They also loved story telling. It was their best way of passing on History. It gave them a sense of pride. They also used it to tell tales of heroes new and old. This happened a few times in Beowulf. The best example I can give is when Beowulf recounted his deeds to the king and then told about every thing that was going on in that part of the world.
Beowulf is a very rich book culturally. You just have to know how to look for them. I have prior knowledge because of the books I read and such so I know what to look for. The book stays within the time period and cultures very well. The authors really knew what they were doing. The only thing that is a little fake is the whole monsters, dragons and super-human feats. Beowulf is an example of what it was really like back then.