Beowulf is an epic poem from the medieval time that depicts the traits of an epic hero and his journey. He demonstrates good and evil throughout his quest. The imagery helps the reader understand the events throughout Beowulf’s battle over evil and his struggle through life. The images reveal the epic tradition as well as Christian themes and Pagan beliefs.…
In the story,“Beowulf”, by Burton Raffel, Beowulf is the Christ figure in this story of the epic hero. In the story,there is this horrible monster, named Grendel, spreading terror around the land. Such a savage that he would be “Killing as often as he could” (80). Beowulf, a strong, brave warrior, would…
Another one of Christian beliefs that is defined in Beowulf, is the representative of Paganism. The paganism components talks about in Beowulf, fist talks about Grendel’s portrayal. Grendel is described in these lines: “Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild Marshes, and made his home in a hell” (l. 16-18). All the way through the poem the devilish monster Grendel, that has hate towards Herot Hall and the meeting of his men partying. In line for to this he waits on them till after partying are over in the Herot Hall once the men are intoxicated and comes in and murder Hrothgar’s men parting him to live in grief and mourn the death of his men. The funeral Beowulf demanded before he die also…
Grendel is a descendent of Cain and is forced to live with the inherited curse of being denied God’s presence. Cain’s lineage has been known to spawn monsters, trolls, giants, and other undesirable beings, all of which were rejected from society. Beowulf and Grendel both speak of Grendel’s ancestor Cain, almost as if using it as an excuse for his rash and murderous actions. Beowulf told of a Grendel that mercilessly attacked Hrothgar’s meadhall killing men without reason. Grendel also speaks of this evil monster, but in a more sympathetic and excusable manner. Grendel is thought of as “the guardian of sins” and is the physical equivalent to a man that has been shunned by God. He is described as a hideous bear like ogre in human like shape. Both literary pieces tell of his extraordinary strength and size and his similarities to the early ideas of Satan. The poet in Beowulf also mentions that despite his strength and magnitude, Grendel is not comparable to the devil despite his truly evil ideals. It is made clear that he has no other choice but to be this way, and there must be an evil force in all societies to distinguish the heroes from the cowardly thanes. This is made evident in Grendel when during…
In the epic Beowulf , the story was translated by two scribes, A and B, into the manuscript…
Beowulf is an epic poem that is filled with many different mythological character, and religious symbols. Beowulf is a story that has been retold, translated, and interpreted in many different ways. As a result of this story being interpreted and translated through the years; there is a combination of both the Christian religion and Pagan beliefs.…
Beowulf is a historical and elegiac Anglo-Saxon poem. Religion is an irritable subject and one of the main topics. The heroic character Beowulf is a depiction of superior and God. Grendel is the delineation of the Pagan beliefs as well as the corrupt in the world. This poem is composed of internal and external complications between the Pagan’s and the Christian’s beliefs. Even though Paganism is meticulously extended throughout the text, there are several references about Christianity. Keywords and phrases such as “fate”, “hoping for hell’s support, and many more help the reader understand the different religions that are visible in this poem. The anonymous author of Beowulf thrived with the legendary poem by embracing Paganism, Christianity, and the conflicts of both religions.…
Beowulf is the stepping stone for the creation of many stories of good vs. evil, ending with the hero receiving unending praise and adoration. With that many of the people who read of the epic poem now relate to it on many levels, my belief is that the Christian elements throughout this poem make it more intriguing to the modern day peruser. The author of the poem is unknown but based on the style of wording used and the Paganistic elements it is believed to have originally been scribed by Christian monks. Beowulf is a 'story' that has been passed down for generations being used as entertainment by the Anglo-Saxons in 10th century England. The biblical jewels hidden throughout this story not only help a reader to relate to the author’s work…
“They gave thanks to God for their easy crossing” (143). The sentiment exposed in the quotation embodies the view that Beowulf gave thanks to God instead of his men for getting them there safely across the sea. Another example of thankfulness to his God Almighty would be, “For this, this gold, these jewels, I thank Our Father in Heaven, Ruler of the Earth… Still came to my lips” (815-820). This just goes to show that through the…
Grendel is one of the three major antagonists in the poem "Beowulf". We are told he is a monster and a descendant of the biblical figure "Cain" early on in the text. "Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend/Grendel who haunted the moors, the wild /Marshes, and made his home in a hell./Not hell but hell on earth. He was spawned in that slime/Of Cain, murderous creatures banished/ By God, punished forever for the crime/ Of Abel 's death." (Lines 101-108).…
Beowulf is an epic that follows the main character, Beowulf, and his quest for glory. Throughout his journey, Beowulf fights three monsters to protect the citizens of Denmark and Sweden. When this story was first told by the Anglo-Saxons, their main religion was Paganism. Paganism is a polytheistic religion which believes in animism, that spirits control every part of existence. As time went on, Paganism began to fade and Christianity started to take over. Beowulf is a prime example of dual authorship in literature since monks who wrote down the journey of Beowulf incorporated Christian ideals into the originally Pagan story due to the spread of Christianity.…
In this epic heroic poetry, Beowulf (8th- early 11th century) the author which remains a mystery suggests that Christianity will overpower or transition the early medieval Scandinavia which is pagan into Christianity due to the fact that Beowulf being the people’s hero and main hope references God more than once which shows the introduction of Christianity context. The author specifically references the Christian story of Cain and Abel which shows the slow but growing introduction of Christianity to the pagan early medieval Scandinavia. The author purposely ties/connects the main hero, Beowulf, with early references of Christianity in order to show that although Beowulf is the narrator and is not pagan, his trust in god allowed him to protect…
The poem shows the idea of believing in one God, which have brought a Christian perspective in the text. The characters always refer to one god as the savior of mankind. They would always have the pious custom of giving thanks to God for every battle against evil. The epic represents the belief in reward of afterlife. The idea of Christianity in the poem is that man who affords grace and guidance are worthy of God. All gifts of such strong power are believed only to be obtained from the Lord Almighty. “Afterward a boy-child was born to Shield, /a cub in the yard, a comfort sent/ by God to that nation” (Beowulf 12-14). God became the reason for the birth of Beowulf, to imply control of the superior power of Christian divinity. In this case, God is the known giver of life, to whoever follows his ways and the all earthly gifts flow from God only. Beowulf is presented as a hero who uses his powers for righteousness to please God. In the text, Beowulf was presented as a gift sent to Shield who will later become a hero to save people from monsters. He makes his minstrel sing in Heorot of the Creation of the earth and the lights of Heaven (Tolkien). Heorot hall, which is synonymous with the Garden of Eden, where men lived in perfect peace and harmony with the God of Heaven, the giver of life and all good things, is where the plot begins. The old king recognizes the visitations by Grendel as allowed by God because of prowess in his power and wealth…
This is first seen when Grendel dares not to touch Hrothgar's throne because of its protection by God. This is also seen when Beowulf is speaking about fighting Grendel. He is not afraid of the beast because he says that God must decide who will die in this fight. This shows how Beowulf has faith in God because he knows God will protect him, or if he dies it will be with honor. This is also seen when Hrothgar is speaking about what Grendel has done to his people. "Surely, the Lord Almighty could stop his madness, smother his lust!"(212-213). This portrays how Hrothgar has faith in God's protection because if nobody can defeat Grendel, God will protect Hrothgar. This undoubtedly shows the Christian influence in this poem.…
In Beowulf christianity reveals itself, in which the reader emotions may feel sympathy from the ideas in relates to the bible. The characters in Beowulf take on different roles that are similar to the characters in the bible. The setting also includes christian elements for example, Herot Hall that Hrothgar built in honor of his fame, were celebrations were held with his men. In Beowulf lines 14- 15 describes celebration and peace in Herot Hall: “As now warriors sang of their pleasure: So Hrothgar’s men lived happy in his hall.” Even though Herot hall is the place were the celebration occurred; however, Grendel’s hatred for Herot’s celebration causes him swooped in while Hrothgar’s men were drunk and killed them all. Another Christianity Element discussed in the Beowulf is Beowulf heroism, how he uses God through all of his battles. Before the battle against Grendel, Beowulf says in lines 174-175: “God must decide/Who will be given to death’s cold grip.” In this quote Beowulf is basically saying that God will decide who will win between him and Grendel in battle because he requested to fight with his hands alone. Upon Beowulf’s death from his last battle with the dragon, he thank God from the heavens above for allowing his…