Gift Giving

In Anglo-Saxon culture, it seemed to be a big thing to give lots of gifts if someone did something remarkable. In Beowulf, he received a number of gifts that sort of exemplified that he'd done something great, that he was a hero.

Today, there are still examples of that- of giving a gift to someone because you respect or revere them in some way. Not always necessarily heroes, but still people that have done something admirable. The most parallel example I can think of is giving gifts to celebrities. These people don't know the celebrities personally, but they still buy or create something to give to this person who is well known for doing something good. I have seen people make things for celebrities or give them a stuffed animal or draw them a picture. It's as though they are thanking them for the work they do in a physical way- just like Beowulf.

For example, this past summer I went to Otakon, a convention for sci-fi, gaming, and anime. At one point I stood in line to meet a voice actor named Vic Mignogna, and beside me in line was my sister, finishing a white rose she was crocheting for him. While in that same line, I saw this voice actor receive, fittingly enough for this topic, a crown (it was plushie, but still).

This is me meeting him. ^_^ it was pretty great. And look! I'm even
dressed inArthurian-garb (I was Morgana from the show Merlin)

While Vic Mignogna or other actors  and celebrities may not have saved us from a Grendel-esque monster, they do do things that make us respect them without knowing them personally and elicit a gift-giving feeling from us. It's a form through which we show gratitude for something another person has done, a way to help them remember that we appreciate their work, which is, I think, why it has lasted so long.