“How many times have my men, sworn to stay after dark, and stem that horror with a sweep of their swords, and then, in the morning, this mead-hall glittering” . Seamus Heaney’s book, Beowulf, is a story about a heroic world and is centered around the Mead Hall. The Mead Hall is a place for commerce, government, and honor; it is here the loyal fighters pledge their trust and strength to Hrothgar and in return, he honors them with the best gifts and only the best food, then they all wash their meals down with mead, a strong alcoholic drink made of honey. Making the Mead Hall the most important structure because of what it signifies, what it represents, and what it reflects about the people during the Anglo-Saxon time.
Although Beowulf is based
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on events that happened in the Anglo-Saxon time, Mead Halls existed between the Fifth Century and lasted into Medieval Times. With archeology, there is an explanation of how mead halls may have appeared in Anglo-Saxon times in an existent form. The history behind the Mead Hall starts with architects and builders who would have been respected members of Anglo-Saxon society and who the King trusted most. Slaves were not worth enough to be a part of the making of the Mead Hall. The structure of the Mead Hall was simple and the most significant area that the hall had, at the end of the main area and opposite from the door; the ruler had set his throne inside of the center so that anyone who was entering would immediately be evident to him. The ruler and his people considered the hall their most important building. Here by the king’s throne, warriors pledged their loyalty to the king, and he, in turn, presented them with gifts, food, and most importantly, Mead. The Hall was also considered to be a place of fun and entertainment. Drinking Mead and boasting about themselves and how great their immediate society was filled their time inside. There was a great importance of loyalty, bravery, generosity in the early era of Sweden. The morality of the fighters’ lifestyle that they portrayed in this era is seen by Beowulf, who takes the roll of being a hero and to defeat Hrothgar. Then the people who were ruled under Hrothgar honor and thank Beowulf when he becomes their hero and saves them all from the terrors of monsters and especially Grendel. This is one of the most important things that surrounded the Mead Hall. The loyalty and the bonds between the King and his people were formed there and were practiced and upheld in that same place when gold rings were exchanged from Hrothgar to his people, that was a lifelong promise of trust and loyalty. Even Beowulf, the ultimate hero at his time gave respect to everyone else by saying, “A warrior will sooner/die than live a life of shame” he will not rest his loyalty until he dies defending his beloved home. This loyalty is something that shaped everyone’s life during the Anglo-Saxon era. Their Hall symbolized the power and the trust they had for each other “….no Shielding elder would believe there was any power or person on earth capable of wrecking their horn-rigged hall…”.
These horns that Beowulf talks about are symbolic because of the fight he must endure against Grendel. The fight that Beowulf has with Grendel shows the physical death of him but also symbolizes the death and rebirth of monster and man, like the rebirth that is placed when you exchange your loyalty inside of the Mead Hall. You are reborn to serve not only the King but yourself and your whole community. This structure is what signified Heorot from others. Without this wooden building, Heorot would be stripped of every value and ethical right that would be molded between each citizen in that …show more content…
community. The Mead Hall was not built for men to get drunk but was built on the symbolism of prosperity and strength in Hrothgar’s kingdom.
The time that these men shared was during a dark and cold era, and Grendel was there to form trust, strength, and cheer in a place where nothing seemed safe or trustworthy. The people of Heorot respect the Mead Hall so much because it is their way of life, it is the center of all of their social events and it is where they spend most of their time. The whole idea of a Mead Hall is for socialization and community, with this comes trust and loyalty, all which is formed, built, and practiced inside of those walls. Heorot is a symbol of wealth, power, order and even security, those reflect in the values of the people who are unified together by the hall. It is in the Mead Hall that achievements by the Scyldings are celebrated and the heathens show their level of civilization to its’ fullest. There is light and joy in Heorot that outweighs the morbid, dark and cold swap of Grendel. It is not until the Dragon comes to destroy Heorot that the reader finds out how much the Mead Hall means to the people in the
community. When the Dragon comes, he comes with fire blazing “The dragon began to belch out flames and burn bright homesteads; there was a hot glow that scared everyone…. (the dragon) would leave nothing alive in his wake” destroying.the very center of the Heorots value The Scyldings literally see the most important thing, that held so much trust burn to the ground as they watch helplessly, thoughts and doubts come with those. Although the Mead Hall seems to just be a building, there is emotion and blood shed by the brotherhood of these people that is no longer there. There is nothing that connected them as one anymore and they are no longer a higher society with order, and thus comes conflict and warfare. The lower-class fights to become in esteemed places in their society, Hrothgar begins to take the strategy of order Heorot once had and use it to become a more powerful leader. And all Beowulf can do is sit in his tree, safely, and watch chaos brew from the same people that he shared the beloved drink of Mead with. The Mead Hall was the most important thing to these people and without it, it seems that life wasn’t worth living. “Now the people’s pride and love, the lord of the Geats, is laid on his deathbed, brought down by the dragons attack….”. The Mead Hall provided confidence, valor, order and a brotherhood, and the second it was taken away, the values went burning down alongside the structure. Without Heorot there would not be a Beowulf, and without Beowulf, there would not be a society of Scyldings to win battles, and come together to celebrate what they, and their Mead Hall held so triumphantly.
So, Grendel is the victim of God's vengeance against Cain and all of his descendants. When he attacks the mead hall, it's like he is avenging the life he never was to have: laughing, being giddy, and celebrating life. Every night for a decade, any man sleeping in Heorot at night became a victim to Grendel's vengence.
Upon arrival at the mead hall, Grendel notices the door is much to small for him to enter through it easily. This does not make him happy because it happens everywhere he goes in the little human towns. So he squeezes his shoulders through the small opening and manages to ask the man at the nearest table what was going on. The man, being exhausted from his own celebrations, was to tired to even notice the beast standing over him. Monsters of Grendel's type are not used to be ignored and see it as disrespectful and so do not like to be ignored. Which is why Grendel pulled his head from the doorway and reached his claw in to snatch up unsuspecting man. Everyone else in the room was too busy to even notice the man being lifted from his place behind his drink. With the first man out of the way, Grendel decided to try a different approach. Again, scrunching himself down partway through the door, Grendel looked for someone to tell him what was going on. He cleared his throat and said with a rough, gravelly voice, "Excuse me!" No one noticed. So he said it louder, "Excuse me!" A few heads turned. After a number of astonished gasps, more turned to see. Detecting he was now the center of attention, Grendel asked what they were all doing making so much noise so late at night. The men only stared at him. So he asked more simply and slowly, not knowing if they were intelligent or not, "What are you doing?" The only response this time was an echoed "Get him!" This surprised Grendel because they seemed to say it in unison. He jumped slightly and hit his head on the doorway. He stood up and rubbed his head and knocked over a horse and its cart with his foot.
After being introduced to Heorot, the new mead hall the reader becomes acquainted with Grendel, “Grendel was the name of this grim demon / haunting the marches, marauding around the heath / and the desolate fens; he has dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, / Cain’s clan, whom the creator had outlawed / and condemned as outcast” (Heaney 9/100). Through this first encounter with Grendel, the reader learns that he has been haunting and marauding uncivilized lands up to this point with other monsters, because he appears directly after the introduction of the new mead hall it can be assumed that he has found a new place to haunt. Grendel along with the other monsters who are thought to have patrolled the area are referred to as Cain’s clan referring to the Old Testament story about Cain and Able, the sons of Adam and Eve. In the story, Cain kills Able out of jealousy and is condemned by God. Murder is considered an irrational and radical act, and the comparison of Grendel to the “first murderer” project these characteristics onto him. Later, after Grendel’s second attack on the mead hall the Danes realize that the attack
“the corners of the earth were made lovely...so Hrothgar’s men lived happily in his hall”. It displays a contrast between the warriors which associate with light and monster which associate with darkness. Moreover, it says, “That shadow of death hunted in darkness.” which is saying that Grendel only hunted at night, in darkness. When daylight comes there is nothing but warrior's blood which is also associated with light. There is another example of the contradistinction between light and darkness. Grendel kills all of the warriors in Hrothgar but “he never dared to touch king Hrothgar’s glorious throne, protected by God”. Because the throne is represented light which Grendel hatred and also scared. This is something he never touched and felt before because he was born in darkness and was represented evil. Hereafter, a battle is coming.
Beowulf is a hero that shows honor respect and courage. In lines 710-1007 is where the battle with Grendel happened. Thinking of the destruction that he will get, Grendel bursts into Heorot. Grendel tears the door from its hinges with his hands and quickly becomes a Geatish warrior while Beowulf carefully looks around. When Grendel reaches out to pick Beowulf up, he is surprised to find his arm gripped with a strength than he never knew could even happen. Confused and frightened Grendel doesn’t want to run back to the safety of the swamplands. He tries to escape, but Beowulf wrestles him down to the ground. The crash around the hall, making noise on the walls and smashing the mead-benches. Grendel begins to panic in pain and fear; the sound
He is described as a monster, demon, and a fiend. Grendel has swift, hard claws, and enormous teeth that snatch the life out of his victims, which are numerous. This “shadow of death” not only kills; he drinks the blood of his prey. His forefather, Cain, was also known for this fiendish act. Just as Grendel is an outcast, so Cain was cast out of the Garden of Eden. To the Anglo-Saxons, the worst crime a person could commit was the crime of fratricide, the killing of one’s own brother. Their society and culture was structured around themes of brotherhood and kinship. The mead Hall, Herot, was a symbol of peace. It was a place where warriors gathered in a spirit of brotherhood and harmony to celebrate. Grendel was jealous and enraged by the festivities and the sound of laughter that he kept hearing while he was alone in his mere.
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.
Having a good and noble king is vital to the succession and happiness of a group of people. Unfortunately, not all kings are good kings, but the welfare of their people reflects on their ability to do the job. Having a foreign or pariah king will cause the people's welfare to suffer, but when a group of people has an excellent king, they will remain joyful and prosperous until the day he dies.
Hrothgar and the Danes hold a celebration after they finished of their new mead hall, named Heorot. During the celebration Grendel, a monster in the swamps, hears the loud cheers of the Danes singing and chanting as the festivities take place. Grendel becomes furious from
The first and most notable similarity is drinking. King Hrothgar built a giant mead-hall, namely Heorot, to accommodate his celebrations. Throughout Beowulf it can be seen that celebrations of any kind are always accompanied by drinking. Drinking is just present today as it was thousands of years ago. People today always include drinking in their celebrations, whether it be a birthday, anniversary, or marriage. Heorot is nothing more than a tremendous bar. The festivities of the warriors in Beowulf’s time can be seen every night in any local bar or pub.
Mead halls play a vital role in Beowulf. Mead halls were large buildings with a single large room in the center, and who's primary purpose was to gather men in fellowship and in ceremonies. When a king decided to make a mead hall, it meant that the times were good, and so it was a symbol of there power and wealth.
Every culture has many stories and poems to represent what they believe in, and what they look for in a hero. The heroes written in these stories and myths are brave, and are leaders. However, every hero comes with a flaw or two. The epic poem Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, has an extraordinary hero named Beowulf. Beowulf was a hero to the Anglo-Saxons which were fierce warriors who fought a lot. Beowulf fights many brutal monsters and threats in his days, but the most barbaric of them all is the inside threat within him. Beowulf had a big ego, and focused more on creating a name for himself than thinking about the real risks ahead. Two of his major battles that he faced along with his internal peril was against the dragon, and the beast Grendel.
The first passage of this story basically describes the building of Heorot. Hrothgar, decides to build a Valhalla-type of sanctuary for his warriors that he names "Heorot", or the Hall of the Hart (deer hall). This is in the first main passage of the story of Beowulf and this is the first place we find the theme of internal versus external evil. The passage implies that internal evil will ultimately destroy the hall, rather than being attacked by monsters: "The hall stood tall, high and wide-gabled: it would wait fierce flames of vengeful fire: the time was not yet at hand for sword-hate between son-in-law and father-in-law to awaken after murderous rage. "(Norton 28) This foreshadows the internal evil that will destroy the Danes. Another theme in this story is the theme of men versus monsters. This theme comes to light when Grendel is described: "The creature of evil, grim and fierce, was quickly ready, savage and cruel, and seized from their rest thirty thanes".(Norton 28)
Beowulf, one of the greatest heroic tales, opens with a historical account of the Danes, followed by the introduction of its first monster, Grendel. This section of verse, from lines 88-144, acquaint us with the demon and his first series of attacks on Heorot. The passage of Grendel’s introduction works within Beowulf by introducing complex themes and a complex antagonist. Other facets of this passage such as context, versification, point of view, figurative language, character, and theme are all important to consider when assessing the purpose of the passage within the poem as a whole. The content and context of this passage...
However pagan and Christian elements are balanced in the poem’s final pages creating an adequate ending. Before Beowulf leaves to fight the dragon, he gives one last speech, announcing, “[he] shall win the gold / by my courage, or else mortal combat, / doom of battle, will bear your lord away” (2535-2537). Beowulf accepts that he might die battling the dragon, without any bitterness, which is a common pagan element. Pagan beliefs are mostly pessimistic because pagans believe that fame is the only guarantee to immortal life. Another example of this pagan theme is mentioned in the same passage with Christian themes during Beowulf’s last words: “To the everlasting Lord of All, / to the King of Glory, I give thanks / … Order my troop to construct a barrow / … / It will loom on the horizon at Hronesness / and be a reminder among my people" (2794-2805). Beowulf gives thanks to God and asks to be buried in a tomb, a common Christian tradition, rather than the typical pagan funeral which was described in the beginning of the poem during Shield Sheafson 's funeral. In addition to Christian beliefs, this passage also includes pagan ideals. Beowulf wanted his barrow, or burial mound, to be visible to all his people so that they could remember him, which is a pagan element, the belief that fame was the only guarantee to immortality. The balance between Christian and pagan principles at