The Monsters in Beowulf
by Luella Rae
The Monsters in Beowulf
Beowulf is an old English prose poem that originates from Anglo Saxon Germanic culture. Although, the author, R. M. Liuzza, translates Beowulf from Old English into modern English verse, the date and place of composition of Beowulf are unknown; however, there seems to be a link to the pagan Germanic and Christian sources because of the historical timeframes,” says Liuzza (10).
In my essay, I will explore the possibilities that Beowulf was written from an Anglo-Saxon traditional perspective derived from the historical biblical text, and is an epic poem built upon the Adam and Eve creation story. In the poem Beowulf, the monsters Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and Dragon I will tell the Creation story from a different perspective, using Anglo Saxon literary metaphor. I am going to argue that this epic poem is about God avenging the murder of Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden and the murder of Abel at the hands of his brother Cain.
This poem is predominantly about the war between good and evil. The first monster Beowulf encounters is Grendel. Grendel is the offspring of a woman who colludes with the Dragon, or the serpent, also known as the Devil in the Garden, in the biblical Creation story. Grendel is full of rage, envy, and murders his brother Abel. God asks Cain (Grendel), “What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood cries unto me from the ground....and now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand (Gen. 4:10-11).
And so Grendel is now reduced to the life of a fugitive, alone and ostracized. He envies anyone who laughs and enjoys life. He seeks to destroy all that he envies. He is full of rage and alludes to becoming a demon by eating his prey. He is full of revenge. The cannibalism may have significance in the epic poem of Beowulf in that it is the anti-thesis for self-sacrifice, another contrast indicating the gulf between good
The Monsters in Beowulf
Beowulf is an old English prose poem that originates from Anglo Saxon Germanic culture. Although, the author, R. M. Liuzza, translates Beowulf from Old English into modern English verse, the date and place of composition of Beowulf are unknown; however, there seems to be a link to the pagan Germanic and Christian sources because of the historical timeframes,” says Liuzza (10).
In my essay, I will explore the possibilities that Beowulf was written from an Anglo-Saxon traditional perspective derived from the historical biblical text, and is an epic poem built upon the Adam and Eve creation story. In the poem Beowulf, the monsters Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and Dragon I will tell the Creation story from a different perspective, using Anglo Saxon literary metaphor. I am going to argue that this epic poem is about God avenging the murder of Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden and the murder of Abel at the hands of his brother Cain.
This poem is predominantly about the war between good and evil. The first monster Beowulf encounters is Grendel. Grendel is the offspring of a woman who colludes with the Dragon, or the serpent, also known as the Devil in the Garden, in the biblical Creation story. Grendel is full of rage, envy, and murders his brother Abel. God asks Cain (Grendel), “What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood cries unto me from the ground....and now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand (Gen. 4:10-11).
And so Grendel is now reduced to the life of a fugitive, alone and ostracized. He envies anyone who laughs and enjoys life. He seeks to destroy all that he envies. He is full of rage and alludes to becoming a demon by eating his prey. He is full of revenge. The cannibalism may have significance in the epic poem of Beowulf in that it is the anti-thesis for self-sacrifice, another contrast indicating the gulf between good
Cited: * Gruber, Tom. How could Eve have sex with a serpent? CTAS. 2007 http://howcouldevehavesexwithaserpent.blogspot.ca/ * Liuzza, R.M. 2000. Beowulf. Broadview Press Ltd: Peterborough, Ontario. Print. * Nelson, Thomas. King James Biblical Text. 1976. Nashville: Tennessee. Print.