Many Anglo-Saxon poems tell tales about strong heroes fighting off maleficent beasts. They talk about bands of warriors celebrating hard-won victories in their mead-halls. It would make a person think the Anglo-Saxon lifestyle consisted of drinking,celebrating and fighting. However, the life of an Anglo-Saxon warrior was a lot more darker than that. The cold truth is that kingdoms fought and people died. This resulted in warriors without their comrades, mothers without their sons, and kings without a kingdom. The poems The Seafarer and The Wanderer both greatly highlight this darker and more realistic aspect of the Anglo-Saxon warrior lifestyle.
The Wanderer explores the darker side of the Anglo-Saxon warrior lifestyle as it tells the story…show more content… (9-11)
This reveals how the exile feels desolate and alone, all his friends are dead and he has no one he can talk to. This sense of gloom would have been common among many warriors who had lost their kingdom to another in battle. This greatly highlights the true lifestyle of an Anglo-Saxon warrior as it shows the dreadful and more realistic side of it. It gives the readers a first hand glance at the inner thoughts of an Anglo-Saxon warrior.
The Seafarer also highlights the Anglo-Saxon warrior lifestyle. The seafarer discusses his life at sea and how strenuous it is. He begins talking about the harsh conditions he is faced with: in the ice-cold sea in the paths of exile, deprived of dear kinsmen, hung with icicles of frost while hail flew in showers. (15-18)
The seafarer is describing how at sea, he is faced with isolation and fierce hail. He has no companions at his side and is sailing is gruesome weather. This exemplifies the warrior lifestyle as many warriors had to go out to the sea in harsh environments. The conditions described in this poem mirror the conditions actual Anglo-Saxons had to live through. This allows the poem give its readers a more realistic perspective on the lifestyle of Anglo-Saxon