Examples Of Ethos In Beowulf

The period in time that we refer to today as Old-English constitutes The Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf is the most well-known example to the general public; it depicts the Pagan views of violence and bloodshed interconnecting with the battle of Beowulf and the monstrous Grendel to create imagery of the Christian ethic of Good vs. Evil. This time in history, known as Old English, constitutes the heroic ethos. The heroic idiom represents three core values, God, community and fighting. Both the poems Beowulf and Battle of Maldon exemplify the meaning of the heroic ethos, both poems deal with defending their community by fighting and thanking God for allowing them to obtain victory or die a noble death in the process. However, while the hero is glorified his housecarls appear to be the ones suffering the most from the actions of the hero.

Looking first at the conduction of warfare, The Battle of Maldon tells of a battle fought off the coast of Essex between a pillaging Viking war band and the Anglo-Saxon defenders led by Earl Byrhtnoth. The Anglo-Saxon’s fierce defense embodies one of the three mechanics of the heroic ethos, defense of the community. “While there was no standing army during the Anglo-Saxon time, the men were expected to perform in service of the military. Often it was the ceorl, a low

For Beowulf the violence allows for him and others, such as King Hrothgar, to attain glory and fame which in turn intimidates their neighbors into a state of prolonged peace. Violence also stops violence when Beowulf kills Grendel and Grendel’s mother, and as violence begets more violence as seen with the Fight at Finnsburg in the end. Maldon shows the effects of Byrhtnoth’s “over-confidence” (Maldon, page 3) as leading to the defeat of the Anglo-Saxon force; his violence begets more violence by endangering the surrounding communities from further Scandinavian