The story of Beowulf, is an epic poem that offers a handful of themes and traits from the Anglo-Saxon time. A few of them are: heroism, loyalty, and religion. The theme that is seen periodically throughout the poem is faith or religion.
In the reading there is a plentiful amount of themes that are shown. Faith was chosen because it is shown periodically throughout the poem, whenever there was a fight or there was going to be fight Beowulf always referred to God and his fate. Beowulf believe who he is “greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in the world.” (Line 110-111). This is true to Beowulf because he has battled numerous amounts of monsters and his faith has always helped him conquer them. “ My hands / Alone shall fight for me,
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Beowulf goes to talk about the monsters who attacked him and he speaks of fate again. “A monster seized me/ But fate let me Find its heart with my sword; hack myself Free;” (Lines 286 - 290). This quote is about when they were in the sea and Beowulf was attacked by monster but he relied on God and fate. Since he did that he was able to find the vascular organ of the beast and free himself from their grips. When the fight begins with Grendel they foreshadow that fate would win and the Grendel would die. That did happen the prince and his men were able to injure Grendel in the battle, when eventually he would die. Fate still lucked out in the end in this part. The next battle that occur in part one is with the Water Witch, which is Grendel’s mother. This battle occurs because Beowulf went to search for Grendel’s body to take his head and show Hrothgar. In battle, Beowulf depends upon fate in this fight because his sword, Hrunting was completely useless in this fight. The sword could not cut slice through the witch's evil skin, since that was the case he was forced to fight with his hands and he relied on destiny a lot during the fight. At the end of fight, fate was with him because he found a magic sword and lifted it over his head and struck her in the neck slicing it off
The Christian element seems to be too deeply interwoven in the text of Beowulf for us to suppose that it is due to additions made by scribes at a time when the poem had come to be written down. The Christian element had to be included by the original poet or by minstrels who recited it in later times. The extent to which the Christian element is present varies in different parts of the poem, from about ten percent in the first part to much less than that throughout the rest of the poem. The Christian element is about equally distributed between the speeches and the narrative.
Beowulf is a poem about strength and courage. This is illustrated in the eighth section of the story called “Beowulf and the Dragon.” A slave, a hero and a dragon play a big role in this section. The characters are well developed, as is the setup for the conclusion of the poem.
Different religious values are emphasized throughout the poem, in which Pagan values are included. Throughout Beowulf we see that the pagan people value the heroes just as Christians value God. Pagans focused more on power and fame. “Behavior that’s admired is the path to power among people everywhere” (24-25). The quote conveys the fact that power is of great importance
The use of religion in the story alludes to the fact that Beowulf is a Christ figure by showing the reader that God has sent Beowulf to defeat Grendel, similar to how Jesus was sent to Earth to absolve people of sin. In the following quote, Beowulf is fighting Grendel and the narrator describes God’s impact on Beowulf. “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” (Beowulf 1269-1274). The “ wondrous gifts” that God had bestowed upon
In order to preserve the pagan story of Beowulf, the myth itself was rewritten using the Christian religion as its new structure.
Fate plays a major role throughout the plot of Beowulf. There are three major events: the battle with Grendel, the battle with Grendel’s mother, and the battle
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
Beowulf is a presumably controversial poem. Given that it is the most dated manuscript of literature in the entire world, many people have their own thoughts about how, when and why it was written. Tidmarsh Major makes the point that we cannot look at the Christianity of the poem through the eyes of our current Christianity, but rather of the specific type of Christianity of the Anglo-Saxon period (Major 2). However, there are many beliefs about this epic within the many years it has been in existence. Major believes that the Christian ideas are so essential to the poem that they could not have been added through interpretation of the writer himself (3). Charles Moorman believed the original poem contained
Beowulf is one of the greatest surviving epic poems. It was composed by Germanic people more than twelve hundred years ago. Although it is written in Old English, it deals with the Scandinavian forebears of the Anglo-Saxons, the Danes and the Geats. This epic poem concerns itself with Christianity, internal and external evils, and the warriors defeating monsters.
Beowulf is an interesting story in that it has a meaning that is firmly rooted in fantasy creatures based in mythical origins while providing insight into religious ideals and practices of the time. It also speaks of tradition and the struggle of man against things perceived as evil. In this tradition especially, Beowulf is an incredible allegory regarding the struggle of good and evil in the Christian tradition.
The epic and oral poem Beowulf illustrates a loss of community, cultural values, and tradition. Beowulf, the main character, is an ideal king and archetypal warrior. History is relevant to Beowulf; this Germanic society was being taken over by Christian missionaries who were seeking to convert this culture. The character of Beowulf is a reflection of the Germanic culture's virtues; heroism is emphasized in the text's multiple references and constant focus on heroes and what it is to be a hero. Beowulf, who is reflective of an older generation of heroes, strives for community. In contrast, Christianity's focus is on the individual. This conflict is ended once Beowulf, a figure of the past and the old world, passes on. With Beowulf, the hero dies. Hence, Beowulf's efforts to keep his culture and his ethics alive are impossible as war and Christianity conquer the Germanic land.
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.
Beowulf is a deeply serious commentary on human life with the main characters embodying a pronounced and coherent set of values. They are also the representatives of the outlined code for conduct and behaviour of those times.
Beowulf is the single greatest story of Old English literature and one of the greatest epics of all time. Ironically, no one can lay claim to being the author of this amazing example of literature. The creator of this poem was said to be alive around 600 A.D. and the story was, since then, been passed down orally from generation to generation. When the first English monks heard the story, they took it upon themselves to write it down and add a bit of their own thoughts. Thus, a great epic and the beginning to English literature was born.