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

Shields in the poem Beowulf Shields, a defensive weapon mentioned in the poem Beowulf, embarrass a variety of compo flummoxions from wood to iron and this is wholly in dish out with archaeological finds. There are a considerable number of references to shields in the poem, making this topic a very relevant one to consider. Weapons could be heirlooms, and royal treasuries and armories still preserve arms and weapons from earlier days, so imagination in this area need not be confined to present-day(a) artifacts (304), says Catherine M. Hills in Beowulf and Archaeology. Before turning to the archaeological evidence, lets mind at the Beowulf poem, where one finds copious references to shields. As Beowulf and his party approach the Danish land From high on a wall the Scylding watchman whose indebtedness it was to guard the sea-cliffs saw glinting shield-bosses passed hand to hand fine-tune the gangplank, an soldierss war-gear (229-32) The Scylding watchman is sti ll talking Never more openly have warriors landed when carrying shields, and you have no leave from our men of battle, system 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 intelligence of Healfdene, shield of the people (267-9) By the time the Geats arrived at Heorot, they were tired and had to sit down The sea-weary men set their broad shields, spell-hardened rims, against the high wall, eased down on benches (325-27) ... ... the Sutton Hoo ShipBurial. In Beowulf The Donaldson Translation, edited by Joseph F. Tuso. sunrise(prenominal) 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. Be owulf and Archaeology. In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997. Shields. The capital of South Carolina 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.