Mike Situation
Mr. Stambaugh
English IV: Early British Literature
8 October 2009
“þæt wæs gōd cyning”: Deciphering a Society's Values
Beowulf , an anonymously authored epic poem written between the 8 th
and 11 th
century, is one of the oldest extant English texts. Beowulf tells the story of a hero, Beowulf, a member of the Geat tribe; Beowulf is a phenomenal warrior, and defeats three formidable opponents during his travels throughout the various tribal kingdoms of Scandinavia. For some, the poem's primary use is to help discover the mystery of the English language and its roots; others simply enjoy the story. There exists a third very practical use, however, in studying the historical aspects of the
Beowulf poem. The text is one of the few insights that we have into a culture that little is known about, the tribes of England from the Early Middle Ages. From the story, historians attempt to gather the general values and ideals of this early English society. The characteristics of a superior and an inadequate king are clearly laid out by the poet; in fact, the poem begins with a description of the King of the Danes, Scyld Scefing, and his magnificent funeral. Learning the traits of a good leader in a society, such as Scyld Scefing of the Danes, enables one to gather a sense of the society as a whole. The representations of the various leaders and their traits in
Beowulf clearly demonstrate the morals and values of the anonymous poet's Early Middle Age society.
The opening words of Beowulf describe one of the kings in the story, Scyld Scefing of the
Danes. The first traits of Scyld that the reader is made aware of are that he “seized meadbenches / from enemy troops. . . / [and] he terrified warriors . . . / until every last one of the

bordering nations / . . . had to heed him” (Chickering ll. 4B-5A, 6A, 9, 10B). These traits made him “a good king” (Chickering l. 11B) allowing the reader to infer that in the Danish society, great strength and prowess in war is respected and valued. Another attribute of Scyld that is noted by the poet is his generosity towards his thanes “by splendid bestowals” (Chickering l.
22A) of gifts upon them. The admiration of this type of king is further displayed by the magnificent funeral that he is given by his comrades, in which he is laid down in a ship along with “bright gold and silver, . . . / weapons of battle, / swords and mail-shirts” (Chickering ll.
37A, 39B-40A). Scyld was such a great king that his thanes were willing to part with “the wealth of a nation” (Chickering l. 44A) to honor the fear he instilled in foreign nations and the benevolence he showed towards those of his own nation.
Not much further in the story, Hrothgar, a descendant of Scyld's line, is mentioned.
Hrothgar “was given victory in battle, / such honor in war that the men of his house / eagerly served him” (Chickering ll. 64-66A), and he decided to build a royal building with his newfound fame that “there within he would share out / . . . all God had given him, / except common land and the lives of men” (Chickering 71, 72B-73). Another essential value of a good king is introduced by the account of Hrothgar's building:
In due time, yet quickly it came to be finished, greatest of hall-buildings. He, whose word had power everywhere, said its name, “Heorot” – he broke no promises, treasures at his table. but dealt out rings,
(Chickering, ll. 77-81)
From this description, it is obvious that this civilisation believes it is important to support your

words with deeds; Hrothgar said he was going to build this majestic mead-hall, and indeed he did, breaking no promises. Perhaps this idea is most lucidly displayed by the words of
Hrothgar's coast-warden when he tells Beowulf, “A keen-witted shield-bearer / who thinks things out carefully must know the distinction / between words and deeds, keep the difference clear”
(Chickering ll. 287B-289). Hrothgar's traits make him the ideal king, and he speaks to Beowulf about the difference between good and bad leaders in lines 1700-1784 of the poem.
Hrothgar begins his speech to Beowulf with an example of a king who did not possess all of the essential qualities, Heremod. Heremod proved to be a truly dreadful king, “notoriously bad, / though God had given him the joys of great strength” (Chickering ll. 1715B-1716). Even though Heremod was an immeasurably powerful man with great potential for leadership, “never a ring / did he give, for glory, to the Danish men” (Chickering ll. 1719B-1720), and so “joyless he lived and unhappy he died, / suffering long for that harm to his people” (Chickering ll. 1721-
1722). Hrothgar continues the speech, and advises Beowulf against following the path of
Heremod; he explains that often times God grants certain men special powers, such as he granted
Beowulf strength. However, these men often become too enamoured with their talent, and become unaware of their own mortality, with “no thought of harm / from illness, age, or malicious tongues” (Chickering ll. 1735B-1736). Men such as these focus on only themselves, ironically destroying their own memory, as none of their thanes will speak to others of the greatness of these men as they have for Scyld. Hrothgar instructs Beowulf to “guard against that awful curse, / . . . and choose to be better” (Chickering ll. 1758, 1760A), and to always keep his fame alive by acting righteously, because “death overcomes . . . all at once” (Chickering l. 1768).
As the poem progresses, the reader realises that Beowulf possesses all the essential qualities of a good king and human being in the Danish society. He was obviously gifted with

immense strength; in fact, “he was the strongest of all living men / at that time in this world, / noble and huge” (Chickering ll. 196-198A); his war prowess allows him to protect his thanes from humans and monsters alike, an important attribute of a leader. Beowulf also has the valued trait of generosity, as best displayed at the end of his life when he thinks only of giving the treasure to his kinsmen, and thanks God that he has “gained such gifts as these / for the sake of
[his] people before [he] died” (Chickering ll. 2797-2798). Beowulf also obeys the words of the coast-warden, and supports the words he gave to King Hrothgar with his actions by killing
Grendel and his mother.
Possibly the most important aspect of Beowulf as the ultimate leader is that he undoubtedly passes the final test of a great king; he is remembered, in favourable light, to this day. Milleniums later, we remember the story of Beowulf because he was loved by his people, who passed on the story of this perfect man throughout centuries.
They honoured his nobility and deeds of courage, . . .
They said that he was, of the kings in this world, the kindest to his men, the most courteous man, and best to his people, and most eager for fame.
(Chickering ll. 3173-3174, 3180-3182)
The last words of the poem serve as a reminder of everything that was valued by Beowulf's culture: courage, kindness, generosity, and fame. All of these values are incorporated into the concept of the comitatus, or the relationship between a lord and his thanes. The accepted agreement between the leader and his followers is that the leader will provide safety, treasure, and anything the thanes need to enjoy a comfortable life. However, when trouble arises, the thanes must be there to protect their lord from harm at any cost. From the characteristics of the

men who were admired, we see that the entire society was based on the comitatus, the idea of providing one another with a service for mutual benefit. Every good king provided a great mead-hall, many arm-rings and harp-joys, expecting the support of the thanes in war in return.
These good kings were remembered by their people, because the comitatus was something that both the king and his people could believe in. The ideals of these leaders, such as Beowulf,
Scyld, and Hrothgar, are synonymous with the ideals of the society, making Beowulf a key to understanding Anglo-Saxon culture.
Works Cited:
Chickering, Howell, trans. Beowulf: A Dual-Language Edition . New York: Anchor Books,
2006.