Christian/Pagan Elements of Beowulf
Jacob Torrence
Mrs. Tara Hall
English Composition
16 September 2014
The Pagan Saint, Beowulf
Beowulf, the first epic, was a story of honor, tradition, and faith. The poem was originally a pagan oral tradition, being passed along from one to another by word of mouth, and never being written. Later on it was written down by monks who felt the need to Christianize the story, and remove some pagan elements. In later years, the old manuscripts were translated into English by Seamus Heaney. Beowulf seems to have characteristics of pagan beliefs, but also elements of Christianity, while the hero of the story displays traits and virtues of both worlds.
In the beginning of Beowulf, the author describes the passing of Beowulf 's father, and the type of burial they gave him. It describes a pagan tradition of ship burials. Men would be laid out in a boat with their possessions, and then be sent out to sea, supposedly to be sent to the afterlife. The Danes also turned quickly back to their pagan religion and tradition when seemingly impervious Grendel attacked the hall, "Sometimes at pagan shrines they vowed offerings to idols, swore oaths that the killer of souls might come to their aid and save the people" (Heaney 175-177) showing how the culture was steeped in pagan religion.
The poem’s Christian elements are discernible from constant, albeit circuitous, references of a Creator, or the Almighty, along with allusions to biblical events. The monster Grendel apparently was a descendant of the murderer Cain. It explains the being by telling about how the Almighty had laid a curse upon that line. Also, the sword with which Beowulf finally killed Grendel and his mother, was an heirloom from a past age, that it specifically says was before the flood. The sword hilt was inscribed with runes that told the story of the people. Perhaps the most obvious way the poem shows Christian influence is when it says, "How the Almighty had made the earth A gleaming plain girdled with waters;
Mrs. Tara Hall
English Composition
16 September 2014
The Pagan Saint, Beowulf
Beowulf, the first epic, was a story of honor, tradition, and faith. The poem was originally a pagan oral tradition, being passed along from one to another by word of mouth, and never being written. Later on it was written down by monks who felt the need to Christianize the story, and remove some pagan elements. In later years, the old manuscripts were translated into English by Seamus Heaney. Beowulf seems to have characteristics of pagan beliefs, but also elements of Christianity, while the hero of the story displays traits and virtues of both worlds.
In the beginning of Beowulf, the author describes the passing of Beowulf 's father, and the type of burial they gave him. It describes a pagan tradition of ship burials. Men would be laid out in a boat with their possessions, and then be sent out to sea, supposedly to be sent to the afterlife. The Danes also turned quickly back to their pagan religion and tradition when seemingly impervious Grendel attacked the hall, "Sometimes at pagan shrines they vowed offerings to idols, swore oaths that the killer of souls might come to their aid and save the people" (Heaney 175-177) showing how the culture was steeped in pagan religion.
The poem’s Christian elements are discernible from constant, albeit circuitous, references of a Creator, or the Almighty, along with allusions to biblical events. The monster Grendel apparently was a descendant of the murderer Cain. It explains the being by telling about how the Almighty had laid a curse upon that line. Also, the sword with which Beowulf finally killed Grendel and his mother, was an heirloom from a past age, that it specifically says was before the flood. The sword hilt was inscribed with runes that told the story of the people. Perhaps the most obvious way the poem shows Christian influence is when it says, "How the Almighty had made the earth A gleaming plain girdled with waters;
Cited: Heaney, Seamus, trans. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000. Print.