"Beowulf" as an expression of Scandinavian values and conflicts: Meta-narrative

To be without silver is better than to be without honor. -- Old Norse Proverb R.M. Liuzza's reflections on his translation of Beowulf treated this early work as historical text, a poem and a myth. The ambiguities surrounding Beowulf's origins, however, made an isolated historical analysis limited. As Liuzza acknowledged, Beowulf is, "a fictionalized matrix of past in present in the text"(17) and was survived in small collection of other texts, copied by two …

…Wiglaf's character demonstrates the continuation of Scandinavian values. Analyzing the poem as a mythical work is an effective means for understanding Scandinavian ideologies. As a critical piece of folklore, the work also instructed, indicating that the struggle over chaos would be ongoing. Beowulf stated that stability in a warring period required courage in battle, steadfastness in purpose and acting in fraternity with other men, and that many more "monsters" threatened the fabric of Scandinavian society.