Beowulf (1000 A.D.) is an epic poem, written by an unknown author and tells the story of Beowulf quest to defeat Grendel and save his people. The author develops his theme of the story by setting the stage for the story and portraying a conflict, which are Beowulf and his needs to defeat Grendel to save his people. The author does this to show reader show difficult of a task it will be for Beowulf to defeat Grendel, in order to save his people. The author creates an objective relationship with his readers by telling the story from third person, giving insight into the mindset of each character and allowing the reader to interpret the poem with his or her unique perspective.…
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…
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 possibly one of the oldest remaining long poems in Old English and is commonly cited as one of the most important works in Old English literature. It was written in England sometime between the 8th and early 11th century. Throughout Beowulf’s quest to conquer evil he shows bravery, super human strength, while risking his life for the greater good of society.…
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…
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.…
Beowulf was originally written as a pagan oral tradition before the Christian monks infused their religion into it. The epic hero showed his faith to God as he battled the monsters and depicted the world of Christianity. However, the ideas in the poem are presented in both Christian God and pagan power which exemplifies Wyrd. Christianity and paganism are at opposite ends of the religious spectrum and each represent different beliefs and customs. Christians believe and follow the teachings of Christ and depend on the Bible for Spiritual guidance, but paganism is based on the belief and worshiping of other gods through sacrifices. Interspersed in each line is both elements, from the prologue to its end, each element tells its own story.…
Beowulf is an old Anglo-Saxon epic that was told for thousands through oral tradition and eventually written down by the early Christians. The early Christian writers added religious themes such as Beowulf thanking god for his strength or the monster Grendel is a descendent from the biblical character Cain. Many of the stories written around this time were epics which are long poems where the hero, who often has some semi-divine traits, must defeat must defeat some supernatural threat. The classic epic Beowulf fits these criteria because Beowulf’s actions require unnerving courage, supernatural strength, and throughout the book supernatural forces seem to intervene.…
Indisputably, the epic poem Beowulf, the author of which is unknown, has a history that is equally as intriguing as its content. The poem has traversed far greater distances than the Baltic Sea, which its hero crossed to reach the land of the Danes, and has faced perils commensurate to the demons that appear in the poem to reach modern day readers. The most striking reminder of the epic’s rich history is the presence of both Anglo-Saxon and Christian elements within the text. Although the poem was likely composed in the sixth century, within a pagan culture, it was not transcribed until circa 1000 AD, and was therefore subject to Christian modification. The combination of both Anglo-Saxon and Christian cultural components lend the epic a unique…
Beowulf is a traditional epic poem. It was written in Old English in the Anglo-Saxon period by an unknown poet. It is written in England between 700 and 1000 a.d. Beowulf is consisting of 3182 alliterative lines. "It is generally agreed that the poet who put the old materials into their present form was a Christian , and that his poem reflects a Christian tradition. " There is only one copy of Beowulf that kept for many years.…
Beowulf is a masterpiece that has pillaged and powered through centuries of oral retelling and translating just as the character it vividly illustrates does throughout the epic. Despite being so impressive and entertaining on the surface, the Old English classic embodies something a lot greater, and that is the moral struggle of religion going on at the time. Religion played a huge role in Anglo-Saxon culture for it was what gave the people a reason to live for, it was what motivated people to work to make it through the harsh winters. Even today, it can be seen that people require that extrinsic motivation to work hard and push through obstacles in their path. The dichotomy of Paganism and Christianity at the time is depicted by the tone of the narrator, which subliminally hints at what their own beliefs are, symbols, that accentuate the severity of the dichotomy itself, and allusions as well as foreshadowing, that further the Christian impact on the poem.…
The classic epic tale Beowulf is a masterpiece that stands out in the literature of the past. Many characters in the poem struggle to define their religion at the time because Christianity was recently introduced in their Anglo-Saxon communities. Among them all, the main character Beowulf showed the most indecisiveness. In his words and actions, Beowulf embodies both Christian and Anglo-Saxon ideals; however, they reveal him to be more of a Christian than a pagan.…
In the reading of Beowulf, it is clear that the author is the moral compass that directs the poem and keeps this mindset through the whole story. With doing outside research I noticed different scholars frequently question whether or not the author was writing with his Christian faith as the mainstream of his work. Many would say Beowulf is somewhat of a Christ figure. Grendel is also what man may call the devil. This somewhat contradicts the common census of this actual piece being pagan theology. With other readings of different essays and articles they each had more concern of the Christian aspect concerning on the story. You can tell that the author was writing from a Christian perspective, talking about villains and the standards they have to uphold/and to shows these common qualities shared among believers of the Christian faith.…
The epic poem Beowulf is a tale of a warrior, named Beowulf, and the events that lead to his death. One of the main concerns of the epic poem was whether or not it is of pagan or Christian origin, or whether it has pagan or Christian influences. Even though the poem appeared to be originally a pagan story, there are many clues in the text that point to Christian influence and tradition. Beowulf is essentially a Christian story with Christian customs: that man's survival depends on the protection of God, that earthly gifts come from God, and also that Beowulf is a Christ-figure.…