French President François Hollande vowed to conduct a “pitiless” war against the people responsible for Friday’s atrocities, and over the weekend, the bombings of ISIS targets in Syria began. Le président also temporarily closed all of France’s borders, but only for those seeking to leave the locked-down country. Frankly, these moves do not go far enough, but they’re a step in the right direction. Even a socialist like Monsieur Hollande appears to recognize that tight border security and strict immigration politics at home, coupled with a swift and brutal anti-Islamist foreign policy, are the only viable options left for Europe and North America.
At the sake of sounding like Conan the Barbarian (“Crush your enemies. See them driven before you. Hear the lamentations of their women.”), what we all need is a big time resurrection of the ancient virtues. Robert E. Howard, the hardboiled Texan who created Conan, famously said that, “barbarism is the natural state of mankind. Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph.”
While one has to admire Two-Gun Bob’s poetic fatalism, he’s only half correct. Too much civilization is indeed unnatural. Too much civilization, which dulls anything remotely red-blooded, is unhealthy for any society. (If you need any evidence, just look at your Twitter machine and see what’s being written under “Terrorism Has No Religion.”) Again, as with every other Islam-inspired terrorist attack in recent memory, thousands have shown that they are more concerned about those “Islamophobic” backlashes that never materialize than they are about the actual victims of Islamist murder.
And so it falls to conservatives, right-wingers, and other fed-up types to be a little savage, a little barbarous in the fight against Islamism. The left has no will to defend Western Civilization, and so we must take up the task. While Western renewal requires more engaged public intellectuals, a vibrant conservative community on college campuses, and conservatives openly working and producing in creative fields like movies, television, and fiction writing, we must also show the way towards a better culture through our actions. A good primer for those looking to improve themselves is Beowulf.
The oldest surviving poem written in Old English, Beowulf is the timeless tale of a brave man who combines courage (fortitudo) and wisdom (sapientia). Although at times overly boastful, Beowulf, as the greatest warrior among the Geats, succeeds where the aged King Hrothgar and his terrified Danish warriors have failed. Whereas Hrothgar is full of wisdom, he lacks the courage or the ability to act when necessary. Therefore, Grendel, the demon spawn of Cain, plagues the great hall Heorot until Beowulf finally vanquishes it during a particularly violent night. Beowulf’s later triumphs, such as the killing of Grendel’s fearsome mother and his reckless assault against the treasure dragon that appears in the poem’s final one thousand lines, only serve to underscore the fact that Beowulf lived a life worthy of a warrior and a king.
Not that long ago, American students were required to learn Old English as part of English literature classes. While many students still read Beowulf, few read it in its original language anymore. Not only is this a shame, for few languages, dead or alive, carry the directness and clarity of speech quite like Old English, but also because it smells like a small step towards complete removal. Beowulf, as an integral text to English-speaking identity, should not be cancelled for future generations. Its 3,180 lines offer more than just an awesome story about a bearded, muscle-bound man who rips the arms off of monsters and makes bets about swimming across the ocean. Beowulf is a lesson in leadership, personal honor, and preparedness. Beowulf can teach people today that what is spoken should be honor-bound.
Most importantly, Beowulf is a call-to-arms. Sometimes a word-hoard needs to opened with a golden tongue, but words will not always suffice. When Grendel is knocking at the door, force must be met with force. For the Anglosphere, Beowulf offers a panacea—a way to look at the current crisis with hope for victory. For the currently wounded, but resilient French, look to The Song of Roland and have heart. The war that we find ourselves in can be won. All we need are those who are willing to cross “the churning foam” as “combat-hardened” and “battle-furious” barbarians, whether or not the battle is in Paris, the Middle East, or in the public forum.
Benjamin Welton is a writer in Boston.
