It is commonly accepted that the Beowulf epic was from the Anglo-Saxon period.
             It is so commonly accepted because of the strong evidence in the story. Then,
             because of all of these parallels that can be drawn it is safe to say that a reader who
             is unaware of Anglo-Saxon society cannot fully understand this epic. That is why I
             plan to explain the basic principles of this society to better comprehend the epic at
             There is obviously very little reference to women in this story. In class it
             was discussed that it may be due to the little importance of women during the time
             period. However, I have found that during the Anglo-Saxon period females were
             not of little significance. They believed that in women there was an element of
             holiness and prophecy. They even asked advice of their women. It is also true that
             women were often arranged in marriage to keep peace. This may seem insulting
             but isn't it a compliment to believe that a woman can turn anger into an armistice.
             It is argued that perhaps women were mostly left out of the story because the poet
             chose instead to develop the meaning of male to male friendships. This is
             supported by many works of the era while many of them centered around male
             characters. The warriors in Beowulf did have wives and families but it is
             suggested that this was insignificant to the story. The male friendships were
             highly valued at the time. Beowulf was surrounded by noble warriors who would
             have protected him with their lives. This sort of brotherhood is formed that is
             One of the biggest debates surrounding Beowulf is that of religion. Did the
             poet intend for this to be a Christian based work. While I will not be discussing
             the issue in depth there is one aspect of it that had been bothering me. It is that of
             the strong emphasis of revenge in the text. This makes it seem as though Beowulf
             ...