Beowulf, the Anglo-Saxons and Comitatus
...o that comes to save the day, becomes a treasure to the people, and protects them until the end of time. That is basically what Beowulf is about. He battles monster after monster, and his followers are certainly loyal to him. They are loyal for most of Beowulf’s life. For a while, Beowulf was not written down. It was just a story told at parties and to kids for entertainment. Everyone loved to hear it. That is because that is what they wanted for themselves. For a long time, the Anglo-Saxons had never really been one group, until a man known as King Alfred of Wessex (Alfred the Great) stepped up to lead the new nation in unity. Alfred the Great is a hero to the Anglo-Saxons. Without him, they probably would not have lasted as long as they did. The Anglo-Saxon people showed love and trust for Alfred. He was the person they had been waiting for. If related to the stories they told, he was their hero. King Alfred was able to advise them in what they should do. He was able to protect them by leading them to victory in so many wars. In return, the people repay him with loyalty. The Anglo-Saxon people needed someone like this. It was heard in the stories they told each other and their children. They repeated the story Beowulf for such a long time that there was no doubt that this is the kind of life they wished to live. “Beowulf was a hero,” they would say, as they told the story of his bravery. In Beowulf, the people of Denmark are at first being killed and tormented by a creature named Grendel. The people were lost and had no defense against this creature, much like the Anglo-Saxons were before Alfred the Great came along. When Beowulf finally came to the rescue, the Danish people looked toward him like the Anglo-Saxons looked at Alfred. For most of the story, Beowulf is also in a comitatus situation. He protects the people, and the people give him loyalty. They stand by his side until the end, never to let anything happen to him. Well, that is how it should have been, but it is seen in the story that it does not quite happen like that. It is true that for a long time, the people were loyal to Beowulf, but, unfortunately for Beowulf, that loyalty eventually faded away. “Quickly, the dragon came at him, encouraged as Beowulf fell back; its breath flared, and he suffered, wrapped around in swirling flames – a king, before, but now a beaten warrior. None of his comrades came...