Religion In Beowulf

While many pagan influences appear in the poem, Christian overtones dominate. Many of the characters exhibit Christian characteristics. Beowulf has a Christ-like behavior in his good-heartedness and charity. Beowulf understands the plight of the Danes that are being oppressed by the evil monster Grendel just as Christ knew of the oppression of the Jewish people. Both set out on a venture to save their people. To free themselves from the monster, the Danes need a savior, and Beowulf, through his desire to disperse their suffering, comes to save them. When Beowulf battles Grendel, he exhibits a sense of fairness when he refuses to use a weapon. The idea throughout the poem of living right, of loyalty, and of being a good leader can all be seen as traits of Christ. Just as Beowulf exemplifies Christ, Grendel mirrors Satan. Beowulf and Grendel represent the Christian beliefs of good verse evil. Grendel is referred to as a descendant of Cain, whom Satan tricks into sinning and committing the first murder. He is the image of a man fallen from grace through sin. Like Satan who is jealous of the happiness and joy that Adam and Eve have in the Garden of Eden, Grendel is jealous of the happiness and joy in Heorot. Grendel, as with Satan, is an adversary of God and poses a great challenge to Beowulf. Grendel lives in an underworld as Satan lives in hell. Grendel is referred to in the poem as "the guardian of

A. Grendel is impatient with the music and celebration of Hrothgar’s men; his home is a hell on earth; he was born in slime; his parents are the children of Cain, who were exiled by God; he is family to “a thousand forms of evil,” who angrily fight against God.

Beowulf has both pagan and Christian influences. Throughout the story there are many elements of Christian teachings: that man survives only through the protection of God, that all earthly gifts flow from God, and that the proper bearing of man is to be humble and unselfish (csis.edu, 2011). While many pagan influences appear in the poem, Christian overtones are more prevalent, exhibiting many elements of Christian heroism in the poem. An example is when Beowulf says “God must decide who will be given to death's cold grip” (Norton, lines 174-175).   He knows that God has already created an ending to this battle with Grendel, and he is lavished with peace. He shows true Christian character, bravery, and faith in the manner in which he

When things have no explanation in life, humans are quick to turn to religion as a attempt to comprehend the unexplainable. For example, in order to explain what happens after death and how to deal with modern issues such as abortion or gay marriage, many devout catholics may turn to the bible for guidance. In Beowulf, the religious beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons are a huge influence on the description of events in this epic poem. However, in John Gardner’s novel Grendel, the use of existentialism, a philosophy that emphasizes that “existence precedes essence”, contradicts the early Christianity values that are present in Beowulf. In both Burton Raffel’s translation of Beowulf and in John Gardner’s novel Grendel, the usage of differentiating lenses is critical to the reader’s interpretation of the texts. Beowulf uses

In this story, Grendel is cursed from the beginning and he has no chance of being a useful contributing member of a society that does not accept him, so in turning away from god, he became a

Within the poem Beowulf, the poet utilizes the Christian religion to symbolize the elements of good and evil and Heaven and Hell. Beowulf is the oldest known English epic poem. The manuscripts date back to about 1000 A.D., when two scribes wrote it down for posterity. The poem was handed down from the Anglo-Saxon period, and through the retelling of the poem, it changed a little each time. The poem creates an oral depiction of an epic hero who strived to fight against the forces of evil. There really was a “historical” Beowulf who helped the Geats and Danes fight off pirates, but he was neither King of the Geats nor Danish hero at any time. In fact, he was not considered a man of any

In the story of Beowulf you get a glimpse of many different themes throughout this epic. Those themes range from good and evil to those of death and glory. The story itself depicts a period in history when life was lead "blind" through the teachings of the book of the lord and his spoken words. At this same period in history traditional pagan religious practices and beliefs have slowly given way to the ideals and philosophy of Christianity. Many of the themes held within the pages of Beowulf stem from the proverbs and fables recited and practiced in the Old Testament, while concurrently adding pagan beliefs of monsters, demons, and multiple gods. The most striking of these biblical comparisons is viewed between Grendel

The story of Beowulf deals with life, death, violence, kings, and monsters. Written around 800 CE, and then picked up hundreds of years later to be rewritten by a monk, it is written well after the coming of Christ. It could be simply read as an action adventure, filled with conquests and elaborate feasts, as were common of Old English tales. The story is not that simple though, and gives us a peek into a culture going through some drastic changes. Once built upon a Pagan belief system void of Christ and saturated with values such as revenge and violence, the Anglo-Saxons did not immediately adopt all of Christianity. There was a lengthy time in which both sets of beliefs were muddled and weaved together haphazardly, where no one religion was distinct. Beowulf is an example of these cultural influences crashing together. While Christianity in Beowulf, the Old English epic poem, looks different than the Christianity we recognize today, the story is built with Christian values.

Christian ideas are ingrained in different characters, the glorious and brave Beowulf exemplifies good Christian values, while Grendel personifies evil in a devil-like character that Christians associate with Pagans. Grendel is described as a grim demon who haunts the desolate marsh where due to his anathematic descent, is doomed to live banished among other monsters as part of “Cain's clan, whom the creator had

Grendel is the main antagonist in Beowulf, and he is described as Cain’s descendent, “…he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan…” (line 104-106). This allusion to the biblical story of Cain and Abel brings a reference point to Grendel’s evil. The evil of Grendel is comparable to killing one’s brother, like Cain did (Genesis 4 NIV). Another example of Christianity is the use of the Christ figure archetype.

In my Opinion i believe that the religion in beowulf is a very touchy issue. The reason why i say this is because the story is told in late medieval Anglo saxon britain, which was Christianized, but it was also about early medieval scandinavia, which is pagan. I have researched and looked over my book many times i even took notes down. As i read it over and over again i notice that the narrator of the poem made constant references to God which would make it christian, but in addition Beowulf showed certain element on where he was pagan. Beowulf despises weapons and relies on his strength which showed one of many battles that suggest Beowulf was pagan.

In the opening of the poem, it is expressed that the monster Grendel was a descendant of Cain. “He was spawned in that slime, / Conceived by a pair of those monsters born / Of Cain, murderous creatures banished / By God, punished forever for the crime / Of Abel’s death” (19-23). This quotation is a reference to the tale of when Cain became known as the first murderer after killing his brother Abel. In addition, the poem references the Christian theory of creationism, by saying, “Of the ancient beginnings of us all, recalling / The Almighty making the earth, shaping / these beautiful plains marked off by oceans, / Then proudly setting the sun and moon / To glow across the land and light it; / The corners of the earth were made lovely with trees/ And leaves, made quick with life” (6-12). In this quotation, the author is alluding to the story of how God created the Earth, as told in the

Beowulf has its religious roots in paganism and that is quite evident being that the tale is revolved around the Geats and the Danes. The epic was speculated to have been written around either the 600s or 700s for the fact that they depict historical figures deaths. The Geats and Danes were largely Pagan tribes that believed in multiple gods, and that fate and honor controlled the outcome of their immortality. In 1066 A.D. when William the Conqueror took control of the British Isles he brought with him Christianity. After the invasion a single tattered manuscript of the Epic has survived. That is when it was theorized that the monks took the piece it colored it with the

The Biblical reference to the Story of Cain and Abel gives insight to the idea that Grendel was intended to represent sinners, specifically pagans. Further than the antagonist being described as a monster and a descendant of Cain, Grendel is also killed by Beowulf who is praised for his actions. This illustrates Beowulf was doing a good deed by killing a sinner. Though not a direct acceptance of violence toward non believers, this can lend an argument to the feelings of non Christians at the time.

While most of the poem depicts pagan customs, such as wergild,, there are three specific ways that Christianity is seen: the title character, Beowulf, is depicted as good while Grendel, who descended from Cain, is depicted at evil; there are conflicting ideas of fate and free will; and the lord is seen as an almightily, singular being.