Beowulf Journal 6

Throughout the epic poem Beowulf, the poem “The Seafarer,” and the poem “The Wanderer,” motifs that encompass Anglo-Saxon elements and values can be found. While each piece of literature has varying themes, they each portray some of the same messages. In the three poems, motifs that refer to glory found through exile or received by fate are found; in addition, each poem contains elegiac elements.

Exile is a motif present in Beowulf, “The Seafarer,” and “The Wanderer.” However, unlike the Seafarer and the Wanderer, Beowulf did not spend excessive amounts of time in exile. But Beowulf would exile himself when he went into battle, for he believed that by facing fiends alone, he would reach the ultimate level of glory. For example, when Beowulf first met with Hrothgar, Beowulf told him, “My hands alone shall fight for me, struggle for life against the monster” (Raffel 25). Beowulf’s wish to fight alone, exiling himself from comrades and even sufficient weapons, shows that Beowulf believes that by exiling himself into war, his victories in battle will be all the more victorious. Further, when Beowulf faced Grendel’s mother, “He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone’s answer” (Raffel 36). The fact that Beowulf jumped straight into combat with Grendel’s mother, not even waiting for an army of backup or any support, further shows that Beowulf prefers to exile himself while in battle. Beowulf’s search for ultimate glory through exile in battle is similar to the Seafarer’s self-exile in search of heavenly treasures. Throughout “The Seafarer,” readers can see the Seafarer’s disdain for those who lived on land, as the Seafarer called land-dwellers those “in ignorant ease” (Raffel 87). Therefore, the Seafarer believed that the knowledge that can be found while in exile has the power to bring people out of ignorance. Further, the Seafarer said, “death can only bring you earthly praise…life eternally blessed in the hosts of Heavens” (Rafflel 89). The line shows that the Seafarer believes that any person who basks in earthly joys will only find earthly praises; however, the Seafarer believes that a person who exiles himself and saves up heavenly rewards will be eternally blessed. The Wanderer’s exile was also self-inflicted. The Wanderer was described to be “sailing endlessly, aimlessly, in exile” (Raffel 104). The line suggests to readers that the Wanderer, in his exile, is searching for something that cannot be found on land. The previous thought is confirmed when the Wanderer states his beloved friends and lord were “long since dead” (Raffel 104), and he was “hoping to find a place, a people, a lord to replace [his] lost ones” (Raffel 104 – 105). The statement shows that the Wanderer feels he has lost everything that he previously valued, and he now believes that by exiling himself to a hard life at sea, he may rediscover some of his lost life. Therefore, the exiles of Beowulf, the Seafarer, and the Wanderer are motifs, and further, the exile of each man was self-inflicted with the sole intent of searching for something that could not be found in their typical, everyday life.

Another motif seen in each poem is fate. In Beowulf, Beowulf refers to fate when he speaks of battles he previously fought in and battles he is going to engage in. After meeting with Hrothgar and revealing his intent to destroy Grendel, Beowulf stated “fate will unwind as it must” (Raffel 25). The statement shows Beowulf’s belief that despite the amount of strength he or Grendel possessed, in the end, fate would determine who would win the battle. In addition, when Beowulf was boasting of a previously won battle to Unferth, Beowulf said, “fate let me find [the creature’s] heart with my sword, hack myself free” (Raffel 28). The boast further shows Beowulf’s belief that fate is what allowed him to win previous battles, and that he believed that it would be fate that would allow him to win his battle with Grendel. Like in Beowulf, in “The Seafarer,” the Seafarer holds deep faith in fate. The Seafarer stated, “No man has ever faced the dawn certain which of Fate’s three threats would fall: illness, or age, or an enemy’s sword” (Raffel 89). The statement shows that the Seafarer believes that despite a person’s lifestyle or accomplishments, in the end, no person would escape fate’s plans. Further, the Seafarer stated, “fate is stronger and God mightier than any man’s mind” (Raffel 91). The line shows that while the Seafarer believes that God is mightier than any human, he also believes that fate is the strongest force and is even stronger than God. References to fate are also found in “The Wanderer.” While the Wanderer exiled himself from society, he stated, “Fate has opened a single port: memory” (Raffel 104). The statement shows that while the Wanderer has exiled himself from society in almost every way possible, his one and only connection to his previous life and friends is presented to him by fate. Further, the fact that fate gives the Wanderer the ability to keep his old memories shows that fate was in ultimate control of his life, for while the Wanderer tried to run away from his sorrow by exiling himself to the sea, fate still found him and provided him with memories. Thus, it is seen in the three poems that fate is the force that decides whether a person will receive victory or death, heavenly pleasures or earthly joys, or unconditional exile or omnipresent memories.

Elegy is a motif in each of the three poems. While the epic Beowulf opened on an eerie and foreboding note, it closed with a somber and elegiac tone. In the closing of the epic, it reads “the furious heat of the pyre would assail [Beowulf]. His soul fled from his breast to its destined place” (Heaney 48). From the beginning of the epic, Beowulf was depicted as a supernaturally strong and durable warrior. However, at the end of the epic, he dies, and the fact that he would be “assailed” by the pyre shows that all of Beowulf’s strength and life is truly gone. In addition, there was nothing left for Beowulf to do but flee to his “destined place,” which all contributes to the somberness of the closing passage. In addition, the closing stated “his hearth companions sorrowed for the lord who had been laid low. They said that of all the kings upon the earth he was the man most gracious” (Raffel 48). The statement shows the mourning Beowulf’s people were going through due to his loss, and it only contributes to the elegiac nature of the closing passage. Similarly, “The Seafarer” is an elegiac poem, as the Seafarer mourned what he viewed as the passage of old Anglo-Saxon values. The Seafarer stated “the days are gone when the kingdoms of earth flourished in glory” (Raffel 89). The statement shows that the Seafarer believes that the previous glories of the kingdom have vanished with the passing generations. Further, the Seafarer mourns the lost glories as he stated “those powers have vanished, those pleasures are dead…all glory is tarnished” (Raffel 90). The statement further shows the Seafarer’s belief that everything beautiful and glorious in the world has been polluted and will never come back. Adding to the elegiac note of the statement, the Seafarer claims the pleasures were “dead,” a word typically associated with elegies. Finally, in “The Wanderer,” a somber and elegiac tone is present throughout the entire poem, while a blatant elegy is present in the opening passage. The poem opens to the words, “This lonely traveler longs for grace, for the mercy of God; grief hangs on his heart and follows the frost-cold foam he cuts in the sea” (Raffel 104). In these lines, readers see a mournful, somber tone as the poem speaks of a traveler filled with grief that is sailing through a “frost-cold” sea. Finally, the poem closes with the words “how loathsome become the frozen waves to a weary heart” (Raffel 105). The line closes the poem with a somber, hopeless statement that embodies the elements of an elegy. Therefore, each of the three poems possess elegiac elements.

Beowulf, “The Seafarer,” and “The Wanderer” contain motifs that embody the elements of Anglo-Saxon values. Exile is a motif seen in each poem, as the characters in the poem use their self-inflicted exile to find victory, rewards, and memories. In addition, fate was a motif in the poems, as each character showed their belief that above all else, fate was the most powerful force on earth. Finally, each poem contained elements of an elegy, as each piece of literature contained somber tones and mourned the loss of a hero, a way of life, or a lord. Therefore, exile, fate, and elegy were motifs found in Beowulf, “The Seafarer,” and “The Wanderer.”