Lets examine the history of Beowulf as it relates to the myth.
A good way to approach a reading of Beowulf is to recognize the two layers in its story telling. The first recognizable layer is the myth. This is where the monsters, magic, and heroic elements are put together in order to make a very exciting, if somewhat horrific, adventure. These outstanding elements cannot be more than legendary and imaginative. No creatures like Grendel and his mother existed in any possible way, and dragons at best were a strange interpretation of ancient giant fossil bones. The novelist Micheal Crichton re-imagined the story for his book “Eaters of the Dead,” that became the movie “The 13th Warrior,” as the last surviving tribe of Neanderthals attacking an early dark age fort. Another popular movie was made called “Beowulf” done in a mixture of live and animation that told the story rather faithfully. It is a classic in literature that continues to inspire since the day of the textual discovery.
The second layer is the actual history it writes about which can be very complicated because there is not a lot of sources of information to flesh out. There is enough corroborating evidence to know for certain that most of the people, places, and less magic events really did happen. When that history is studied, it becomes easier to get into the story and imagine what kind of lives the characters might have. Of course, like almost all ancient stories, it is focused on the elites and royalty of their society. Considering how mundane life can be for peasant classes, working the land unless called to fight by the Lords, it should not be surprising that has always been the focus of writers. Not to mention, the nobility and families were probably the only ones who could read and write to create an audience.
Beowulf the text was written at about 1000 AD, although the exact time of composition is in dispute. The author, like so many Old English writings, is an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet who didn’t even give the story a name. It was given the name of Beowulf by others because of his heroic position through the manuscript. The lengthy poem is part of the Nowell Codex that contains at least four other different literary works. Sadly as the one and only original copy, in 1731 the Nowell Codex was almost lost to history, but still damaged. The aptly named Ashburnham House next to the Cotten Library in England set fire and the manuscript saved by someone throwing it out the window. Edges of the manuscript, including some words, were burned to the point they can only be read with technological advancements. Currently it is located at the British Library.
The story takes place in Scandinavia between 500 and 600 AD mainly in what is now modern day Sweden and Denmark, with major events mentioned happening in France. Of course, the story is set before any of those modern countries as currently existing. The groups mentioned include the northern Swedes with the Geates below them, The Danes south across the waters and another enemy the Frisians or Franks southernmost. To the east is the Jutes and west the Wulfings. Not mentioned, despite how it has become a literary part of the cultural history, is the island nation of Britain. This has led to speculation, if not outright fact, that Germanic Anglo-Saxon transplants from those areas were trying to keep their heritage in memoriam.
How the Anglo-Saxons arrived in England is tied to the history of Rome and its downfall. During the time of Julias Caesar in around 55 BC the future Roman ruler fought the Gauls and any other group beyond Roman territory. He extended Roman boundaries to parts of Germany, France, and other areas considered filled with wild barbarians. He also tried to cross into Britain and make that another Roman territory, but was never successful. By the time he became ruler, and ultimately was famously assassinated, Britain for the great empire was mostly a place of exploration.
As can be imagined, part of the reason it took so long for Romans to inhabit the island is how fiercely protective the native population was to keeping the land. The groups known as Pics and Celts, along with many other tribes constantly fought and raided the Roman interlopers. They were not completely successful in pushing them back because by 43 AD permanent Roman settlements were founded. Several years later in 122 AD Emperor Hadrian ordered the start of the famous wall built by him. To this day it stands as a reminder of a chaotic and influential time in history when less advanced civilizations held back a more advanced one. Now by the time of the wall, things weren’t going smoothly for the Roman Empire. It started to lose territory to Gauls and other northern boundary enemies. Rome had slowly lost its power and riches to finance wars of expansion in the hopes of gaining more power and riches. The military filled with those they conquered, had more mercenaries, and the generals took more chances in the hopes of gaining notoriety.
What ended up happening became known as the Gothic invasion. There were at least three important invasions, with the last one finishing off the Roman Empire for good. Alaric was a Gothic king who at first simply wanted to become a Roman citizen with some importance. He was rejected and this enraged him. Instead of a peaceful relationship, it became all out war. Waves of Goths under his direction ruined the Italian towns and cities, before arriving at the front door of Rome in 410 AD and entering. Warrior attacked, sacked, and nearly left the city for dead. By this time Christianity was well entrenched in Roman society and it might have saved Rome from complete annihilation because the churches were spared. Not so the rich or the pagan buildings. The second invasion could very much have been worse when Attila the Hun in 440 AD took power and tried to plunder the known world. He was enemies to Rome and the Goths together. In some ways he was more merciful than the Romans toward allies, but in anger he was a destroying terror. They didn’t want to be accepted by the Romans, but to claim land and take over. With a sigh of relief the Huns ended up at the doors of Rome and didn’t knock immediately. The Christian Pope Leo I negotiated a truce for a very short time, although other factors such as plague and a reduced military presence probably contributed more. He wasn’t done, however, and promised to return. That never happened and he died of a burst blood vessel in his neck. The final nail in the Western Roman Empire came when Orestes, the son of a secretary to Attila, deposed Julius Nepos and replaced him with the teenage boy Augustulus. Soon another German named Odoacer deposed the young Emperor and declared himself Ruler or King. He sent the traditional royal regalia of Western Rome to Eastern Rome (Byzantium) effectively opening up a new history.
Beowulf is part of the new history, taking place a mere 100 years after the official fall of Rome. It represents the start of what has been termed “the dark ages,” when much knowledge was lost for a time. The story can be read from the viewpoint of Europe’s transformation from pagan to Christian. The manuscript writers were Christian much like Rome had become. Missionaries and politics converted the Britons. The Geates in the story were a powerful tribe on the southern part of Sweden. They might have been referenced by Old Norse literature as Gautor or “the people of the Goitaland,” and were described as a strong although warmongering nation. By the 10th century the Geats no longer existed and no one knows what happened. Most likely they were probably defeated and then absorbed by the northern Swedish neighbors. Both the Geats and the Anglo-Saxon writers should not be confused with the vikings, although they have some similarities. The Geats came before them and the Anglo-Saxons broke off from Scandinavia when immigrating to Briton. The vikings were doing more than plundering the neighbors. They were attacking former related tribes before they themselves became Christian and settled down.
Rothgar the Danish king might be the most prominent name in the poem, but the Geats king Hygalec is the most well known in historical records. An historian Gregory of Tours mentions a king by the name of ko-chi-lay-cus, who is most likely Hygalec, who tried in 516 AD to raid Freshia. It was very unsuccessful and Hygalec ended up killed. The Geats raiders were discovered and lost the ensuing battle. In the confusion of defeat, Geats rushed back to shore to make it home. King Hygelic’s body was found and exhibited by the Franks. Other names and events in Beowulf are attested to with independent poems, annals, and manuscripts.
Archaeological discoveries have shed light on the Beowulf history and culture. In 1939 at Sutten Hoo England, an earth mound was dug into and the imprint of a large ship was found. Nails were lined up in rows where ship planks would have been, although long since decayed. Besides finding a ship underneath the soil, it was filled with over 250 Anglo-Saxon artifacts of priceless value. Among the plunder were coins, weapons, and silver eating utensils. The most distinguished object was a decorated mask that has since become symbolic of the Beowulf character and England. Warring masks are described in the poem like what was found in the discovery.
The second archaeological discovery is of what is considered Dane King Rothgars mead-hall. Post holes of very large buildings were uncovered in the small Danish town of Lejre of mostly Viking settlements. At least one of the buildings is of the time period that Beowulf takes place. It has also been associated both by history and legend as the home of the Scylding family dynasty.
The story of Beowulf is more than a fanciful legend. It allows the reader a look into an historical period that is not well known and nearly forgotten. At the same time history illuminates the place of Beowulf in both English and European culture.
Consider:
How can legends and myth help us understand the past, or how does it conceal it?
What can Beowulf mean to a modern reader?
Does understanding the history behind the story make it more interesting or understandable?
