wiglaf had won from the dragon,rings,necklaces,ancient,hammered armor--all the treasures they'd taken were left there, too, Silver and jewels buried in the sandy ground,back in the earth,again and forever hidden and useless to men.”(849-855).Beowulf's last wish was that a wall were to be built,Beowulf's tower, around the lake so his fame could be remembered and a well known remembrance of the great king that fled the lands .

The importance of both lof and comitatus were used and remembered throughout Beowulf. These pagan values are well respected, without them , the characters in the poem wouldn't be complete and we couldn't feel or understand what they did. Reading Beowulf you can see the relation to the Bible but you can also pick out these values in different ways in the world today. That companionship is very important in just about every aspect of a human being and as much as people love the fame or to be honored , sometimes that fails to be seen and results in lack of that comitatus. The saying “money is the root of all evil” is very accurate. People rely on the fame and money so much that sometimes they forget what really is meaningful in their lives. At Least in today's world that is. In conclusion, more people need to be like Beowulf and let the idea of fame and comitatus inspire them.