Juvenilia ✔/ a Nonfiction Undergraduate University Collection

An Inquiry into the Self and Other in Beowulf

ENGLISH 2901

English Literature Pre-1660

October 22nd, 2018

An Inquiry into the Self and Other in Beowulf

In the epic, Beowulf, the purpose of the other is to reinforce the sense of self for the Geats and the Danes. Through the defeat of the other, or the different, by a valiant warrior, a hero emerges, and a sense of identity shines through. Beowulf is the prime example of a hero who can do no wrong by vanquishing evil where it steps. The sense of self is a positive image of how an individual should behave while the other is an example of what not to be. The Danes and the Geats are therefore intended as embodiments of a positive image of identity, while the Swedes, Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon are examples of what not to be. 

However, the sense of otherness is not warranted. The Swedes were the opposing force of the war, not evil. Grendel is a product of a 'demon', something sub-human; however, he was ostracized and cast aside because of what he looked like and who his mother was, not by anything he did specifically to begin with. Grendel's mother attempted to avenge her son by attacking those who killed her son; who would act differently? The classification of other is discrimination against those who are different, or who have different beliefs and values. The "heroes" call the other characters monsters and evil. The world is not so black and white.

Beowulf is the perfect representation of everything the Viking culture valued: loyalty, bravery, pride, and strength. He is the physical embodiment of "self" and the qualities associated with it. In his youth, he proved his strength through his battles, and in his old age, he proved to be a great King. The monsters Beowulf fights further establish his identity. Beowulf is nearly evenly matched with Grendel and Grendel's mother, and did end up killing the dragon in the end. Therefore, the sense of self is not just about fighting abilities, or strength because if that were the case, the monsters too would be examples of self and yet they are not.

The Danes and the Geats are noble and powerful. Shield Sheafson of the Danes, "the wrecker of mead benches" is noble and devastatingly powerful. It is through his strength and abilities that he acquires the title of King. He brings tribes together and creates a royal tribe. Fast-forward several generations, and Grendel is plaguing King Hrothgar's kingdom. Rather than mourn the deaths of his people, he would rather avenge them, and he is in anguish over his inability to kill Grendel; he feels he failed them. He does not possess the strength to defeat the demon, and instead takes care of his people the best he can. He is a good king because he does not want to leave his people leaderless and to fend for themselves. Wiglaf, a Geat, is loyal to his King, Beowulf, and he aids in the final fight against the dragon. These characters display acts of bravery and strength in moments of need. It is these qualities that give cause to their identity.

Grendel is on the opposite spectrum of ideal identity. Grendel is a hybrid, and therefore described as other. He has emotions, though perhaps not as extensive as others in the epic, and he goes about dealing with his emotions in a poor manner. He is bitter about his exile from society as an outcast, and it seems as though he wants to rejoin it. However, when he's not welcomed back with open arms, he punishes the people there and makes it his home. There's something human in lashing out at those who have hurt you, even if it's not directed at those who caused it. The physical difference is also highly important. 

At this time in history, a lot of newborns with birth defects were left to die in the elements because they could not survive in the society at the time, and because they were often seen as a bad omen. There is evidence in the literature that selective infanticide did occur–from not wanting females to not wanting disabled children as explored in Nancy L. Wicker's, "Selective Female Infanticide as Partial Explanation for the Death of Women in Viking Age Scandinavia".

As a result, very few individuals who were deformed in some way actually even made it to adulthood. When these individuals did make it into adulthood, like Grendel, there was possibly a tendency to view them as sinful as a result of their "deformity" or "grotesqueness". This view, of course, could only be reinforced by the fact that he was perceived as a descendent of Cain, which does not help his case. He is literally seen as "other".

Other: as in less than. Other: as in different. Other: as in Demon.

Grendel's mother is even less human than Grendel, though she too is ruled by her emotions. She is said to be a descendent of Cain, a beast of Hell, but she is still a mother. Her son was killed, and she came out from her swamp to avenge the death of her son. She is no different than Hrothgar, the King who could not protect his people. He was not ruled by grief, but by revenge. 

Grendel's mother is not evil. She is flawed, and acting on instinct. She is only other because people fear what they don't understand, and it's easier to say the mysterious thing is evil than get to know it or learn to understand it. Therefore, emotion cannot be the distinguishing factor between self and other.

The dragon, an ancient, powerful serpent, is the pinnacle of beasts. It was provoked, attacked first by a person looking to excavate the beasts' lair. 

"The hoard-guardian scorched the ground as he scoured and hunted for the trespasser who had troubled his sleep." (Line 2293-2295) 

Dragons are often perceived as wise and cunning in literature. The dragon was defending its' treasure. If Beowulf had his treasure stolen from his halls, would he too not go out and defend himself? Their culture is built around pillaging, stealing, and spoils from war. It is hypocritical to call the dragon evil for defending his own belongings when the livelihood of the tribes depends on pillaging from other lands. One cannot expect to provoke a sleeping creature and not have an altercation.

As for the Swedes, the entire clan is deemed an enemy because of wars between the Swedes and the Geats. The Geats and the Swedes never saw eye to eye after that because it is a circle of revenge and the cycle never seems to quite end. The Swedes may have started it, but the truly noble thing that should have been done is to end it, which neither party did. If the Geats were truly thinking of their people, they'd bury the hatchet to prevent more senseless bloodshed. In truth, the Swedes act no differently from the Geats, but the Geats refuse to see how they are equally culpable in the situation. 

In Grendel, he is ostracized for being different. 

In Grendel's mother, we have a grieving mother who attempts to kill those responsible for killing her son. 

In the dragon, we see a being who had treasures stolen in a society that believes in pillaging. 

Finally, in the Swedes, we see an act of war in a nation ruled by pillaging. The world is not so black and white, and there is no difference between the self and other except for the ones calling themselves good. They are the ones who survive and live to tell the tale. The ones saying they are the heroes are no better than those they kill and defeat.

In conclusion, the Geats and the Danes put themselves on pedestals and called themselves "heroes" for vanquishing "evil," seemingly blind to how their behaviour is no different to the actions of their enemies. 

They too would lash out if rebuffed; they too would start wars for the death of family members; they too would seek retribution for theft; they too would demand blood. And they do. 

The only difference is they live to tell the tale. 

[WORKS CITED]

Heaney, Seamus, translator. "Beowulf." The Norton Anthology English Literature, 9th ed., vol. 1, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2012, pp. 36–108.

Wicker, Nancy L.. "Selective Female Infanticide as Partial Explanation for the Death of Women in Viking Age Scandinavia". Violence and Society in the Early Medieval West, edited by Guy Halsan. The Boydell Press, 1998, pp. 205-216. Accessed 17 October 2018.