Textuality » 3A Interacting
CTomasello - Beowulf
by - (2009-03-08)
Up to Beowulf . Epic Poetry
The last stanza of Beowulf's extract tells about the voyage and the final landing on Hrothgar's land.
They travel by ship and the voyage is very carefully described through a simile "she flew like a bird" and a Personification, in fact it is mention as a "she".
It is worth noticing the use of enjambments or run on line that lets the reader feel the speed of the ship.
Sailing was a very important aspect in Anglo Saxon culture because they were great navigators and, in fact, they had sailed from Northern Germany to invade Britain.
When they landed in Denmark they thanked God for the easy crossing and this is a clear sign of Christian influence; but at the same time there are some pagan elements in the first stanza such as the word "omens".