Beowulf as a Pagan Oral Tradition

Here Beowulf gives the outcome to God. As mentioned earlier, Grendel met his fate the night Beowulf was waiting for him. This clearly is contradicting since both dogmas are used to describe the same occurrence. In the fight against Grendel's mother "Almighty God would ... turn the tide of his misfortunes" (Beowulf 61). He also says that God decided the victory in the same fight.

The Medieval epic poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, typifies Anglo-Saxon values such as oral-storytelling, heroic behavior, and loyalty. Several examples of the value of storytelling are apparent in Beowulf.. Storytelling in the mead halls is the primary form news. After Beowulf’s victory over Grendel, a minstrel starts “rehearsing Beowulf’s triumphs and feats” in a poetic manner (Heaney 59). Through story-telling, the men and women of Anglo-Saxon society are able to spread stories, and then the stories will travel all across the land and to the people. Stories told in Beowulf introduce new heroes, such as the titular character himself, and their accomplishments, which in turn become history.

After Grendel’s mother kills a warrior to avenge her son’s death, Beowulf says to the mourning King that “It is always better / to avenge one’s friend than to mourn overmuch” (Liuzza 1384-5). When Beowulf finished speaking, “The old man leapt up, thanked the Lord, / the mighty God, for that man’s speech “(Liuzza 1398-9). These lines are both ironic and representative of the melting pot of Pagan and Christian ideas. It’s ironic because vengeance is forbidden in the bible, yet the old man thanks God for Beowulf’s intent to murder Grendel’s Mother. The bible says to “never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good” (New Revised Standard Version, Romans 12:19-21).

If the glory and fame that come with success in battle, and great accomplishments are attributed not to the person who realizes these feats but to God, then the idea of personal glory has been eliminated. This was the intent of the revisionist when they added many lines to the poem which attribute Beowulf's deeds to God's good graces. This can be seen many times in the poem in what Beowulf says when he has accomplished something great. An example of this occurs before Beowulf's battle with Grendel, when he proclaims, "Whichever one death fells mu... ... middle of paper ... ..., strongest warrior claims the throne. This is accomplished by showing all actions being the direct result of fate, which is ultimately decided by God.

Christianity makes an appearance when it references the antagonist, Grendel, “a fiend out of hell” (43 Simpson & David) and the protagonist, Beowulf, whom the “Holy God, in His goodness, guided…to the West-Danes, to defend [Hrothgar and his subjects] from Grendel” (49 Simpson & David). Christianity was a prominent influence for authors of the Anglo-Saxon time period. The Christians had faith in God’s ability to determine their fate. If they lost a contest then God has decided they are not worthy of winning. Every day they will try to prove they are holy enough to have God’s grace and be saved from eternal damnation.

Native Icelandic poets loved the story of Sigurd and the Huns, Goths, Burgundians, with whom this hero interacted. This prose story is based on traditional Norse verse called Eddic poetry, a form of mythic or heroic lay which developed before 1000 in the oral folk culture of Old Scandinavia. The Icelandic skald is the equivalent of the Anglo-Saxon scop. He was a storyteller. Icelandic material builds on a long oral tradition just like Anglo-saxon.

Before the incident even takes place, we know that the gods have destined Orestes to avenge his father’s death. During this period of time, when the gods were on your side, you were doing the right thing! Another way to prove Orestes innocence is through the god of sun, song, and prophecy, better known as Apollo. Early on in “The Libation Bearers'; Orestes puts his faith in Apollo. He declares: “Apollo will never fail me, no, his... ... middle of paper ... ...it brings Orestes home.

The monks who altered the story taught that the pagan god Wyrd does not exist but merely acts as a capability of God. By getting rid of the main pagan god, the monks show God’s almighty power and his ability to control good and evil and decide right from wrong. All evil beings exist because they battled against God and lost; and for rebel... ... middle of paper ... ...imself to do so. The heroic code states that the more glory a person wins in life, the greater and better afterlife they will have. Beowulf and the dragon die together, and with his last words Beowulf requests a burial within a giant tumulus so his grave can guide sailors from the sea.

However pagan and Christian elements are balanced in the poem’s final pages creating an adequate ending. Before Beowulf leaves to fight the dragon, he gives one last speech, announcing, “[he] shall win the gold / by my courage, or else mortal combat, / doom of battle, will bear your lord away” (2535-2537). Beowulf accepts that he might die battling the dragon, without any bitterness, which is a common pagan element. Pagan beliefs are mostly pessimistic because pagans believe that fame is the only guarantee to immortal life. Another example of this pagan theme is mentioned in the same passage with Christian themes during Beowulf’s last words: “To the everlasting Lord of All, / to the King of Glory, I give thanks / … Order my troop to construct a barrow / … / It will loom on the horizon at Hronesness / and be a reminder among my people" (2794-2805).

Helen and Menelaos tell the stories of Odysseus's tactile ways during the Trojan War and reveal a great hero to Telemakhos, Odysseus's unknowing son. The Sirens, beautiful as their song is, tell a profound story of Odyss... ... middle of paper ... ...er himself incorporated into the epic. It is believed that Homer was also blind, creating the connection between the two. The fact that Demodokos reveals Odysseus' identity plays an important role because it demonstrates the importance of poetry and the oral tradition. Since the minstrel is a singing poet who tells the story, he solves a great mystery that the king cannot even figure out.