Swords were a huge part of life in
Anglo-Saxon England. It had been argued that swords were used as a symbolism of
heroism, legacy or bravery in Old English literature. In Beowulf, there are
multiple swords introduced in the text, most of them containing names
representing their importance of the events they had been involved in, in the
poem. Swords represent a form of advanced technology around the tenth century.
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There were multiple ways to
manufacture a sword. SarahBrunning describes the most common technique discussed in Anglo-saxon
literature, which is called pattern welding. It is a technique that consists of
taking multiple iron rods and welding them together leaving ridges in the face
of the sword of the finished product. Some swords were even inscribed with the
name of their maker. Gold or silver swords were very rare to find because those
materials were and older technique to create the product.
According to D.M. Hadley, Swords in
Anglo-Saxon society emulated one’s masculinity. The story of
Beowulf supports the symbolic claims of masculinity that the sword represents.
Towards the end of the epic, during Beowulf’s encounter with Grendel’s mother,
his sword named Hrunting that he had brought to the fight is no match for the
monster. Beowulf then choses to abandon Hrunting and continues with another.
The other swords easily defeats Grendel’s mother but that is because the second
sword belonged to an ancient giant. The Giant’s masculinity represented through
the sword as ‘magic’ is an explanation for why it was able to defeat Grendel’s
mother when Hrunting could not.
Power and
social standing in Anglo-Saxon societies is represented frequently through
swords. Swords consistently change hand in history and in Beowulf. A swords value could come from its maker, design or
history. Swords can be transferred between a lord and retainer, through
inheritance and to burials. First and foremost, burials of swords were very
rare especially later in Anglo-Saxon England due to maintaining the value that
a sword holds. Power of kings in Beowulf
is established through the gifting of weaponry to men in exchange for services.
Swords were passed down as a sign of respect and duty to serve the king.
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