Anglo-Saxon Poetry Essay Example

Anglo-Saxon poetry mainly revolves around the ideals of bravery, fate, allegiance to your lord or king, religion, and the love for glory in a ruling motive. The poems Beowulf, The Wanderer, and The Wife’s Lament all exemplify these Anglo-Saxon ideals. Beowulf has many examples of trust between leaders and soldiers and respect for the hierarchy, while The Wanderer and The Wife’s Lament both talk about God and the importance of having trust in the Lord.

We get told to respect the elderly, respect the ones that are above us, which is exactly how the Anglo-Saxon period was like. In the second section of the poem title “Beowulf”, it states, “Now go to him as you are, in your armor and helmets, /but leave your battle-shields here, and your spears, /let them lie waiting for the promises your words/may make.” (131-134) Wiglaf tells Beowulf and his men to leave their weapons behind as a sign of respect to the king, as he is no threat to them. Respect for the hierarchy was big in Anglo-Saxon times. You needed to know your place back then and make sure you stayed there. With respect comes trust in one another, knowing that someone has your back when needed. Beowulf had trust in his men when he went to battle the fire-breathing dragon, but it seems as though he was wrong. The section called “Beowulf’s Last Battle”, mentions, “None of his comrades/came to him, helped him, his brave and noble/followers; they ran for their lives, fled/deep into the wood. And only one of them/remained, stood there, miserable, remembering, /as a good man must, what kinship should mean.” (691-696) The importance of trust during this period was above all. There was a tremendous amount of killing and the king and leaders needed to know that their soldiers wouldn't back down from a fight. Beowulf’s comrades fled in fear while he was struggling for his life. Not to mention, Beowulf is old now, he can’t fight the way he used to. The one loyal comrade shows how the others disrespected and dishonored Beowulf. After the battle with the dragon, Beowulf passed away. His last wish was to have a tower built at the edge of the water so that sailors could see it and remember his name. In the last section titled “Mourning Beowulf”, it discloses, “And then twelve of the bravest Geats/rode their horses around the tower, /telling their sorrow, telling stories/of their dead king and his greatness, his glory, /praising him for heroic deeds, for a life/as noble as his name.” (884-889) The Geats are respecting Beowulf’s wishes and his legacy by living on his name so that people centuries from now will know how great of a king he was.

Religion also played a vital role in Anglo-Saxon society and literature. The Wanderer is a lonely man who loses all of his friends and his comrades that goes out in exile, hence why the title of the poem. It states, “It’s good to find your grace/in God, the heavenly rock where rests our every hope.” (112-113) Giving your life to God and having trust in him is valuable because religion holds all the hope in the world. God will guide you in the right direction as long as you have faith in him. In other cases, it seems as though God has misled others. In The Wife’s Lament, a woman is exiled to the woods after being separated from her husband. She feels as though God went against her and her vow to marriage. It mentions, “Blithe was our bearing often we vowed/that but death alone would part us two/naught else.” (21-23) Marriage was often seen as a lifetime relationship established by God. He betrayed her, abandoning her and their commitments.

In closing, religion, trust, and respect were key ideals in the Anglo-Saxon period. Respect for your leaders and the ones who have passed was crucial in their society. Having trust in one another was also critical when it came to having each other's back in battle. Lastly, your relationship with God was significant to the way you would live your day-to-day life, having the bond vital in their community.