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Shield vs. the Vikings - Caroline Tucker

 Wow. 

That was really all I could think while reading Beowulf. I really enjoyed reading it. I do not know if it is because it was a light fun read compared to everything else we have read this semester or it is because it is a really cool story. Either way, we will find out as we keep reading.

There were multiple questions and thoughts I had while reading but I am only going to focus on one. In the beginning of the poem, when it was describing Shield’s funeral, the “burial” process reminded me of Viking burials. In Beowulf, Shield’s body is placed in a boat with treasures and his armor. If my memory is correct, the Vikings would do the same with their beloved leaders. They would bury them in their ship with their battle gear, treasures, and I want to say their animals and maybe their family. I might be getting confused with the Ancient Egyptians. I believe that what was done in Beowulf is the same as what the Vikings did except for one major difference. In Beowulf, Shield is sent out onto the waters as his “crossing over into the Lord’s keeping” (27). This is different because the Vikings would bury the ship with the dead inside. 

Did you notice that the reading felt like you were reading about Viking type people? 


P.s. I commented on Haylee Lynd’s and Brooke’s posts.

Comments

  1. Brooke HutchesonFebruary 15, 2021 at 2:10 PM

    I do not know how the Vikings buried their people, but Egyptians buried their personal belongings and pets with themselves. In the mummification process, Egyptians actually took out all of their organs and only left the heart. They believed the heart was needed to go to the after life since it was seen like the core of a human being (I think it was seen like a soul).

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  2. ClaboFebruary 15, 2021 at 3:07 PM

    I agree with you, the burial scene definitely did remind me of a Viking burial. Typically Vikings were laid in a boat with treasures and their weapons and either someone set fire to the boat and pushed it out into the water, or the group of Vikings would shoot fire arrows at the boat once it was out in the water. I think Egyptians were berried with, not only treasures, but their servants as well. I am not sure, however, if either were buried with their families.

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  3. Addison ZandaFebruary 15, 2021 at 8:10 PM

    Definitely not something I would've thought of with the Vikings. I really like the comparison you made between Beowulf and the Vikings. I never knew how the Vikings were buried so thank you for the miniature history lesson! As for the Egyptians, I do remember from 8th grade how they were prepped for burial and how they were buried with belongings that were significant to them. Great post!

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  4. Haylee LyndFebruary 15, 2021 at 9:25 PM

    I'm not gonna lie but I thought this post was gonna be about Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D lol.

    I did not think a whole lot about the connection to the vikings, but I did think about how honored he was as a leader and how well he was spoken of. I thought of how much it contrasts to the way our leaders are spoken of today, specifically in politics. We've kind of lost all honor in that area.

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  5. Emma Kate PattersonFebruary 16, 2021 at 12:03 AM

    I like how you were able to relate Beowulf to something else outside of the book. I think it is great when you are able to connect the text you are reading to other text you have read in the past.

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