Norse Mythology And Beowulf Essay Research Paper

Norse Mythology And Beowulf Essay, Research Paper

In the novel, Beowulf, there are many connections that can be made to Norse mythology. From the way that they buried their dead to their views on heroism, and their thoughts on war and violence, Beowulf is a good representation of historical Norse mythology. In Norse mythology, a person’s honor depends on the way that they die. A hero proves himself not by conquering evil, but by dying while fighting against it. Beowulf becomes a hero by dying when he is fighting the dragon. In most religions, mythology is used to explain the world in which a person lives. For the Anglo-Saxons, the world was filled with war and violence. Therefore, their gods and goddesses live in a hostile environment that is filled with war and violence. The gods also usually reflected what their creators were. The gods were created by their worshippers, and were therefore very much like the Norsemen. The gods and humans had very close relationships and were sometimes even thought of as companions. No one had complete control over the other. If a god did not perform to a worshipper’s expectation, then the human would turn away from the god and/or abuse him. This made the gods much like humans because they had to please the humans to gain their worship. The most important god of the Norse was Odin “who somewhat represented a sky god” (Davidson). He was the head god and leader of the Aesir. He is considered to be the wisest of all gods. However, he was always searching for more wisdom. To gain wisdom, he would do anything. He was even noted to have sacrificed his eye “in order to during from the Well of Mimir which bestowed great knowledge” (http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/ cherryne/list.html). On each of his shoulders, a raven sat. One named Thought (Hugin) and one named Memory (Munin). These birds were said to have flown around all day gaining knowledge, and then come back to Odin and recite everything that they had found out. Another important god was Thor. Thor was the favorite god of the people, and was the most like them. He was the son of Odin and the god of thunder and the main enemy of giants. His prize possession was his hammer, Mojollnir, which he would use against enemies. His other possessions consisted of a belt which made him stronger when it was worn; his gloves which allowed him to crush rocks, and his chariot lead by two goats. He was so important to the people because “the common man would call on him to ensure fertility” (web page). Thor was thought to protect the people from all evil. To do this, he would ride around in his chariot with his hammer and protect the people from giants, monsters, and other enemies. Odin was also usually worshipped above all other gods because warriors believed that if they were his favorite warriors, he would give them special gifts. Many times these gifts were believed to be magic swords, spears, or horses. It was also said that Odin could make warriors invincible. Thor’s hammer was the most important treasure because it was used to protect the people and gods from their enemies. The hammer was made of gold, and the only flaw was in the handle; it was slightly unfinished and a bit too short. In the myth, the hammer was given to Thor by his enemy Loki. In a mischievous act, Loki had cut off the hair of Sif, Thor’s wife (Davidson 70). So to spare his own life, Loki repaid Thor by finding two dwarfs to make new hair for Sif out of gold. These two dwarfs also made two other treasures, one for Freyn, and one for Odin. Loki then found two other dwarfs and had the two pairs compete to see who had better craftsmanship. It was from this competition that Thor’s hammer was created. However, while making the hammer, Loki decided to get back at Thor, and stung one of the dwarfs in the eye. The dwarf was unable to finish the hammer and ended up leaving the handle a little short. The hammer was said to be able to be thrown at a particular item, hit it, and return to the owner’s hand (Davidson 70). According to the web page that I sited earlier, all gods were threatened by their enemies and other forces. In Norse mythology, there are nine worlds. Asgard is the realm of the gods and goddesses, and Midgard is the realm of the humans. Many of the other realms threatened Mingard. Some of these were the homes of giants, serpents, and other enemies. The realm that supports the entire world is Utgard; it is held by a serpent who, if let free, will destroy the entire universe. Gods and goddesses were not genuinely immortal; they can die just like humans. The gods know that they will die, and the Ragnarok (which I will discuss later) will eventually come. Odin just works hard to prolong the time until destruction of the world.Odin was believed to welcome his bravest warriors into his great hall. This hall was called Valhalla. Norse men believed that when there was a battle, Odin, god of war, would send out his special attendants, the Valkyrs, or choosers of the slain. They would select half of the warriors killed in battle and bring them back to Valhalla. The reason believed for the collecting of the slain by Odin was that eventually there would be a final battle between the gods and the giants that would decide whether good or evil would rule eternally. The chosen slain, it was believed, would make up the army that would defend the gods in this war (Davidson 28). “A brave death entitles them-at least the heroes- to a seat in Valhalla, but there