Beowulf: Fact or Fiction?
Zach Poe and Korbin Beierschmitt
Historical Context
Background of Beowulf
Archeological Finds
On mound one, the archeologist unearthed the remains of a ninety foot long woodenship of the seventh century outlinedby its iron rivets in the sand ("Archeology"). In the second expedition the archelologist discovered thirty-nine burials, all interpreted as execution from around the eighth and eleventh century ("Archelology"). In 2000 a rescue dig examined the footprints of the planned National Trust Visitor Centre revealing nineteen inhumantions and seventeen early Anglo-Saxon cremations this site became known as Trammer House Cementary ("Archelology"). At least seven of the seventeen of the ring ditches contained urns, of particular interests was a small oval pit containing a high status bronze hanging bowl containing human and animal bone ("Archelology").
Factual Connections
In the poem "Beowulf" when Beowulf dies, his people send him off to sea in a ship."We must hurry now to take a last look at the king and launch him, lord and lavisher of rings, on a funeral road" (Allen, et.all. 199). This quote from the story talks about a ship burial of Beowulf. This was very common in the Anglo-Saxon time frame, as we have dicovered from our research, having learned that archielogist have unearthed ship burial from that time frame ("Archelology").
In the poem "Beowulf" there is a heavy influence of Christanity throughout the Novel. "So many man not marked by fate easily escape exile and woe by the grace of God" (Allen, et.all 153). This quote shows the Christanity within the great novel, but in our researched we learned that when this story takes place people were not Christian they were Pagan. The Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christanity by the Romans around 597 which gives us a time frame on when this story was written ( Allen, et.all 23).
Opinions
Works Cited
Allen, Janet, et al., eds. Literature: British Literature. Evanston: Holt McDougal, 2010. Print.
“Archeology.” Suttonhoo.org. The Sutton Hoo Society 2013. Web. 1 October 2014.