English literature, and is well deserved of the distinction. The epic tells the story of a hero, a Scandinavian prince named Beowulf, who rids the Danes of the monster Grendel, a descendent of Cain, and of his exploits fighting Grendel's mother and a Dragon. Throughout the epic, the Anglo-Saxon storyteller uses many elements to build a certain depth to the characters. As I read Beowulf, I found it full of important character elements such as Wealth & Honor, Biblical & Paganistic, and Man vs. Wild themes.

Many of the characters in Beowulf are, like in most epics, defined by their status. But, in addition to status, the Anglo-Saxon culture also adds an element of honor. To the Anglo-Saxons, a character's importance, as well as their wealth and status, where measured not only in monetary terms, but was also measured in terms of honor, fame, and accomplishments. Hrothgar, king of the Danes, is one example of the Anglo-Saxon measurement of importance in Beowulf. In Stanza 1, the storyteller describes his wealth and importance, not as mounds of gold or jewels, but instead as his ability to "[lead] the Danes to such glory." and as his tendency to "In battle,

The Eternal Lord had exacted a price:

In misery among the banished monsters,

And condemned as outcasts. For the killing of Abel

Some common words found in the essay are:
Eternal Lord, Biblical Paganistic, Grendel Beowulf, Honor Paganistic, Beowulf Stanza, Goodness Beowulf, Including Christian, Grendel Grendel, Beowulf English, Beowulf West-Danes, wealth honor, wealth status, throughout epic, looked god, anglo-saxon culture, biblical reference, depth characters, paganistic vs, biblical paganistic, vs wild,
Approximate Word count = 1211
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)