Beowulf Embodies the Values of Anglo Saxon Society

The Anglo-Saxon people, who ruled England up until the Norman conquest, were composed of warlike Nordic and Germanic peoples. They descended from the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. They valued courage, strength and bank for fame and glory and commitment to obtaining it (similar to the ideals regarding fame and honor espoused by Homers Achilles). They also valued sympathy and the valueion of others. The first value, courage, is constantly put to the test in the regretful and dangerous solid ground of Beowulf.This world was filled with monsters and obstacles to slay or overcome. Beowulf himself is say to be the strongest man on earth at that time, and the way he wrestled Grendel almost effortlessly, while so many others had failed, proved that he had a kind of superhuman physical strength. His desire for fame and his commitment to obtaining it was also genuinely strong, he had an enormous amount of willpower and was determined to win himself a name.Even later on he was famous throu ghout the known world for his deeds, he still was not yet satisfied. After he had fought in many battles and saved the Danes from Grendel and Grendels mother he was still not content. He battled the firedrake, which was his greatest accomplishment, and proof of his courage and sheer heroism. Although it can be interpret as a proof of courage, one could also look at it as foolishness, a mans selfish desire to gain glory, even after he has been saturated with it.However, the Anglo-Saxon concept of selfishness was far less rich than our own. Their idea of generosity was helping friends and allies, especially in form of gifts for brave acts. He did slay the dragon and Grendel segmentationially because he wanted to protect the Danes and his own people from these two atrocities, but he was also do by a desire for glory. Beowulf himself was apathetic to the notion of death, he stated it many times throughout the poem, a fine example is his voice communication prior to fighting Gren del.However, he is obsessed with his legacy and his name, which is more crucial than life itself to him and the other Anglo-Saxons. For example, the slave in Beowulfs expedition to slay the dragon is not even in the headcount due to his lineage and rank. Fame is part of building the noble family name and rank. Social mobility was fairly high among the warrior conformation in Beowulfs times, much like it was in the Roman legions. A inviolable name and the amount of gold determines a warriors rank, the world of Beowulf, for the warriors at least, is a meritocracy.