Heroic Poems Summary

The anthology starts out with fragments from five heroic poems. These poems deal with details of battle and tribal loyalty, and they give a good idea of the bloody and war-like values of the Anglo-Saxons. They reveal the importance of bravely serving one's lord.

"Deor" presents a series of characters, giving a short and concise description of how these characters feel about their lot in life. The poet or narrating persona identifies himself as Deor and sadly tells how he once had a good job and lands, but how they have now been taken away from him. Thus he sympathizes with historical characters who lost something great.

There are fragments from four other heroic poems and these all give details of battles, as well as the reactions of the people before and after the battles. In "The Finnesburh Fragment," Guthere fights...