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The lineage of civilization... // Ian Blair

     The first part of Beowulf really painted a picture that the people of the age were looking for a hero that would personify the virtues that they wanted society to aim for. Much like the Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians before them, the people of the medieval era really seem to have been trying their hand at establishing a lore of the world around them. The virtues promoted include a sense of "honor" that is oddly based off fairness rather than might or glory.

    This sense of honor is explained when Beowulf begins a boast to Hrothgar and his company, and really sets the scene for the absolute brawl that would later break out between him and Grendel. After taking his armor off, he explains his viewpoint on the fight:

"When it comes to fighting, I count myself as dangerous any day as Grendel. So it won't be a cutting edge I'll wield to mow him down, easily as I might. He has no idea of the arts of war, of shield or sword-play, although he does possess a wild strength. No weapons, therefore, for either this night: unarmed he shall face me if face me he dares. . ." (Heaney, 47).

Making things fair in a fight versus a creature of demonic origin may not sound like a good idea to me or you in today's society, but this was actually a fairly common practice in duels and competitions like jousts. What Beowulf shows here more than anything else is a reverence to the supreme creator of the world. In other words, he demonstrates his faith in the Lord by leaving the outcome of the fight to the creator's will, a virtue valued in heroes such as Achilles and Aeneas by the Greeks and Romans respectively. This leads me to a conclusion drawn from both what we have learned from this semester so far, and from last semester's readings: A civilization must, typically, draw inspiration for its stories, lore, and its culture from its predecessors if it has no other apparent basis to go off of. 


p.s. I commented on Emma Kate's and Clabo's posts.

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