In England’s history, the country has had many different cultures come and go as the main population of the land. First there was the pagan population consisting of many barbaric groups like the Anglo Saxons whose way of life consisted of pillaging, brotherhood, and materialism. However, the Romans soon conquered the lands, bringing their own Christian religion. This changed the landscape of the country entirely, as Christianity preached peace, God, and righteousness. Beowulf was written by a Christian monk in an attempt to convert the previous Pagan population to the increasingly popular Christianity. As a result, Beowulf tracks the transition of the aging Anglo Saxon way of life to the new and improved way of life with Christianity. The author …show more content…
The eponymous of the poem, Beowulf, is the greatest warrior of his time, yet he cannot make such a huge impact without the help of God. Beowulf represents a lot of what the Anglo Saxon culture emphasized on. He is an excellent monster slayer, has a band of warriors he is extremely loyal to, and, through all of his hard work, gains an immense amount of gold and glory to his name. However, in this epic poem, that still is not enough. Although he is mightiest of all the Geats, Beowulf still needs the help of God during his battles in order to come out victorious. After his close fight against Grendel’s mother, Beowulf acknowledges the role God played in helping him succeed, saying that he would “have been dead at once, and the fight finished, the she-devil victorious if our Father in Heaven had not helped [him]” (Beowulf 71). This allusion is supposed to represent how ultimately the Anglo Saxon way of life is not good enough anymore, and these people need God to help in their struggle of life. Because Beowulf has such a strong relationship with God, it is no surprise that any wicked monster he meets just becomes another trophy to add to his collection. When Beowulf swims down to the …show more content…
Grendel, his mother, and every monster just like them were “spawned in that slime, [c]onceived by a pair of those monsters born [o]f Cain, murderous creatures banished [b]y God, punished forever for the crime [o]f Abel’s death” (Beowulf 6). Anglo Saxon culture centers around the slaying of monsters in the pursuit of gold and glory, however this obvious allusion to the Bible allows the author to incorporate some Christianity to explain the origin of these creatures. Both Grendel and Cain share the same evil nature about them, bringing horror and grief to the people they came in contact with, and they pose as enormous threats to their kingdom. Since they do not live like good Christians, God banishes Cain and Grendel from their respective kingdoms and dooms the two to a horrible afterlife. Of course, God had banished Cain on his own, removing him from Eden and sending him down to Earth; however, God banishes Grendel with the help of Beowulf. This infusion between the will of Beowulf to banish the threat of Grendel from Herot and the fate set by God for not being a good Christian foreshadows what eventually happens to any unfaithful Christian. The author makes it abundantly clear that “all non-Christians, no matter how virtuous or heroic, were damned” (Brown 2). This served to not only convert the Anglo Saxon audience but reminds them to stay faithful to Christianity’s pillars or they would be doomed to an eternity of
In Beowulf the Christian influence is revealed through approximately 70 passages in which the form of expression or the thought suggests Christian usage or doctrine (Blackburn 3); The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki is in its own way infused with Christian values even though it preserves remnants of the cult of Odin.
The Christian influences in Beowulf ultimately came from the Christian/Catholic Church of Rome which converted Romans, and thereby the Roman legions and thereby the occupied provinces. Also the Christian/Catholic Bishop of Rome sent missionary priests and monks to the British Isles to proselytze the population. There are additional considerations too.
This quotation provides a sense of Christian values and shows the hero's dependency on God. According to the poet, Beowulf realizes that his strength comes from the Almighty rather than from his own merit. Beowulf is shown as a brave warrior.
In the epic of Beowulf, Herot is plagued by the monster Grendel. A hero, Beowulf is summoned to defeat the beast. Beowulf is a Christian and Pagan based poem that includes several examples of each element. There are several biblical illusions in the text that give insight into the use of Christianity but just the same, there are several references to the Devil and Hell and Cain. Therefore the poem must be both Christian and Pagan because it represents both.
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.
When Beowulf refers back to the battle with Grendel’s mother he states that “the fight would have ended straight away if god had not guarded me” (Orla Murphy, 2008). This shows that he feels more secure if god was to help him on and was by his side. God is playing a big role in this, its testing whether god is real or not and if he is able to depend on him in a time of need. Beowulf puts his faith in a a lot of people that he is unsure of if he should because of who he is
In the novel Beowulf, Beowulf is portrayed as a Christ figure. Beowulf is given gifts and guidance by God, has to defeat a representation of Cain, and has a purpose for being on Earth, and that purpose is to serve and absolve the people of their problems. Jesus endured all of these as well. Through use of religion, it is evident Beowulf is a christ figure and Grendel is a representation of Cain.
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.
The poem Beowulf is a renowned story that displays many different surroundings and religious beliefs. Some may believe the story of Beowulf portrays pagan beliefs or customs and others believe that the poem is more in agreement with Christian ethnicity. The author of Beowulf uses both Christian and pagan elements in the poem to define the heroic warrior, Beowulf, and the evil dragons. After reading Beowulf the author clearly shows how Beowulf is a man who is filled with Christian customs and is willing to die and defend the world against evil using the help of God.
For years, religion has played a role in the lives of many, after all, there are hundreds of religions being practiced around the world. From the celebrations of special birthdays by the Jewish or Hispanic cultures or the celebration of holidays by Christians and many other religions. There is a great amount of differences when it comes to religion, whether it be beliefs or religious traditions, but contemporary society has become more aware the impact that religion can have on numerous different things. Additionally, religion has been a vast role when it comes to literature. In countless stories, readers will find the topic of religion being influential aspect. For example, in Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales there were influences from the
The glory is given to God at that very moment, “The monster wrenched and wrestled with him but Beowulf was mindful of his mighty strength, the wondrous gifts God had showered on him: He relied for help on the Lord of All, on His care and favour. So, he overcame the foe, brought down the hell-brute” (1269-1274). The “wondrous gifts” and strength in Beowulf is credited to God, who is on Beowulf’s side always in battle. Also, the great feat of defeating the evil monster, Grendel, shows that Beowulf is blessed and highly favored. Not only did Beowulf defeat Grendel, but he did it without any weapons. Gods power was instilled in Beowulf, to defeat evil with his bare hands. Beowulf showed a great amount of faith in God no matter what problems or evil he faced, and God rewarded him with victory, great legacy, and
“In my youth I engaged in many wars”, Beowulf boasts to his warriors, which is certainly true. Throughout his life, he faces many deadly foes, all of which he handily defeats, save one. His story focuses on the most challenging, as well as morally significant of foes, Grendel and the dragon. These creatures reveal much about society as well as Christian virtue at the time. Even after Grendel and the dragon are defeated physically, the two monsters pose a new threat to the hero on a higher plane. Beowulf is not only at risk of losing his life, but his humanity, virtue, and even spirituality.
Regarding the relationship between the conflicts and Christianity, during the scenes of Beowulf’s fight with Grendel’s mother. There is a background setting of them fighting in the water in her den filed with other demons. This can be related to the flood story in the biblical texts. The demons swimming around with her can perceived as the fallen souls of corruption during God’s purge of the earth. To support this claim during the scene towards the end of the fight with Grendel’s mother. He finds a sword relic on an ancient ruin that was made by the giants. The Giants which are the makers of the sword were in most cases despised by God. They are related to the mark of Cain. However, they in the presents of pagan virtues, are admired for
Beowulf has been estimated to have been written over twelve hundred years ago. According to The Norton Anthology Of English Literature, “It is now widely believed that Beowulf is the work of a single poet who was a Christian and that his poem reflects a well-established Christian tradition,” (37). This conclusion was likely drawn by accounting for the time at which Beowulf was written and factoring in most people in the area of where it was believed to be written had already been converted to Christianity. In a way, this provides the best explanation for why Beowulf contains a high level of Christian influences for the story to have taken place when it did. Dr. J. Michael Stitt of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas says that, “Much of this epic poem is dedicated to conveying and exemplifying the heroic code which values such attributes as strength, courage and honor. Conflicting with this ideology are other factors such as Christianity, and these tensions affect the lives and decisions of the narrative's characters.” If the one of the main focuses in Beowulf is the heroic code and the heroic code convicts with the authors beliefs than why did he write it? This is not to say that authors do not write about things that they ...
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.