What is the significance of the mead hall in Beowulf?
Across Beowulf, the mead hall looms as the central social gathering point of the Anglo-Saxon warrior culture the poem depicts (ultimately the same culture that produced the poem in question).
At the same time, it is also the key focal point of royal power, personally built by Hrothgar himself. In terms of its scale and grandeur, the creation of Heorot is depicted as having been a momentous undertaking:
Then it came to his heart that he would command men to fashion a hall and a mansion, a mightier house for their mead-drinking than the children of men had ever known, and there-within would he apportion all things to young and old such as God had granted him, save the people's land and the lives of men. (J. R. R. Tolkien, Beowulf: a Translation and Commentary, ed. Christopher Tolkien, First Mariner Books ed., 2015, p. 15)
In this sense,...
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Heorot represents a monument to Hrothgar's own wealth and power, meant to further advance his reputation as king. At the same time, it serves as a critical instrument in the expression of that royal power, given the interplay of social and political dynamics that are always present amid these feasts. This interlinking of the social and relational with the political is to be reflected in Beowulf's own services to and relationship with Hrothgar.
At the same time, however, there is an irony at play during the first section of the poem. Heorot, intended as a monument to Hrothgar's kingship, instead becomes a monument to his own powerlessness vis-à-vis Grendel. In this respect, everything that Heorot was intended to represent, as the social and political center for Hrothgar's rule, is, in reality, undermined and overthrown so long as Grendel remains unopposed. It is in this context that Beowulf arrives, freeing Heorot from this terror and crafting his own heroic legacy.
What's the name of the mead hall where men celebrate in Beowulf?
The name of Hrothgar's mead hall is Heorot. Here is how it is described in the story:
I heard that orders to craft the gathering place were widely sent to many tribes throughout the earth. His plan achieved with swiftness, that hall, the greatest of buildings, stood there ready. He, whose words held dominion in many lands, gave it the name Heorot. Nor did he go back on his promise, but distributed rings and treasure at the banquet. The hall towered high, with pinnacles spanning the sky, as it awaited the scathing blasts of deadly flame. The day had not yet come when father and son-inlaw stood by with blade-baring hatred, stirred by a blood feud.
According to wikipedia, the word Heorot means "Hall of the Hart" (male deer).
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In Beowulf, what is the history of the mead-hall and does it exist today?
The mead hall in Beowulf is named Heorot (or Herot). It was constructed by Hrothgar in order to praise God for his successes (at least so it says in the text written from a Christian perspective). Hrothgar built the mead hall with the help of many tribes. He promised these men that they would be rewarded for constructing the best mead hall on earth. It is here, at this place, that men gather far and wide to drink, be merry, gain wealth, and praise the Lord.
Historically, a mead hall was a place where the king lived. It was a large hall where a king and his men would reside, eat, and entertain. Scops would sing of epic heroes in the hall. The hall gained its name from the beverage served there--mead. Mead is a beverage made from fermenting honey and water.
A modern mead hall could be looked at in two very different ways. First, it could be looked at as a church. Given that Hrothgar and his men would worship God in the mead hall, a church would be an appropriate parallel. A second modern comparison would be a tavern or bar (given the consumption of alcohol and entertainment).