asher.p2.t2/Anglo-Saxon

Anglo-Saxon culture diverged drastically from that of the Greeks and Romans. This discontinuity between values is illustrated in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. Anglo-Saxon stories were recited by scops in mead-halls, who strummed lyres as they spoke theatrically and recounted tales of superhuman strength. This is a direct disconnect to Greek and Roman stories, which were often told as dramas, with two or three actors, a large Greek chorus, music, and a stage. These tales served to invite moral discussion and caution the audience against hubris. In Beowulf, the hero’s first challenge is not a moral or intellectual one, but one which can be conquered using pure physical strength – Grendel is massacring the men of Heorot Hall, and the only way to end the killings is to defeat him in unarmed combat. Beowulf is able to kill Grendel because he is ‘the man of all men… foremost and strongest in the days of his life,’ not due to any special moral capacity. Furthermore, the Greeks believed in a many gods who frequently were a part of dramas, influencing the plot and visiting punishment on mortals who defied their moira. In contrast, the Anglo-Saxons relied on Christian monks and pagan scops to transmit their oral culture. This is evident in Beowulf because there are many pagan values referenced – such as the burial of bodies in barrows after death – but there are also many Christian references to ‘the Almighty Judge of good and bad deeds, the Lord God,’ which would never be present in a work of Greek or Roman origin.