Heroes of celtic and germanic mythology – essay – 3832 words – brightkite.com

Heroes of Celtic and Germanic Mythology

Through the myths from the Celtic and Germanic peoples of northern Europe tales of epic heroes as well as their remarkable deeds abound. These tales illustrate heroes performing a number of incredible feats a few of which seem to be magical, superhuman, and, quite honestly, absolutely impossible (e.g., wading across oceans, defeating military virtually single-handedly, along with other astounding exploits). Because the Celtic and Germanic tribes of ancient times lived on neighboring lands and resided in close closeness to each other (as numerous of the modern descendants continue doing: i.e., in the uk), it’s not surprising they frequently established intimate relationships with one another via commerce, conquest, and also the spread of spiritual beliefs. Considering this intimate association, it’s not astonishing the cultural and consequent poetic traditions of those ethnic groups were frequently remarkably similar.

Frequently, the archetypical champions of Celtic and Germanic mythology exhibited similar characteristics no matter whether they were Anglo-Saxon, Rhenish, or Irish. Indeed, there are lots of parallels between your behaviors shown through the heroes of Beowulf, the Nibelungenlied, and also the Tain Bo Cuailnge. Probably the most striking of those parallels are: the noble and divine lineage from the hero the hero’s elevated endurance and the exceptional combat abilities (including using effective weapons and berserker behavior) the hero’s capability to achieve victory against apparently impossible odds or indestructible creatures and also the ritual practices from the taking of heads and also the giving of rings.

The epic poem Beowulf might be considered unique poor mythology because it contains an array of accurate references to historic regional tribes as well as their heroes, “The primary story of Beowulf continues to be known as a fairy-tale with the magic removed -Shippey N & Q” (Beowulf Chickering 257). Nevertheless, Beowulf displayed many characteristics, which aren’t unlike individuals exhibited by other legendary champions. Although Beowulf’s birth doesn’t have been divine or shrouded in mystery or magic, his lineage was noble since his mother was the daughter from the high Geatish king Hrethel. In addition, in the research into the Beowulf Legend Howell D. Chickering, Junior. shows that Beowulf would be a vessel, by which divine power operated. He claims that the look of the shining light as Beowulf decapitated Grendel’s mother would be a symbol of white-colored magic and symbolized good triumphing over evil:

The sword is destroyed along the way, its blade melting off in fight-icicles in the poisonous bloodstream from the monster. Just the golden hilt remains, engraved using the legend of methods God destroyed the race of giants within the Ton. This sequence shows that Beowulf wins his underwater victory being an agent of Providence and in a fashion that in some way resembles the cleansing of…

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