Ideals are standards of perfection or excellence. For the Anglo-Saxons of the Dark Ages these ideals were loyalty, valor, unselfishness, and a sense of justice. Through Beowulf's journey we can see how he exhibits these ideals. The first of these ideals is loyalty, which Beowulf shows when he obeys his people's request for him to go to the Danes. "My people have said...that my duty was to go to the Danes...Now Grendel and I are called together, and I've come." This shows how loyal he is to his people that no matter what they ask he will go to the...
is willing to do whatever it takes for others.

The last of the Anglo-Saxon ideals is a sense of justice. When Beowulf first hears of Grendel he hears about the horrible crimes that he is committing to mankind, he at once rushes to the Dane's rescue. He believes that Grendel should be punished for the crimes he has committed.

All of these ideals; loyalty, valor, unselfishness, and a sense of justice, were all very important to the Anglo-Saxons. This is why the epic of Beowulf became so popular at the time, because he exhibited all of the sacred ideals.