Mead Hall Plays an Important Role in

Mead hall plays an important role in ancient Anglo-Saxon warrior culture. As we see in Beowulf, the mead hall functions as a meeting place, a place of refuge, and a place for socialization. The mead hall of Heorot also served as the seat of government. Thus, the mead hall is a place of critical importance both in the story and throughout Anglo-Saxon culture. We know, for example, from the Orkneyingasaga, that the mead hall would likely only be matched by the church in a given district (Cope, 2007).

When Beowulf arrives in Daneland, he and the warriors sleep at the mead hall, implying that the hall is more than simply a place for drinking. This is where Grendel first attacks the men, and where the conflict between Beowulf and Grendel takes place. One of the facets of the story is the transition that Beowulf makes from being an untested warrior with much to prove to being a warrior whose renown will live forever. The immortality of reputation is one of the highest ideals in Anglo-Saxon society.

The journey that Beowulf makes from his status as a relatively unproven warrior at the outset of the poem is one that mirrors the optimal career arc of Anglo-Saxon warriors of the time (Bruce, 2001). When the hall is introduced, several facets hint at its importance. The first is that it has a name. Hrothgar builds the great hall as a symbol of his wealth and power, and as place to host others for feasting.

This hosting role again reinforces his status in society, as one powerful enough to have a great hall and wealthy enough to host feasts. Thus, Hrothgar builds the greatest mead hall known to men of the era, as a means of cementing his status as a great king. Once Heorot is finished, Hrothgar lavishes warriors in feasts. The warriors are the object of Hrothgar's status, as the warriors in the violent Anglo-Saxon society were revered.

Glory in battle was one of the only ways to attain immortality, which was valued in a society where life was hard and people died young. The mead hall also represents civilization to the Anglo-Saxons. This is evident in a few ways. The first is that the mead hall is a great building, rivalling the church, so the building is associated with the highest level of human endeavor. The people who feast in the mead hall are the highest ranks of society -- royalty and warriors.

Lines 50-60 of Part III also juxtapose the wilds where Grendel lives with the Bible, and it is Grendel's incursion into the meal hall -- a place full of God-fearing men -- that creates the impression of the mead hall as symbolic of a strong Christian civilization in a world full of barbarians. It is thus described in glorious terms, for example "The well-fashioned wassail-hall wondrous and gleaming." This is established with the line noting that "since God did oppose [Grendel], not the throne could he touch.

This specifically excluded Grendel -- who as a man would have been a successful warrior -- from the esteem and status that a warrior could achieve. For the warriors, this juxtaposition of civilization and wilderness mirrors their daily experience. The warrior culture valued violence and conflict, as heroic deeds in battle were a key element in attaining the much sought-after immortality.

These heroic deeds could only be achieved in the wilds -- but the mead hall was the counterpoint to that The mead hall was almost a sanctuary, as it was where warriors were to sleep and eat. The role of the meal hall to the warriors was as their one place where they could be safe, relax, and enjoy the spoils of their battle.

This is likely why the story was set in the mead hall, where Grendel's incursions into the mead hall represented the uncivilized world making an incursion on the civilized world, and worse yet striking right at the heart of the greatest heroes of that society. Note the line "What grief in Heorot Grendel hath caused me" -- the location is as important as the act. This is why battles sometimes must take place at Heorot as well, because this is an important site around which Anglo-Saxon warrior society revolves.

In its role as the home of the warriors, the mead hall in Anglo-Saxon culture was also the place where warriors were stratified. In many historic instances, there was open conflict at the mead hall between warriors, often in order to adjust the balance of power The story of Beowulf recounts that some warriors were young and that the hierarchy of the warriors is established in the mead hall. Beowulf is feted and showered with treasures, and poets sing his glories in the mead hall.

This amplifies the greatness of his deeds, so it is significant that Beowulf's praises are sung in the mead hall, as this reflects that it is a building of utmost social and political status. The mead hall was a great building, and there is ample evidence throughout the Beowulf story that supports this. The king Hrothgar made a point of cementing his.