Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
christianity of beowulf
christianity of beowulf
beowulf and religion
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: christianity of beowulf
Literature is the most conclusive way to gauge the past: peoples are laid low, the grandest of monuments will crumble but literature preserves the unblemished mindset of a people long since gone. But even then literature can be lost: their houses are burned or pillaged, their pages decay and language changes. It is often a sad fate that we are left with only a few remaining pieces of a past era, the only works preserved through the ages, those translated and passed down. It is our duty then to decipher these to make out the minds of our ancestors. Such is the condition of British literature. We look at the composite piece and see works such as the Venerable Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People (731 A.D.), The Dream of Rood (anonymous author, unknown date), Beowulf (ca. 750 A.D.), and The History of the Kings of Britain (ca. 1135-38 A.D.). Now these, of course are only a part of the entirety of early English literature, for an example it will perform masterfully in examining the progression of English religious tendencies.
Around the seventh century A.D. the English people were largely converted to Catholicism although their beliefs and traditions still remained largely estranged for several centuries after. Interestingly enough, one of the earliest pieces of British history—The Dream of Rood is written with a very Catholic feeling, both in doctrine and in style. Though arguably theologically unsound, the poem does not seem to have a strong pagan influence. Another, similar work, though without nearly so strong a catholic style, is Cædmon’s Hymn (Bede), possessing the same doctrinal ideas, but containing little to no obvious pagan influences. Of course The Dream of Rood was an earlier work but they both are from early English Catholicism.
The next step in the progression seems to be Beowulf, drawing from mythologies and various pagan sources but still containing a strong Christian backing. Though this work was merely twenty years after the pious Catholic works aforementioned, it seems to be a noticeable step toward English paganism.
And finally we come to Geoffrey of Monmouth, writing his History of the Kings of Britain four-hundred years later for the purpose of advancement in the church. In this work one cannot help but observe the references to the origins of British inhabitants coming from Troy (as related in Homers Iliad)—which very well may have some truth in it—and praying to the goddess Diana who guides them to Britain.
...McClure, Judith, editors. Bede: The Ecclesiastical History of the English People; The Greater Chronicle; Bede’s Letter to Egbert. New York: Oxford University Press, 1969.
Why has religion always been such a complicated topic? Why can it not just be as simple as praying to God for good health? Religion has been the source of many problems for thousands of years including the time period in which two of the most famous works were written. Paganism being converted into Christianity was a vast issue presented during this time. Throughout this paper the dictional similarities of the purposes of the authors of the Dream of the Rood and Beowulf will be compared and discussed. Both authors present their goals by using characteristics of the Norse Mythological Gods, to describe the heroes in both poems to lead their readers, the Anglo- Saxons, to convert to Christianity.
There are many books and works that presents the influence of these two big religions on the culture. Let us focus on three examples of Old English Literature works in which this influence is the most visible for a reader.
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 Old English epic poem Beowulf poses something for an enigma for scholars. The poet was surely a Christian, but the poem depicts a pagan society, so what sort of religion is being expressed. Most recent scholars have argued for a Christian reading, but others still hold out for a pagan one. Some have suggested Christian-pagan syncretism. Pagan beliefs involve sacrifices to the old stone Gods, making heathen vows, hoping for Hell’s support, the devil’s guidance in driving their affliction off. This was their way and the Heathen’s only hope.Some suggest Christian-pagan syncretism. Anglo-Saxon epic heroes are willing to put their own lives in danger for the greater good. Beowulf highlights the code’s points of tension by relating circumstances
The theology which appears in the Christian allusions in Beowulf is very vague and indefinete: there is no mention of Christ, the saints, miracles, Mary His Mother, specific doctrines of the church, martyrs of the church, the New Tes...
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
Beowulf, a great, “…heavily heroic, pagan poem influenced by Christian philosophy” (Skill 2). Harold Bloom, editor
...hem greatly. The Beowulf poet makes sure to include small but meaningful references to the paganistic background of the epic poem. There are too many pagan symbols scattered throughout the work to be ignored, and too many rules of the Christian religion are broken by the characters of the poem for an argument to be made against the paganism of Beowulf. Also, we must not forget that ideas such as fate and revenge, which are shunned in Christianity, are two of the main themes in this story. Consequently, even though the Beowulf poet may have been Christian, as for the poem itself, all signs point towards paganism.
In the epic poem Beowulf, the struggle between good and evil reveals its omnipresence in even the oldest of tales. The many allusions and symbols throughout the story relate to Christianity and other Pagan beliefs. By looking at them, it becomes apparent that the author of Beowulf believed that the constant war between good and evil is not only fought by the common man but also in the ranks of their highest esteemed rulers and warriors, and even in their dreaded nightmares where monsters lurk and wait for the death of man. Beowulf was written during the budding of Christianity in England, when it was newly forming. In the story there are obvious references to Christian rituals.
Leeming, David Adams. “The Anglo Saxons.” Elements of Literature, Sixth Course: Literature of Britain. Ed. Kristine E. Marshall. 1997. 10. Print.
In British Literature religion plays a role in a vast majority of works. Even if the role is not explosively apparent, there are a generous amount of small inspirations and distortions in the texts. Some texts are theorized to have even been altered from their original state to reflect an amount of religion in them. Other texts are formatted as a result of religious influence. Religion has an elaborate and intricate influence in a variety of ways in many works throughout the development of British Literature.
With the creation of the Christian religion followers of it obtained peace and tried their best to avoid the impurities of the world, interestingly enough, these “worldly” impurities consume the religion that is Paganism, which Christianity is heavily based off of. As time has progressed mankind has always searched for their purpose. Religion is often used to help one discover their ultimate purpose and give them guidelines to live a pure life by that may be amorphous without spiritual guidance. The religious fundamentals in Christianity help its believers to fathom why they are on this Earth and what their greater purpose is. Unknowingly, they develop their character through this religion without knowing that it is heavily stemmed from Paganism! Many practices, cultural elements, and habits in Paganism are strongly seen as ignoble by a majority of the modern Christians. A supreme amount of the text in the Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf help to entirely clarify the religious transitions that have occurred between both Paganism and Christianity. Throughout the ages, human beings used a religious power to help them evaluate their lives and wellbeing, specifically Paganism, Christianity; the transition from paganism to Christianity illustrates how much religion effects one’s life.
Pettegree, Andrew. "The English Reformation." BBC History. BBC, 17 Feb 2011. Web. 1 Oct 2013.
Burns, Julia. "Notes MLA 6318". Church and State in Early Modern England. Fall 2013. Dr. D. David.