Beowulf And Norse Mythology Essay, Research Paper
The Norse World
In Beowulf, many beliefs had to make with Norse mythology, from the manner they buried their dead to their ideas on war and force. In Norse mythology, a individual? s award depends on the manner they die ; a hero proves himself by deceasing while contending the forces of immorality, non by suppressing it. ( Hamilton, 444 ) . Beowulf becomes a hero by deceasing while contending the firedrake. In most faiths, Mythology is used to explicate the universe in which a individual lives. For the Anglo-Saxons, the universe was filled with war and force. Norse mythology explains the universe, and justifies the sort of people that they are. The Gods and goddesses live in a hostile environment filled with war and force. As Yves Cohat said, “ Viking Gods ( Norse Gods ) , like the persons who created them, were violent, fervent, and passionate. They displayed the qualities the Vikings valued in themselves-brutality, choler, lecherousness, wit, strength and craft. ” ( Cohat, 105 ) . Inevitably the whole faith every bit good as the people who practiced it are doomed to devastation.
The Gods were created by their worshippers, and were hence really much like the Norsemen. The Gods and worlds had really close dealingss and were even thought of as comrades ( Cohat 10 ) . No 1 had complete control over the other. If a God did non execute to a worshippers outlook, so the homo would non keep back, but turn off from the God, abuse him, or even kill the priest involved! This made the Gods even more like the worlds ; they had to worry about delighting the people who worshiped them, and what might go on if they did non execute to outlook.
In the Norse pantheon, Odin is the God of war and cognition. He is the caput God, and leader of everyone. He is the wisest of all the Gods ( hypertext transfer protocol: //www.anglo-saxon ) . On each shoulder sat a Corvus corax, one named Thought ( Hugin ) and the other Memory ( Munin ) . All twenty-four hours they would wing around deriving cognition, and so came back to Odin declaiming everything they had come across. He did anything to obtain cognition ; one time in exchange for cognition, he gave one of his eyes to the elephantine Mimir. Human forfeits were besides portion of his worshiping. “ It was believed that the God one time hung on a gallows, wounded with the push of a lance, and therefore gained wisdom. ” ( hypertext transfer protocol: /www.angol-saxon ) . This was after the crucifixion of Christ, and much of this belief likely came from the Christian faith. So alternatively of Odin hanging, some of his worshippers were hung, and he or one of his Corvus coraxs would travel and seek the adult male & # 8217 ; s cognition.
Thor was the favourite God of the people, and was most like them. He was besides highly strong ( Davidson, 59 ) . His choice ownership was his cock, Mojollnir, which he would utilize against enemies. His other ownerships consisted of a belt which made him stronger when it was worn ; his baseball mitts, which allowed him to oppress stones, and his chariot lead by caprine animals. He was so of import to the people because he would protect them organize immorality. He would sit across the sky with his cock in his chariot, protecting everyone from giants, monsters and other enemies.
Thor? s cock was the most of import hoarded wealth: it was used to protect the people and Gods against their enemies. The cock was made of gold, and the lone defect was in the grip ; it was somewhat unfinished, and a spot excessively short. In the myth, the cock was given to Thor by his enemy Loki. In a arch act, Loki had cut off the hair of Sif, Thor? s married woman ( Davidson 67 ) . So to save his ain life, Loki repaid Thor by happening two midget to do Sif new hair from gold. He besides had them make three hoarded wealths, one for Odin, one for Freyn, and the cock for Thor. The cock was made to be thrown at a peculiar point, hit it, and return the proprietor? s manus. Still contemning Thor, Loki tried to destroy the midget & # 8217 ; s work by biting him in the oculus. The midget was non able to complete the grip of the cock, and it was left short. “ In malice of this, ( the shortened grip ) it was declared by the Gods to be the finest of all the hoarded wealths. ” ( Davidson 67 ) .
Supreme beings were ever combating other Gods and enemies ; even from the creative activity narrative, Gods were portrayed as violent. In this subdivision of the creative activity narrative, Odin and his brothers were
angry with the hoar giants, and about succeeded in destructing the full race:
“ Odin and his two brothers quarreled with the old elephantine Ymir and after a great conflict they killed him. When he fell, hacked to pieces, so much blood flooded organize his organic structure that all his elephantine household was drowned? The boies of Bor went to work on Ymir? s organic structure. They pounded, kneaded, chopped and slashed his enormous cadaver, forcing and drawing his flesh this manner and that as though it were clay until they were satisfied. ” ( Branston 20 )
This is what the worshippers of these Gods believed in. Even from the beginning of their faith, they gave luxuriant descriptions of Gods killing enemies.
The Gods were ever threatened by their enemies and other forces. In Norse mythology, there are nine separate universes ( Cohat 113 ) . Asgard is the kingdom of the Gods and goddesses, and Midgard is the kingdom of the worlds. Many of the other kingdoms are endangering to Midgard ; places of giants, snakes, and other enemies are ever ready to assail Midgard. The kingdom that supports the full universe is Utgard ; it is held by a snake who, if let free, will destruct the full existence. Supreme beings and goddesses are non truly immortal ; they can decease, and will decease merely like other worlds. The Gods know that they will decease, and the Ragnarok ( the anticipation of the terminal of the universe ) will finally come. Odin? s occupation is to derive as much cognition as possible, and prolong the devastation of the universe ( Hamilton, 455 ) .
The Ragnarok, the devastation of the universe, is a twenty-four hours everyone apprehension. The marks that it will be coming are: foremost there will be a universe war, multitudes of people killing friends, neighbours, and even household members. Next will be the Fimbul winter, where there will be three winters in a row, with no summer in between. Loki and Fennir, ( evil wolves who were bound because of their size and evilness ) will interrupt free and fix to contend the Gods. They will garner with an ground forces signifier the Hel kingdom, the snake and many other evil forces. Odin, Thor and many other Gods will besides fix to contend. A immense conflict will take topographic point ; Odin will bear down at the wolf, but will be swallowed whole. Thor will kill the snake, but will step back and decease himself, as Beowulf did. These conflicts will go on, until all of the Gods parish, and Surt is the lone one left. He will fire the full universe, until the Earth, Eden and universe disappear, and everything is as it was in the beginning. ( Branston, 1 44-148 )
The Gods are governing a lost cause ; they are contending for a universe that is doomed to devastation. Even though they know they will lose in the terminal, they continue to contend immorality, and like their people, do so to their decease.
Many episodes in Beowulf can be compared to Norse myths. They have many of the same thoughts. In the Ragnarok, the battle between Thor and the splash guard snake resembles the battle between Beowulf and the firedrake ( Orchard 16 ) . In both cases, the hero is able to see the triumph, and experience pride before deceasing. Thor knows he will decease because no 1 is destined to last the Ragnarok, yet he fights for his people until the terminal. Beowulf goes through the same state of affairs ; he is now old, and in no where near the status that he used to be in, yet he peruses the firedrake for his people, and battles until the terminal.
Another case in Beowulf occurs during the boat entombment of King Scyld. The male monarch was placed on a boat with many hoarded wealths, gems and arms, and left to sail back to where he came from before he ruled their land. It has many analogues to the burial rights used for the Norsemen ( Davidson 73 ) . The Norse gave of import leaders or heroes impressive entombments after decease, much like the one in Beowulf.
Contending and war are most of import in Norse mythology. Since Odin is the caput God, it is obvious that he besides be the God of war, demoing what their people warship and believe in most. Their faith Begins and ends with force, from the creative activity narrative to the decease of all life animals. Not merely the myths of the Gods, but the existent Gods are really similar to the people who created them. These hostile Gods were the worlds merely concluding as to why the universe was so rough and necessarily a universe that would stop with the decease of all life animals.
