Beowulf Links Pagan and Christian Traditions
"Beowulf" is a link between two traditions, Pagan and the Christian.
The virtues of courage in war and the acceptance of feuds between men and
countries as a fact of life stem from the older Pagan tradition. On the
other hand Christianity's moralities are based meekness and poverty.
"Beowulf" brings this two convictions together through the actions of the
characters.
Even though Beowulf possesses spiritual strength, he isn't
particularly concerned with the Christian virtues. He wants to help people,
in a Christian way, but his motivation for doing so is complicated.
Beowulf has a eagerness for material rewards and earthly fame which is a
characteristic of Paganism. Beowulf had the heart of the Christian to help
people but wants the selfish rewards of Paganism. Shild's funeral is
another example of Paganism, it takes place at the end of the prologue.
The people that were under his reign put him on the deck of a ship and
surrounded him with jewels, gold, helmets, swords, etc. The importance of
material goods are one of the cardinal characteristics of the Pagan's
beliefs. Hrothgar and his counselors make useless attempts to appease
Grendel in Verse 2. They can't offer him gold or land, as they might an
ordinary enemy. Like most people in a time of crisis they slip back into
old ways of thinking. Instead of praying to God for support, they
sacrifice to t he stone idols of their pagan past.
The Christian motifs that run through the poem contrast with the
pagan system of values that underlies the actions of the kings and the
warriors. The influence of Christianity was just beginning to make its
mark in this world, and most of the characters are torn between their newly
discovered religious feelings and their old, heathen way of perceiving
things. The idea that there's a higher being that controls one's actions
revolutionized people's concepts of themselves, and infused their day-to-
day lives with a sense of wonder.
"Beowulf" is a epic poem that combines the contrasting beliefs of
the traditional Paganism and the modern assessment of Christianity. The
majority of the characters in "Beowulf" are Pagans which is based of the
belief of many gods (polytheism). As shown in the prologue. Many
characters were petrified of the newly uprising of the monotheism (belief
in one god) which was present in Christianity. Due to this fear
Christianity was not highly thought of in the poem even though the poem was
hand written by the monks of the Christian religion.
Partner sites: Rottweiler, Spanish immersion program Spain, and Free Death of a Salesman Essays