Becoming The Overman: On the Last Battle of Beowulf

The following is a brief essay written by C. Nicholas Walker for his Major British Writers class, which discusses the final battle in the epic poem Beowulf and how the poet portrays the hero and his struggle with threats to Anglo-Saxon culture.

IT IS THE assumption of many Old English scholars that Beowulf is a three-part poem, encompassing the battle with Grendel as the first, the battle with Grendel’s mother as the second, and the deadly battle with the dragon as the last and final part. I maintain, however, that Beowulf is only a poem in two-parts, the first being the story of an indestructible, pagan warrior and the latter being that of the weary, death cognizant and almost Christian-minded king.

The dragon of the last battle Beowulf encounters is a very powerful symbol. As kryptonite is to Superman, so the dragon emphasized Beowulf’s mortality and sense of inevitability. Even before the battle, Beowulf could feel this essence running through him like a disease, almost at the same time as the dragon awoke and emerged from his cave. Only at this point in his life does Beowulf begin to question his own wyrd, or fate, and his disinclination to “give ground like that and go unwillingly to inhabit another home in a place beyond” (2588–2590). This sort of realization, however, of death being the moving on from one place to another, from the real earth to “a place beyond,” is an extremely Christian ideology. In the same way, however, this reluctance to enter into the nether region also represents the pagan and Anglo-Saxon belief that one’s homeland is their identity, and that the leaving behind of which would be a difficult task indeed.

In traditional Anglo-Saxon culture, it is important to remember the significance as well of treasure and its relationship to one’s own personal value and family. Beowulf is relieved to see such treasure before he dies as a personal representation and reinforcement of his own beliefs that, as a good king, he left behind great things for his people. This feeling most likely spawns from the fact the Beowulf is without son, and therefore without one to bequeath such things to; he even mentions his own desire to pass down his armor had he a son to accept it. What is the point in victory, so the Anglo-Saxon warrior says, if without the physical ratification of such deeds?

Even the treasures with are unearthed mirror the state of Beowulf in each battle. When his first two confrontations ended with victory and splendor, the treasures were rich and plentiful, worthy of such great actions. However, after meeting the fateful claws of the dragon and passing away, the treasure is rusted and worthless and typifies his own propinquity to death. There is a subtle note that usually goes unnoticed after this, in that Beowulf has the treasures buried with him in the stead of distribution as the creed of the good king would have him do. This is most likely because of his realization that, without an heir, his lineage has no need to continue or any cause for endowment. This is where we begin to see the splitting of the poem into two separate parts, one being the story of an indestructible, pagan warrior and the latter being that of the weary, death cognizant and almost Christian-minded king.

In the absence of an heir, Beowulf seems to almost adopt Wiglaf in the final scene before his passing, taking the golden collar from off his neck and placing it in the hands of Wiglaf, a warrior just as was Beowulf, who protected his king no matter what and strictly followed the warrior code throughout life. In Old English, Wiglaf means “war survivor.” So, in the end, the battle with the dragon is only Beowulf’s realization that, indeed, he is only a mortal capable of “Christian” death, but that through legend, poetry and Wiglaf, he will truly be immortalized for the eternity to come on earth as well.

Posted by C. Nicholas Walker on Tuesday, October 03, 2006 at 12:57 AM | Permalink

About me

I'm C. Nicholas Walker
From Charleston, South Carolina, United States
Born in 1987, time traveled to 2499, died in 2511, reborn in 5000, won the war in 5032, then time traveled back to 1997. Man this century is weird.

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