Motifs in The Seafarer and The Wanderer reoccur in many works of the Anglo-Saxons. In Beowulf, The Seafarer, and The Wanderer, exile and destiny motives occur in each of the works, symbolizing the beliefs of Anglo-Saxons. These three Anglo-Saxon literature pieces portray exile and journey, revealing the beliefs of Anglo-Saxons during that time period.
An exile motive is portrayed in all three Anglo-Saxon works. In the poem Beowulf, in order to heroically fight evil, Beowulf exiled himself from the Thanes. This represents a belief of the Anglo-Saxons; Anglo Saxons believed heroes are the highest honor and should be flattered and praised. Beowulf believed that if he independently won the battle, he would be the greatest warrior and in turn be praised and highly respected; It was Beowulf’s duty to protect and demolish evil stating “this fight is not yours, nor is it up to any man except me” (Raffal 43). The isolation from the world is represented in The Seafarer. The Seafarer’s main goal was to live in heaven and he felt as if life on land did not help him attain the compulsory characteristics essential for the gateway to heaven; he feels as if life on land is inferior to Heaven. Wanting to achieve “eternal joy” (120), he exiled himself from the world in hopes to reach Heaven. The Seafarer states, “paths of exile stretch endlessly on land yet my heart wanders away/ my soul roams with the sea” (57-59), explaining that the characteristics and offerings of life on land are far less attractive and pleasing than the adventures and new awakenings the sea presents. In The Wanderer, the Anglo-Saxons value of loyalty is portrayed as a man wanders in search of a new lord. The wanderer is forced to leave his home to the war at his time. He states “who bears, it knows what a bitter companion/shoulder to shoulder sorrow can be, / when friends are no more./ His fortune is exile” ( 26-28), explaining how depressed and empty he was forced to leave his home.
A journey motif is portrayed in all three of the Anglo-Saxon literary works. Beowulf goes on an expedition to defeat evil and gain glory by battling Grendel. “[His] purpose was this: to win the good will of your people or die in battle, press in Grendel’s fierce grip” (Raffal 30). Defeating Grendel would leave Beowulf with a feeling of superiority; protecting his society from evil made him very honorable and highly respected, which is a main reason Beowulf, enjoyed playing the hero role in his community. The Seafarer goes on a journey to escape the seemingly treacherous land on Earth to a place attaining more respect to Heaven where he could maintain the essential characteristics and actions to enter Heaven. A journey in search of a new lord is described in The Wanderer. When the Wanderer suffers from a devastating loss of home, it “surges his sorrow upon him; / and grimly he spurs his weary soul/ once more to the toil of the tossing sea” (56- 59). His journey is to find a new home and a new start of life he unfortunately has to lose. As symbolized in each of the three works, the journey motif represents the Anglo-Saxon values of heroism and service.
Beowulf, The Seafarer, and The Wanderer contain motifs of exile and journey that are related to Anglo-Saxon culture. Beowulf, the Seafarer, and The Wanderer exile themselves in order find purpose in their lives. Beowulf exiled himself from the Thanes in order to fight evil, The Seafarer exiled himself from the land on Earth in order to gain the qualities needed to go to Heaven, and The Wanderer is exiled from his home and forced to go to war. Journey motives were portrayed in each of the three characters as well. Beowulf goes on an expedition to defeat evil and gain glory by battling Grendel, The Seafarer goes on a quest to find a new home, and The Wanderer goes on a journey to find a new lord.
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