Epic of Beowulf Essay - Shields in the Epic Poem, Beowulf

Shields in the poem Beowulf Shields, a defensive machine mentioned in the poem Beowulf, include a variety of compositions from wood to contract and this is wholly in accord with archaeological finds. There are a considerable number of references to shields in the poem, making this topic a very(prenominal) relevant one to consider. Weapons could be heirlooms, and royal treasuries and armories still preserve arm and weapons from earlier days, so imagination in this area need not be confined to contemporary artifacts (304), says Catherine M. Hills in Beowulf and Archaeology. Before turning to the archaeological evidence, lets look at the Beowulf poem, where one finds copious references to shields. As Beowulf and his party approach the Danish grunge From high on a wall the Scylding watchman whose duty it was to guard the sea-cliffs saw glinting shield-bosses passed flock to hand down the gangplank, an armys war-gear (229-32) The Scylding watchman is still talking Never more openly have warriors landed when carrying shields, and you have no leave from our men of battle, agreement with kinsmen (244-6) Beowulf explains to the ship-guard We come with good heart to the land of the Danes, to seek out your lord, the son of Healfdene, shield of the people (267-9) By the sentence the Geats arrived at Heorot, they were tired and had to sit down The sea-weary men set their large shields, spell-hardened rims, against the high wall, eased down on benches (325-27) ... ... the Sutton Hoo ShipBurial. In Beowulf The Donaldson Translation, emended by Joseph F. Tuso. New York, W.W.Norton and Co. 1975 Chickering, Howell D.. Beowulf A dual-Language Edition. New York Anchor Books, 1977. Clark, George. Beowulf. Boston Twayne Publishers, 1990. Cramp, Rosemary. Beowulf and Archaeology. In TheBeowulf Poet, edited by Donald K. Fry. Englewood Cliffs, NJ Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Hills, Catherine M. Beowulf and Archaeology. In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and buttocks D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997. Shields. The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. New York Columbia University Press, 2000. www.bartleby.com/65/. Stanley, E.G.. Beowulf. In The Beowulf Reader, edited by Peter S. Baker. New York Garland Publishing, 2000.