I had originally went to the bookstore in search of Virgil’s Aeneid, or the Argonautica. Can’t say I was entirely surprised they weren’t on the shelf. I did stumble upon Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf. I had Beowulf on the back-burner for a while as I’ve been working my way through the classics.
Pro-Tip if you want to get some sleep. Cicero’s On Duties, I get pretty drowsy about 3 page turns in. A Roman senator writing a letter to his son about how to be a good person, although thoughtful and informative is not a riveting read.
Beowulf, though. Has the unique distinction of showing the lifecycle of a hero. It allows him to grow old and die. He lived by hits wits and strength, and was a good member of his community, considering all the flaws of his age and the world he lived in through the modern lens, that live a good and honorable life was the question that drew me in.
In a summarized version of the story:
Beowulf answers the call of Hrothgar and kills the monster Grendel, with his bare hands.
Grendel’s mother gets angry, and Beowulf has to also battle her, but barely wins.
Beowulf returns home and honors his king, helps his community and becomes king himself.
Beowulf’s community is attacked by a dragon, he leads the charge, kills it and dies.
I left out some really great items but want to highlight a few things. Every time Beowulf defeats a monster, Grendel or the mother. He always honors the king, his host, and God. He is proud but not boastful. He is consequently honored for both is actions and his service.
As a leader, he gives graciously to his community, “Ring giver” is the term they use. I think it is truly a passing of rings as a form of wealth, but the point is he shares in his wealth and accomplishments. You can see how in a modern context, where wage gaps are a real issue, this can have a topical appeal.
Finally, as a leader, he led. When the dragon attacked, Beowulf in his later years was still a capable warrior, he didn’t get unnecessarily soft. And even when all his men fled, except one, he fought and killed the dragon in a battle that came down to a small dagger he kept on his boot.
As much as Beowulf is a heroic tale it is a story about how to act within a society. How to act with pride but not arrogance. And how a leader should function within a society. In a modern context we grow our claim by taking without giving because that is what the system and culture encourage. And where leaders are shown sitting down issuing orders, Beowulf has his hands dirty setting the example.
Also, the mead hall. We need more mead halls.
Photo by Amanda kuk on Unsplash
Featured image Photo by Anton Poznyak on Unsplash
Adam Fenner 