Symbolism Within Beowulf, Essay Example

There are many symbols in the classic tale Beowulf that have been analyzed throughout time as playing important roles in the creation of the story.  Symbols can often have more than one implied meaning to the audience, and oftentimes commonplace culture can play a role in determining the intended cultural symbolism of an image (Puhvel 244).  Due to this discrepancy, readers may often find the task of defining symbols in Beowulf to be daunting and confusing.  Symbolism exists within the images of the Golden Horn, the Raven and the Dragon within the story.  Through the analysis of these images, a deeper understanding can be retrieved.  While the Golden Horn is a physical object that is used as a gift offering to Beowulf, the presence of animal figures within the story from the Raven and the Dragon hold much different meanings.  Nevertheless, it is crucial that each three images are analyzed for their symbolic meanings and discussed to determine possible truth in their presence within the story.

Beowulf comes into possession of the Golden Horn through the act of giving a gift.  It is clear within many cultures that this simple act of giving a gift to another person, especially a prodigy, is highly symbolic (Mizuno 378).  For instance, King Hrothgar offers Beowulf many gifts and riches at the celebration following his defeat of the horrid monster Grendel.  This symbolizes recognition on the behalf of Hrothgar for his understanding that Beowulf is to be the next king in the line of succession.  While Beowulf retrieves the Golden Horn from Hrothgar, the image of the Horn is used later in the story to symbolize the eternal pact between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother.  This pact stated that so long as the Horn was in the possession of Grendel’s mother, Beowulf would always be the king of the land.  Although it is not specifically mentioned, it can be implied that King Hrothgar was also given a similar promise in receipt of the Golden Horn.  Nevertheless, the return of the Horn into Beowulf’s possession suggests that his reign will soon come to an end and that danger is imminent.  Therefore, it is clear that the Horn holds multiple meanings within the story and is possibly better known for its prophetic purpose in foretelling the danger and ultimate death of Beowulf in the climax of the story.

Just as the act of giving gifts serves as a symbolic cultural meaning, so too does the image of the Raven within Beowulf.  For instance, the Raven is often suggested within much folklore and mythology to represent Morrigan who is the “goddess of war, death and destruction; she is said to appear in the form of a raven before and during battles, her sacred colour is black” (Tafli 106).  Continuing with the theme of multiple symbolic meanings for a single image, the Raven is mentioned twice within the story.  The first time it suggests the Raven is a sort of death eater and it is viewed consuming rotten corpses.  The second image of the Raven suggests that it is an image of good tidings or good luck on the battlefield.  Each connotation can be directly associated with the cultural meaning of the Raven as a representation of Morrigan.  However, the Raven is also viewed to represent the god Odin, who is both a god of the sun and god of war.  “[The Raven’s] roles as scavenger of the battle dead and as herald or welcomer of morning” each appear to “fit the raven as the intimate of Odin in one of the god’s capacities—in one instance as the god of war, in the other as a solar deity” (Puhvel 247).  While this image is culturally ominous, it is very seldom that the Raven is viewed as a positive symbol in stories.  Therefore, the true symbolic meaning of this image can be lost and only implied to suggest its relationship with darkness and evil as a death-eater and being cloaked in blackness.

Finally, the last symbol within the story that is worthy of noting is that of the Dragon in the final conflict of Beowulf.  Similar to Ravens, Dragons hold many different cultural connotations, especially coming from Asian and European mythology and ancient lore.  Within this story, the image of the dragon serves as a reminder of the sexual act that Beowulf had engaged in with Grendel’s mother.  The Dragon appears to haunt Beowulf for his misdeeds and attempts to serve as a source of retribution for the sins of the man.  Furthermore, dragons typically represent an image of fear; whereby, it can be assumed that the Dragon in Beowulf can also represent the fears of Beowulf in reminding him of how he obtained the throne.  Dragons are viewed as connoting “the undesirable and the monstrous,” although they typically do not represent the moral evil, which can be seen from Grendel’s presence in the story (DuBois 820).  However, the symbolism of the Dragon in this story is quite different because it is a classic case of the hero being punished for his moral misdeeds earlier in the plot.  The Dragon also reminds the audience that Beowulf is a man and therefore, he can also fall victim to the sexual desires and immoral behaviors of man as well, which implies his weakness.

The symbolic images of the Golden Horn, the Raven and the Dragon each represent different meanings throughout the story.  However, as it has been clearly illustrated each image is also associated with multiple meanings within the story as well as a particular implied meaning based on cultural norms and mythological legends.  The Golden Horn and Dragon have direct symbolic meanings for the rule of Beowulf, while the Raven represents symbolism within the aura of the battlefield and the mood of the story.  The true meaning of each symbol may be unclear and the definitions being found impermanent.  Nevertheless, each symbol plays a crucial role in the development of the plot and the implied meanings of cultural importance for the audience.