adic barbarian war bands exist as predators on the fringes of a higher civilization. Such groups carry with them in their raids and journeys what has been called the only entirely portable art, an oral poetry that celebrates a warrior's code perpetually being tested in violent exploits (Irving 11).
Germanic heroic stories are based on historical events from the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries, "but most of the tales soon acquire the pebble-smooth shape of legend rather than strict history" (Irving 11). Beowulf includes a list of heroes and tribes from all over the Germanic world, allusions to a number of different stories of the era.
The society depicted in Beowulf is harsh and violent, and it may appear to the modern reader as unattractive,
. . . with its unrepentant passion for showy material things, and yet at the same time sophisticated in its sure awareness of the depth and complexity of certain human values and relationships (Irving 20).
The hero is also revered in this society, and the poem depicts a society which includes both the pagan religion of early Britain and the Christian religion which supplanted it. This society worships the hero, and the hero is one who not only performs heroic deeds but also acquires bounty which he shares with his followers. The unknown poet indicates the scope of the work in the opening lines:
Listen! We have heard of the glory
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