Anglo Saxon Loyalty In Beowulf

Fealty is one of the greatly-recognized values of the Anglo-Saxon world. Often defined as a type of loyalty or allegiance, fealty plays a more engaging and active role in Seamus Heaneys Beowulf than in the Anglo-Saxon poem The Dream of the Rood because of the way it causes action to be taken. Understanding the use of this Anglo-Saxon value can reveal its importance in Anglo-Saxon life and literature.

In Beowulf, the main character Beowulf uses fealty to empower him to perform heroic deeds. This is shown through the actions that he makes: upon hearing of the attacks by Grendel, Beowulf rushes to the aid of Hrothgar, a friend of his father 's. Beowulf 's father, Ecgtheow, previously killed Heatholaf, a member of the Wulfing tribe. According to Anglo-Saxon terminology and law, a debt or wergild must be paid to the relatives of the victim. Unable to pay this manprice (StudyGuide.org), Ecgtheow fled to avoid war. Hrothgar healed the feud by paying (Line 470) this debt which caused Beowulf 's father to swear fealty to Hrothgar. It is this fealty that his father made that encourages Beowulf to
In a sense, the fealty in this poem is more idealistic than in Beowulf since the cross has the determination and the eagerness to aid Christ during the crucifixion but he cannot interfere. This willpower is illustrated when Christ was placed on the Cross in preparation for the crucifixion. The cross states that although the ground shakes, it "dared...not against the Lord 's word/ bend or break (Lines 35-36). That provides the notion that the cross has the intention to help Christ because it bending or breaking would hinder Christ; the cross, by announcing that it wouldnt do such a thing verifies its fealty. Therefore, fealty is used in the poem as a concept, not as a reason for