Symbolism Of Beowulf

“Then when darkness had dropped, Grendel went up to Herot, wondering what the warriors would do in that hall when their drinking was done. He found them sprawled in sleep, suspecting nothing , their dreams undisturbed. The monsters thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws: He slipped through the door and there in silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them, unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies, blood dripping behind him, back to his lair, delighted with his nights slaughter (Narrator pg. 42 lines 30-40)”. Beowulf is a folk epic translated by Burton Raffel. Its a story about a hero with the strengths of a bear and a wolf called to a desperate town to defeat vicious monsters who have been tormenting them for the past

One of the strongest men on the face of Earth was Beowulf—savior of souls, and annihilator of evil. Beowulf is an epic poem that originated in the Anglo-Saxon period, told in Anglo-Saxon English. The poem depicts the odyssey of a man, Beowulf, who comes from the land of Geats to defeat a hellish creature, Grendel, which has been spawning terror upon King Hrothgar and his men, who live in the land of the Danes. On the way to King Hrothgar’s land, Beowulf encounters many monsters, and upon his arrival to the land of Danes, Beowulf vows to destroy Grendel in order to return peace and safety to King Hrothgar and his men. The poem often characterizes Beowulf with two distinct traits: pride and selflessness. Beowulf shows several moments of motivation

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

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

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

As a “bloodthirsty fiend,” Grendel was the first of the foes Beowulf battles. (line 407) He is “a powerful monster,” who “was spawned in... slime.” (lines 1, 19) He is a descendant of Cain, and chose to sacrifice the Danes to no one but himself. Grendel is “set on murder.”(49-50) Nothing can “quench his thirst for evil. (lines 52-53) Grendel stalked Herot and set his wrath loose on all who came to the hall. His mother, the “she-wolf” lived in an underwater cavern. (line 572) She is the “water witch,” one that no one’s “sword could slice her evil skin.” (lines 493, 496-497) Both characters are demons living only to hate, and cause terror in the hearts of those who know of them. The third villain comes much later than the first two. The dragon is Beowulf’s last enemy, and last battle. The beast poured out fire and smoke, and was one who “coiled and uncoiled” at the sight of a human. (line 673) The dragon menaces Beowulf’s kingdom and as an old man he is forced to fight the beast. The antagonists are evil and uncaring of human life, each choosing to end it when they please. They are bad and it shows.

The poem Beowulf includes three battles where Beowulf has to defeat the monsters known as Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon. Although he is successful in defeating the three monsters, his preparation for fighting them, his motivation for going into battle, and the conclusions of the battles demonstrate similarities and differences.

Although the author of Beowulf is unknown, his ability to reveal an eternal truth is undeniable. The author uses literary elements such as theme, points-of-view, and symbolism to portray his purpose. Countries and world leaders still struggle with the concepts in Beowulf. Analyzing the deeper meaning of Beowulf will reveal the truth behind the reason for war and conflict.

Immediately following this passage, it goes on to explain the history of Creation. Included in this description is how God made light and dark, land and ocean, plant and animal, and finally the ultimate creation, man. God gave the gift of free will to all of His children. Beowulf relies on God’s will and his own strength in his three battles. Beowulf’s first battle is against the evil monster, Grendel. “Beowulf trusts in his own strength as much as in God’s grace in his battle” (Chickering 272). After his first battle, “A pang of mortality strikes Beowulf as he looks back at the splendid neck-ring he has been given by Hrothgar as part of his reward for victory over Grendel”(Price 25). Beowulf was showing humility because he knows that he is human and could have been killed. The Bible speaks about humility in numerous books. For example, 1 Peter 5:5 says that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Nearing death, Grendel realizes that he “once the afflicter of men, tormentor of their days—[knew] what it meant to feud with the Almighty God” (Beowulf 490-492). This passage shows Grendel

Beowulf also appears to be very religious and, unlike other proud warriors, he always puts his faith in God and gives Him the credit of his victories. Before facing Grendel, Beowulf exclaims to the others in the hall, "... Let God in his wisdom/ Extend his hand where he wills, reward/ Whom he chooses" (lines 685-687). In addition, after his fight with Grendel's mother, Beowulf returns and tells Hrothgar that he would have died if God had not helped him, "...I'd have been dead at once/ And the fight finished, the she-devil victorious,/ If our Father in Heaven had not helped me" (lines 1656-1658). Even at the very end of his life, Beowulf proclaims to Wiglaf that everything he had acquired had been through the will of God, "For this, this gold, these jewels, I thank/ Our Father in Heaven, Ruler of the Earth--/ For all of this, that His grace has given me..." (lines 2794-2796). Up until the end, Beowulf demonstrates

When Beowulf, the protagonist in the epic poem Beowulf, declares that he will vanquish the hellish monster, Grendel, without help, it is a statement of humility and faith in God, for Beowulf hopes that if he fights alone, all the glory of the war will go to God and the promotion of His name. Grendel terrorizes the Danes as punishment for their idolatry and Paganism, and Beowulf comes not only to destroy Grendel, but to remove their polytheistic ideals and instill in them the truth and power of God. Beowulf’s noble quest to reform the Danes and introduce them to God, by battling Grendel alone, characterizes him as a hero according to Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth. When Beowulf insists that he go into battle without the help and protection

Christianity is shown through Beowulf being like Christ in his sacrifice and deeds. Although Beowulf was not the Son of God, and Christ was not the most powerful warrior in the world, there are many similarities between the two. Both Beowulf and Christ give up their lives to save everyone: “Seeing him stretched on the ground … A torn and bloody corpse. But Beowulf’s Killer was dead, too,” (Line 2823\ Line 2825) This parallels Christ dying to save humanity from sin. The dragon is symbolic of the devil because in the same way that Christ defeats the Devil through his sacrifice, Beowulf defeats the dragon through his sacrifice. There are other symbolic parallels between Christ and Beowulf like the twelve apostles and the twelve mourning Geats: “And then twelve of the bravest Geats Rode their horses around the tower, Telling their sorrow, telling stories Of their dead king and his greatness…”(Line 3169\

When Beowulf and Grendel finally fight in Herot, the battle is similar to that of Jesus and Satan’s exchange of words in the garden of Gethsemane. Satan has tempted many men, but has never come across one so stubborn in his beliefs. Satan is unable to move Jesus and this shows Jesus’ triumph over the ultimate evil. Grendel, when he comes to Herot that fateful night is expecting an easy meal, but instead is thrown in face to face with a man of incredible strength and fighting skill. “That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, knew at once that nowhere on earth had he met a man whose hands were harder…this was a different Herot than the hall he had emptied.”(433-439).

The story of Beowulf is a heroic epic chronicling the illustrious deeds of the great Geatish warrior Beowulf, who voyages across the seas to rid the Danes of an evil monster, Grendel, who has been wreaking havoc and terrorizing the kingdom. Beowulf is glorified for his heroic deeds of ridding the land of a fiendish monster and halting its scourge of evil while the monster is portrayed as a repugnant creature who deserves to die because of its evil actions. In the epic poem, Beowulf the authors portrays Grendel as a cold-hearted beast who thrives on the pain of others. Many have disagreed with such a simplistic and biased representation of Grendel and his role in the epic poem. John Gardner in his book, Grendel set out to change the

Beowulf, the kings and the warriors are the good side. In Christian, monsters symbolize the evil, demon. It seems they represent the “evil” in the story, and Beowulf represents the “good” in the story. The story is about the battles between “good” and “evil” in the society. The author wants the Christian value can be highlighted in the story. “Good” can defeat “evil” is absolutely the right thing. In the first battle, we are already told that Grendel will lose in the