Pagan and Christian Elements in Beowulf
The praised epic poem, Beowulf, is the first great heroic poem in English literature. The epic follows a courageous warrior named Beowulf throughout his young, adult life and into his old age. As a young man, Beowulf becomes a legendary hero when he saves the land of the Danes from the hellish creatures, Grendel and his mother. Later, after fifty years pass, Beowulf is an old man and a great king of the Geats. A monstrous dragon soon invades his peaceful kingdom and he defends his people courageously, dying in the process. His body is burned and his ashes are placed in a cave by the sea. By placing his ashes in the seaside cave, people passing by will always remember the legendary hero and king, Beowulf.
In this recognized epic, Beowulf, is abound in supernatural elements of pagan associations; however, the poem is the opposite of pagan barbarism. The presentation of the story telling moves fluidly within Christian surroundings as well as pagan ideals. Beowulf was a recited pagan folklore where the people of that time period believed in gods, goddesses, and monsters. It's significance lies in an oral history where people memorized long, dense lines of tedious verse. Later, when a written tradition was introduced they began to write the story down on tablets. The old tale was not first told or invented by the commonly known, Beowulf poet. This is clear from investigations of the folk lore analogues. The manuscript was written by two scribes around AD 1000 in late West Saxon, the literary dialect of that period. It is believed that the scribes who put the old materials together into their present form were Christians and that his poem reflects a Christian tradition....
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...e epic is the hero's fame, a monument as enduring as earth.
Works Cited
Primary Source
Kermode, Frank, and John Hollander, et al. Beowulf. The Oxford Anthology of English Literature: Vol 1. New York: Oxford UP, 1973. 29-98.
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Morris, Richard, ed. Blickling Homilies: Sermon 17 of the Tenth Century, Old Series, no. 73. London: EETS, 1880. 209-11. Tuso, Joseph F, ed. Beowulf: The Donaldson Translation Backgrounds and Sources Criticism. New York: W.W. Norton, 1975.
Beowulf is among the earliest surviving works of literature. It was written in Old English and dates back sometime before the tenth century A.D. The poem is set in Scandinavia, and tells the story of the heroic warrior, Beowulf. Beowulf was the perfect hero. He fought for his people and defeated evil with his ability to bring on justice. Three of Beowulf’s traits that serve as evidence of this were his remarkable physical strength, his ability to put the well-being of others before his own well-being, and his courage.
Bloom, Harold. “Introduction.” In Modern Critical Interpretations: Beowulf, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
This book is a study of the personal tales of many single mothers, with intentions to understand why single mothers from poor urban neighborhoods are increasingly having children out of wedlock at a young age and without promise of marrying their fathers. The authors chose to research their study in Philadelphia’s eight most devastated neighborhoods, where oppression and danger are high and substantial job opportunities are rare. They provide an excellent education against the myth that poor young urban women are having children due to a lack of education on birth control or because they intend to work the welfare system. Instead, having children is their best and perhaps only means of obtaining the purpose, validation and companionship that is otherwise difficult to find in the areas in which they live. For many of them, their child is the biggest promise they have to a better future. They also believe that though their life may not have been what they want, they want their child to have more and better opportunities and make it their life’s work to provide that.
Magoun, Frances P. “Oral-Formulaic Character of Anglo-Saxon Narrative Poetry.” In TheBeowulf Poet, edited by Donald K. Fry. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968.
Clark, Gorge. “The Hero and the Theme.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.
Beowulf, an epic poem, written by unknown and translated by Seamus Heaney, is an artifact of the Anglo-Saxon era because it is a piece of literature that was documented once. During the time it was written, writing was not common. The poem reveals a lot of the Anglo-Saxon practices and beliefs, but it also is compared to Christianity because was written down by a christian monk.
Amish may be found throughout the United States, however, the large majority of them immigrated from Switzerland to Pennsylvania. “The Amish church began with a schism in Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists in 1693 led by Jakob Ammann. Those who followed him became known as Amish”. (Amish, 2014) When the Amish settled in Pennsylvania they acquired a language of Pennsylvania German, also known as Pennsylvania Dutch. The Amish culture is a growing culture within the United States. The Amish were saved from extinction by William Penn who allowed them a place to reside from religious persecution in America. William Penn was one of the founders of Pennsylvania. He believed greatly in religious freedom and wanted to create a place almost like a refugee for people to be able to go to escape the cruelty that is bestowed upon different religions. Although it is thought that the largest Amish population resides in Pennsylvania, in reality, Ohio has the largest Amish population in the United States and Canada and currently there is no Amish living in Europe.
Heaney, Seamus. Introduction. Beowulf: a New Verse Translation. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000. Xvii. Print.
Donaldson, E. Talbot, trans. Beowulf The Donaldson Translation, edited by Joseph Tuso. New York, W.W.Norton and Co., 1975.
Abrams, M.H., ed. Beowulf: The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001.
Beowulf was written around 700 A.D. by an unknown author. While it is a part of English Literature, it does not take place in England. Instead, it tells the reader events that happened in Sweden and on the Danish island of Zealand. The pagan and Christian references suggest that the poem is most likely written about the time that the Anglo-Saxon society was converting from paganism to Christianity. Monasteries provided a place for learning and they also saved some of the manuscripts, such as the story Beowulf. Christianity does eventually replace pagan religion as far as Anglo-Saxons are concerned. Although the unknown author of Beowulf develops the main protagonist to represent both paganism and Christianity, the ideals conflict create a unique epic poem.
Burrhus Frederic Skinner, also known as B.F. Skinner, was one of the most respected and influential psychologists in the twentieth century. Growing up in a rural area in Pennsylvania with around two thousand people, Skinner, along with his brother Edward, were forced to use their imagination to keep themselves entertained. At a young age, Skinner liked school. Once he graduated, he attended Hamilton College in New York where he received a B.A. in English literature. After receiving his degree he attended Harvard where he would receive his Ph.D. and invent the “Skinner Box”, and begin his experimental science in studying behavior. He called his study, “radical” behaviorism. After college, he would marry, and have two children. In 1990, he met his fate when he was diagnosed, and ultimately died from leukemia.
“Beowulf.” Trans. Suzanne Akbari. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. B. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. 112-82. Print.
The Huffington Post UK. (2014, April 5). Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Cosmopolitan Launches Campaign Urging Doctors To Review Assessments. Retrieved from Huffpost Lifestyle United Kingdom: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/02/23/eating-disorders-awareness-cosmopolitan_n_4842475.html
Beowulf was written in the time when the society was in the process of converting from Paganism to Christianity. In this epic poem, these two religions come through the actions of its characters. The acceptance of feuds and the courage of war are just a few examples of the Pagan tradition, while the Christian mortalities refrain from the two.