Question

Looking at Beowulf, “The Seafarer”, “The Wife’s Lament”, and “The Wanderer”, what themes concerned the Anglo-Saxon people? What did they seem to value?

Answer 1

They valued the "warrior code" which means bravery, loyalty, military prowess, and physical strength lead to respect amongst your peers. These values are represented in these works. Another idea that was important to Anglo-Saxon culture was the idea of "wergild". It means:


The price set on a man's life in successive Anglo-Saxon and Germanic law codes, to be paid as compensation by his slayer

This was their form of justice, and help maintain the "law" amongst Anglo-Saxon people. All rely on oral schemes that enabled people in the culture to easily remember these stories (similar to bard verses) and relay the verses to future generations.