Essay: Relevance of Beowulf today

Beowulf was written between 975 and 1025 but still seems to be relevant in today’s society.  With this being said, it seems that this story has a significant meaning in the roots of human migration and evolution.  For a story to stay relevant for so long, it had to have some truth behind it.  When ancient people told stories they might not have had a written language to pass them on, so they were passed on orally.  The consistency of the story as it passes from generation to generation often times determines the overall truth of the original story.
The first correlation to beowulf that i noticed was a resemblance to a videogame that I have played.  Names of characters in beowulf show up in a game called Skyrim. The first example that caught my eye while reading was the mention of Hrothgar.  “The fortunes of war favored Hrothgar.” (line 64, Beowulf)  Hrothgar in the story of Beowulf is a wise and aged ruler, the King of the Danes.  He represents a different kind of leadership then exhibited by the youthful warrior Beowulf.  He serves as a mentor figure in the story.  Being one of the most important characters in the story, i believe that people that lived around the time of beowulf, respected Hrothgar and valued him very much.  This heightened position that people held in their hearts for Hrothgar could be
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the explanation for why his name pops up now and again in media today.  In Skyrim, (the videogame) Hrothgar is a name of a place, not a person.  You can climb a mountain to reach a place called High Hrothgar.  On top of the mountain there is a very large building that is used the same way a monastery or mosque is used today.  The building is inhabited by wise old men that pray and meditate frequently, similar to monks.  The knowledge that these monks hold, the power and respect they had in their own respective videogame world, symbolizes the importance of the “holy” place called High Hrothgar.  This place could have been potentially named after the wise ruler Hrothgar from Beowulf.
Another reference to beowulf found in skyrim is Grendel.  Grendel is one of the major villains in the story of Beowulf.  He is described many ways in the story, “then a powerful demon, a prowler through the dark,” (line 86 Beowulf) but is never vividly described.  This lack of specific detail is so that the reader can imagine their own monster.  His size and stature seem to give the effect that he is much larger than a normal man.  Out of the endless amount of bad guys in Skyrim that you will have to fight and defeat, there are a few that seem to have the attributes mentioned in Beowulf about Grendel.  Giants in Skyrim are very large humanoid creatures that possess vast strength similar to Grendel.  In both the game and the story, giants and Grendel have the ability to tear their opponents limb from limb with ease.  In regards to the demonic figure Grendel seems to carry, there are characters in Skyrim that possess dark magic abilities.  Deadra are mythical like beings in Skyrim that are regarded as demons and
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have dark powers.  They walk in the shadows and take humans by night, just Like Grendel.
The last main connection i made between Skyrim and Beowulf was when beowulf’s companions were mentioned.  None of Beowulf’s followers were individually mentioned, they were always referred to as a whole group.  The name “the companions” was used in the context of his fellow warriors.  In Skyrim, the companions are a group that you can work for to earn their service.  So after you perform a few tasks for them, they will serve you in return.  The Companions are a large part of the main quest in skyrim and play a role to teach you how to play and what to do.  Without the Companions guiding you at the beginning of the storyline of the game, it would be hard to complete some of final tasks and boss levels.  This connection between game and story is not as solid as the others, but the fact that in Beowulf his followers are only mentioned as “companions” and that in Skyrim the companions are so important leads me to believe that this was on purpose.
One could say that the entire realm of Skyrim is based off Scandinavia.  In the game there is a Nordic race which is basically human, but with perks and abilities.  They have a 50% resistance to frost and cold, and also a battle-cry that makes enemies flee for thirty seconds.  These attributes seem to fit the Anglo-Saxon stereo type very well.
Many of the titles for the people in power are similar as well.  Earls and Thanes are common terms used in both skyrim and Beowulf it seems.  Earls is an english
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translation for the scandinavian term Jarl, which is used heavily in skyrim.  Thanes are not quite as important, but are in between Jarls and normal citizens.
One interesting similarity between the Game and Story is the “Final Boss.”  in Beowulf the last battle the hero takes on is a fight with a vicious dragon.  In this battle Beowulf ends up dying but he passes on his legacy.  In Skyrim, the main antagonist is Alduin the Dragon.  He has tormented the Realm of skyrim for a long time and it is your job to banish him from the known world.  Randomly less powerful dragons will find you throughout the map and test you.  These trials are preparing you for the meeting with Alduin.  In both storylines there are trials that lead up to the final battle.  For Beowulf it is Grendel, Grendel’s mother, then the Dragon.  In Skyrim, there are less powerful dragons that you face before you level up.  The more you level up the harder opponents you will face.  This will make sure you have what it takes to defeat Alduin.  With the use of dragons as the primary opponent, it’s almost as if Skyrim is set in the time of Beowulf.
Today in society there is lots of technology.  Everything is run by machines and the internet.  Although all this is evident, humans have still remained the same.  Actions in the time of Beowulf are similar to actions in the world now.  Greediness and Jealousy are a huge part of society today just like they were back then.  But just like the bad traits, some good ones have persisted as well, Bravery and Courage.  Regardless to what happens to humans, there will always be some type of struggle between good and evil.
In my analysis, i believe that the morals in Beowulf must be very valued to have made it so many years and to still be intact and consistent.