The mead-hall, Heorot, functions as a synecdoche throughout the story Beowulf, representing the warrior culture of the Scandinavians. It is used as a tool by the authors to criticize the flaws of the Nordic culture while emphasizing the superiority of Christianity. In the poem, the main character, the warrior Beowulf, is tasked with liberating the great mead-hall, Heorot, from the mighty demon known as Grendel—a task in which he is successful. However, the way the mead-hall portrays the Anglo-Saxon’s warrior culture, presents it in a light which glorifies battle as well as loyalty and kinship, but alternatively condemns many other aspects of the Anglo-Saxon way of life such as personal pride.
Beowulf is an epic poem dated by experts between the eighth and eleventh century AD. It has a rich background and story which continue to endure in contemporary culture. Similar to a large portion of Anglo-Saxon poetry, the author or authors of the work are unknown. Set in Scandinavia, it is viewed by most scholars as an important work of Anglo-Saxon literature. The poem tells a heroic story and history of nations, likely recited for many centuries by scops before its eventual recounting onto manuscripts. Multiple modern renditions of the poem exist such as stage and screen plays, as well as comics and even a videogame, suggesting that this poem has kept its appeal to modern generations, most likely through the characteristic glorification of heroics and violence, which are still common in today’s society.
It is believed that Heorot was placed on a hill (Herben, 934). The position gave the hall, “the power to evoke particular connotations of comitatus ideals” (Garner Par. 3). If the hall is indeed intended to be a symbol of the warrior cultu...
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...ebration of its construction is even completed, we are told that Heorot will eventually suffer 'ladan liges' [hateful flames]” (Garner Par.14). The fact that they glory of the warrior culture present in Beowulf, symbolized by Heorot, is clearly destine to fall to flames, the audience is intended to draw the same conclusion about the culture as a whole.
Bibliography
Beowulf. Trans. Seamus Heaney. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Gen. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. 9th ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 41-108. Print.
Garner, Loei A. "Returning to Heorot: Beowulf 's Famed Hall and Its Modern Incarnations." Parergon 27.2 (2010): 157-81. Gale Acedemic One File. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. .
Herben, Stephen J., Jr. "Heorot." PLMA 50.4 (1935): 933-45. JSTOR. Web. 3 Nov. 2013. .
Frank, Roberta. “The Beowulf Poet’s Sense of History.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
Clark, Gorge. “The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Clark, Gorge. “The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
The epic Beowulf is one of the oldest poems written in English. According to the Norton Anthology, "the poem was composed more the twelve hundred years ago, in the first half of the eight century. Its author may have been a native of what was Mercia, the Midlands of England today, although the late tenth-century manuscript , which alone preserves the poem, originated in the south in the kingdom of the West Saxons" (Norton 21). Although the poem is of English origin, it speaks of tribes (the Danes and the Geats) that are from the "Danish island of Zealand and southern Sweden respectively" (Norton 22). The main character, Beowulf, demonstrates that he is a warrior who places heroism and bravery over his own well-being and life. Beowulf is a hero and an example of a great warrior. His actions give us a good example of the pagan warrior mentality. The pagan society is a warrior society, in which courage and bravery are extremely prevalent. Beowulf fights against monsters and dragons, and he would rather die in battle, then anywhere else. Beowulf is called upon to help defeat Grendel, who is a monster that has taken over the hall of Heorot. He is greeted with great hospitality. Hrothgar, the King of Denmark, is relived to see Beowulf. There is some skepticism by Unferth, who recalls a fight in which Beowulf lost in Battle. Unferth is wrong, and Beowulf says this great line: "fate often saves an undoomed man when his courage is good." Beowulf defeats Grendel with great ease and the people of the hall are gracious to Beowulf.
Anonymous. “Beowulf.” Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. Seamus Heaney, trans. New York: W.W. Norton &Company Ltd. 2001. 2-213. Print.
Beowulf. Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Expanded Edition Volume 1. ED. Maynard Mack et al. New York: Norton, 1995. 1546-1613.
Beowulf. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, Volume A. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 2006. 34-100.
Beowulf begins with a history of the Danish kings. Hrothgar is the present king of the Danes. He builds a hall, called Heorot, to house his army. The Danish soldiers gather under its roof to celebrate and have fellowship with each other. Grendel, who lives at the bottom of a nearby swamp, is awakened and disgusted by the singing of Hrothgar's men. He comes to the hall late one night and kills thirty of the warriors in their sleep. For the next twelve years Grendel stalks the mead hall known as Heorot.
Tolkien, J.R.R.. “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
To begin, the setting of where Beowulf and Grendel live, are very distinct. Beowulf creates a lavish hall, called Heorot, to house his army of men, when the hall is finished the Danish warriors gather together
Heorot, the mead-hall, represents a big part of the culture of the Danes, because it is where the people eat, celebrate, and where many great stories are told. It symbolizes the might and power of the Spear-Danes under Hrothgar, since it is the largest mead-hall in the world. It is also a seat of government, and is where the first battle takes place. Contrary to Grendel’s cave, it represents light and happiness, the ‘heart’ of the Danes.
Unknown. "Beowulf."The Norton Anthology of English Literture. 8th Eddition. Volume 1.Eds. Stephen Greenblatt, Etal. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006
he might suffer are high. “The hero comes to Heorot” (Beowulf lines 188-189) the similarity in
Beowulf, written between the 8th and 10th centuries, is an epic poem set in southern Sweden. The poem illustrates the Anglo-Saxon’s strong belief in the heroic code. The loyalty between the warrior and his king bound the culture together. The warrior was the ultimate hero who represented strength and courage. Beowulf, the hero in the poem, illustrates the Germanic principles of the heroic code. Through the battles and character interactions, Beowulf converges loyalty, strength, courage and forgiveness into the hero archetype.
Heorot is a drinking hall, where warriors gather for parties and to get drunk. Heorot is a creation of civilization made by Hrothgar, for men to gather as a meeting place and a place to sleep. Hrothgar builds the biggest hall ever made. Grendel then attacks the hall for twelve winters straight, destroying more and more men every night with no remorse, and the men are afraid to sleep in the hall, thinking that maybe Grendel will eat them. Grendel is a ruthless caniball: "I think that if he may accomplish it, unafraid he will feed on the folk of the Geats in the war-hall as he has often done on the flower of men."(Norton 32-33) Grendel is a savage, and he ruthlessly eats his victims. The Hall Heorot is a drinking hall, and most of the warriors stand no chance against Grendel. They are drunk and are not able to attack Grendel.