Similarities Between Coolio And Beowulf

The viking virtues were all a set of ideals that the vikings would have to live up to and if they lived up to these virtues and death greets them they would be ascended to the afterlife Valhalla. The poem, Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel, is about a man named Beowulf that travels very far away from his main land to help the king of Denmark , Hrothgar, to get rid of a terrible monster named Grendel. The song “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio is about a man that tells his story about how his life works on the streets. Beowulf and the narrator of the song both share the same viking virtues within both of these writings.

Beowulf and the man from the song both have the same virtue for wanting loyalty. “Listening, the famous ring giver sure,/ At last, that Grendel could be killed; he believed/ In Beowulf’s bold strength and the firmness of his/ Spirit”(608). Beowulf used his words to convince Hrothgar that he can kill Grendel. He swayed

him and his people that you should entrust him with their lives. In the rap song, the narrator reads, “ Look at this situation they got me facin’/ I can't live a normal life, I was raised by the streets/So I gotta be down with the hood team”(15). He got caught up in a gang. He always had shown his loyalty to the group to keep his placement so he must've done things that no one else would've done to show that he was able to do it. Beowulf wants loyalty that was righteously deserved by tasks that was to help others while the narrator of the rap song showed his loyalty by doing evil deeds for the gang that he was in.
Beowulf and the narrator of the song also share the virtue or being cruel.

“ No Dane doubted/ The victory, for the proof, hanging high from the rafters where Beowulf had hung it, was the monster’s/ Arm, claw and shoulder and all” (835). Beowulf was being excessive when he won the fight Grendel. Hanging up Grendel’s arm was just to have bragging rights about how awesome Beowulf is and how he killed him. In the song, the narrator says, “ I’m a loc’d out gangsta set trippin’ banger/ And my homies is down so don't arouse my anger, fool” (21). He’s saying that if you mess with him or any of his friends you are going to be killed. He has a lot more violent tendencies when he is with his people but he seems to be a very disturbed person either way. Beowulf was showing his cruelty towards a monster that was killing Hrothgar's men to show that it was dead and was never coming back whereas the only reason for the narrator is that he just wants to show off towards his gang and he doesn't care how he can do that even if it involves hurting

others.
Beowulf and the narrator share another virtue with the concept of wyrd. “ With my hands empty- unless his heart/ Fails him, seeing a soldier waiting/ Weaponless, unafraid. Let God in His wisdom/ Extend His hand where He wills, reward/ Whom He chooses!”(683). He understands that he doesn't know if he is going to win or not all he understands is that he must do this to save the people. He knows this isn't his choice though but by the will of God that will decide the winner. In the song, the narrator reads, “ I’m living life, do or die, what can I say”(24). He understands how his life is gonna go down and that his path isn't going to be pretty. He knows that death is inevitable so he chooses to face it. Beowulf is using the concept of wyrd to show that he isn't afraid to meet death no matter the cost. However the narrator of the song is using the concept of wyrd to show that what he does with this gang is going to result in him getting killed.
Beowulf and the narrator are both people that follow the path of the viking virtues. However when they are shown off by these two people, they both use these virtues differently than the other uses them.