Religion in Beowulf
The famous poem Beowulf was written sometime in the eighth century by an unknown poet. It was based on legend passed down over time. Prior to the time the poem was written, Anglo Saxons had converted from Germanic Paganism to Christianity. Some people argue that it was a Pagan poem rewritten by a person or persons educated in Christianity. “ has come down from heathen times and acquired its Christian character gradually and piecemeal from a succession of minstrels.” ( Hector Monro Chadwick as quoted by Brodeur 182), while others believed that Christianity and Paganism both belonged in the poem. “almost without exception so deeply ingrained in the very fabric of the poem that they cannot be explained away as the work of a reviser or later interpolator … the main story has been thoroughly imbued with the spirit of Christianity.” ( Klaeber, quoted by Brodeur 182). I agree with Klaeber and I believe that the poem exhibited a gradual acceptance of Christianity, and the still present belief in pagan values, and that the poet brilliantly combined the strengths of both into his poem. It is fully understandable that the conversion to Christianity would not have happened over night, and that many people would have still shared many of the beliefs and values of their ancestors. I think it is best to try and not read the poem as either a Christian poem or as a pagan heroic tale, but instead read it as an example of how people believed in both..
A person could spend months pulling out evidence of Christianity and creating references to the testaments to support their claims. A person could also spend months gathering evidence of Germanic legends and pagan beliefs. There is a lot of evidence of both in the ...
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...honors the comitatus by staying to defend his King even though all the others run and cower.
Wiglaf defends his king knowing full well that he could die. “I would rather that fire embraced my body beside the charred body of my gold-giver;…” (lines 2639 – 2640).
After Beowulf’s death he is given a Pagan funeral, where he is buried along with the dragon’s treasure on the side of a cliff. Beowulf died as a hero, with lots of fame.
After studying Beowulf and various criticisms about the poem, I feel that the poem is presented to us today in its intended form. It is not merely a legend or story passed down that kept having Christian aspects added into it, but it is well written poem with Christianity as Klaeber wrote “so deeply ingrained in the very fabric of the poem that they cannot be explained away as the work of a reviser” (Klaeber quoted by Bradeur 182) .
It is common opinion that Beowulf was written by a Christian poet. This was probably true because at the time when it was written, most of the few people who knew how to read and write were in the clergy. There are various references within the poem to elements of the Christian religion. However, the story is about Pagan people and certain aspects of their culture are even glorified. The ambiguity of Beowulf’s religious content has caused confusion as to what significance religion had in inspiring the author and in what manner the author meant to inspire or influence his audience. I do not think that Beowulf is a Christian allegory because Beowulf had very little in common with the Biblical figure of Jesus Christ. I think that religion was not the primary thematic concern of the writer. Although there are discrepancies between the two styles of thinking, Beowulf seems to praise values which were considered moral and good among all humanity, both Christian and Pagan.
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.
An epic is a long narrative poem on a serious subject. It usually is about
Beowulf’s fight against the dragon shows Beowulf as a hero. Although Beowulf had previously defeated two other foes, he stands fast and fights his most formidable foe yet, the dragon. Dragons were notoriously difficult to kill, and the poem states that it was a great man, who could kill a dragon, even if it meant losing one's life. While others cower away Beowulf fights the dragon. Beowulf defeats the dragon but loses his life in the same instance. Like the classical hero Beowulf loses his special status in death. Beowulf sought no compensation for his services; the mere satisfaction of helping others was pay enough. Like his two previous battles Beowulf fights for those who could not fight for themselves.
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
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.
The poem and Beowulf both show paganism and Christianity ideals and beliefs. In Beowulf there is fate, humility, fame, loyalty, and so much more that did not even get mentioned. Although the poem appears to be originally a pagan story, there are many clues in the text that point to Christian influence and traditions. In addition to Beowulf and his heroic deeds against Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the Dragon the author combines elements of Christian ideal and pagan ideal. The combination of Christian and pagan elements and references now shows Beowulf’s position in English history. These elements, that have been so uniquely combined in the poem, help define who Beowulf is. In conclusion Beowulf is a great poem whether it is a Christian or pagan poem.
What does it mean to be a hero? Like anything else in this world, the definition of the word hero can be argued. Some may say that a hero can be passive, that is if he or she refrains from doing a certain action it makes them heroic. Others would argue that to be truly heroic the character must never turn tail and always face the obstacle head on even though he or she may die in the process. So is Beowulf a hero? Yes, Beowulf is a great epic hero, but his greatness comes only from his sword and not from his mind.
The religious theme is one thing that both Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales have in common. In Beowulf, religion can be an issue because the poem is Christianized. The period would have been medieval Scandinavia, which would have been pagan. The narrator compromises by referring to God in wide-ranging terms. There is no way to change the fact that Beowulf would have been pagan. In Beowulf, there is a reference from the Old Testament in the Bible about the descendants of Cain. The Canterbury Tales references the New Testament of the Bible often. For Chaucer, it is a way for him to attack the bigotry of Christianity. Both poems are experiencing religious revolutions and upheaval of what they believe.
Though the origins of the epic poem Beowulf lie in the Pagan Anglo-Saxon era, by the time it was recorded, most Saxons had converted to Christianity. The story seems to be told partly from a heathen point of view and also partly from a biblical. Beowulf seeks glory, crediting it to God, yet a lot of his works are said to have been fated, and he seems to be trying to earn immortality on the earth, and not in an afterlife or in heaven. To determine the role of religion in the poem, the difference between fate and God’s providence must be examined, and examples of Pagan beliefs and Christian beliefs in the story should be discussed.
A true hero has no fear. A hero would risk himself for what he believes to be right and to protect others. I think of someone who, in my opinion of others, has heroic traits or has performed a brave act and is regarded as a representation or ideal is a hero. Heros always have people to look up to him and will always excel when the going gets treacherous. Beowulf is a good example of a hero, because he stared terror in his eyes and saved his land many of times. Beowulf additionally showed bravery, strength, and leadership because he was definite that he would defeat Grendel. Beowulf has all of the distinct qualities of a hero and that is why he is a perfect example of a hero.
The affixed Christian ideologies are evident in the passage. There are two main sections which demonstrate them. The first passage, lines 93-98, is an auxiliary in the narrative but it nevertheless demonstrates a belief in “the Almighty.” However, there is a slight discrepancy between the creation story presented in Beowulf and the original Genesis one. “He set the sun and the moon to be earth’s lamplight, lanterns for men” (11.94-95) implies that men existed before the sun and the moon which contradicts the Genesis story in which the sun was created first. This would suggest that the scribe has merely used the original ideologies in the poem and placed God in their midst.
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.